Northern nuptials

Passing Manchester Town Hall in the summer months it seems that there is always a bridal party making their confetti-covered way out of the grand entrance. As a keen people-watcher I’ll take any subject matter for my fix, but weddings are always a bonus. While the men are usually in similar sombre attire, the women are always a picture: Brides in white, ivory, purple or red, with the rest of the females in the wedding party parading a range of styles and colour; some of which look great, some you can’t help but feel they were badly advised…  

Although the summer is traditionally when most weddings take place, there is steady nuptial traffic throughout the year, and the thought of getting married- or just attending - on a crisp autumnal day, a frosty winter morn or a pink-blossomed spring afternoon all have intoxicating appeal to me. 

I was wondering how many weddings you get to attend in a lifetime. It depends on how big your family is and how wide your social circle of course, but what would you say is the average? A dozen? 20? 30? And how many of those are first weddings, or second or even third? 

Reception-wise, things can be tricky. Sourcing a venue the right size for a small or large wedding party is the first issue. Last week a friend’s reception was held in a Manchester casino and there is no shortage of options. But even when you have found a venue you want to decorate it in your own style, which is not always easy if you are restricted by gothic columns and chandeliers and aristocratic portraits which don’t fit your theme. Likewise, some hotel rooms can be a little bland, or downright distasteful when it comes to the swirling patterned carpets favoured by many a hotelier. 

Personally I would go for an option of hiring a marquee and giving it your own stylish twist. I may be biased as that’s what my own wedding was held in, but it enabled us to choose a venue that was just the right size for the 80 people attending to be seated, collect their wonderful vegetarian fare provide by award winning French-Moroccan chef Nadine Abensur, and also had room for a dance floor (homemade by us out of panels which later insulated a loft floor) and a small stage to hold a ceilidh band. 

I have no plans to remarry but would point friends and family to the many choices when you hold your wedding, or any function at any time of year come to that- private or corporate- in a marquee. If you are thinking like me, start at C and J Rentals marquee hire. Based here in the north of England since the 1970s they operate nationally at grand venues from Lord’s Cricket Ground to Aintree, but they specialise in more modest family weddings too. It’s amazing what can be done in a marquee: windows and flooring, heating and ovens. They can come equipped with linen and luxury loos too! 

I’ve been fortunate to attend memorable weddings all over the UK. A reception on a barge going along the Leeds-Liverpool canal was unique, with a sobering moment when the water vehicle gave a violent shake, just as mention was made in a speech of a recently departed friend. Stately Homes are always a good wedding venue and I attended two in a week once; one at Arley Hall in Cheshire, the other in the grounds of a former abode of King Henry VIII. Castles, cliff top churches and grand civic buildings have been other romantic settings… Happy days...