Kerry and Mark met through a mutual friend, and on the first night they met went for a few drinks and a game of doubles pool. Once they got talking Kerry learned that Mark was a plumber, so when they all went back to her apartment to continue to the socialising, he fixed her sink! One week later Mark asked her for a date, and they haven’t looked back since. Mark says he was attracted to Kerry’s glow and confidence. The way he put it in his wedding speech goes: “When I first met Kerry, I remember turning to my friend and saying, ‘Golly gosh, she sure is an attractive lady. I do hope she takes my hand in courtship sometime...’ Or words to that effect!” Kerry meanwhile was drawn to Mark’s stoicism, charm and chivalrousness. Being a very private person, Mark wanted to pop the question somewhere away from the hustle and bustle. So, he booked The Chapel Suite at Lumley Castle in Durham for a weekend away for Kerry’s birthday, which is where he got down on one knee. Kerry says, “After being together for 10 years, we knew each other really well, so I guessed that Mark as going to propose. Mark knew that I knew, but we never discussed it until later – after I’d said, ‘Yes.’” The couple tied the knot on 13th May, 2023. Here, Kerry tells us all about it... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION As Kerry and Mark both have a strong Christian faith, getting married in church was a priority. They chose St Mary & All Saints Church as they’d fallen in love with its idyllic countryside setting in Great Budworth. Kerry says, “We also wanted the service to be the original and traditional wedding service from The Book of Common Prayer 1662, which is quite unusual, so we had to find a church and vicar who was prepared to undertake this for us.” It was love at first sight for Arley Hall too once they laid eyes on the building and its gardens. “It fitted our ideas for the traditional theme of our wedding,” Kerry explains. “The events team at Arley, in particular Ashley, were so helpful and passionate about being a key part of the day and delivering their service with pride and professionalism.” PERFECTLY PLANNED “Organisation is one of my super powers,” Kerry says. “I have colour co-ordinated spreadsheets for everything, including going on holiday. So, when it came to the wedding I had to delve deeper to pull off the magical day we wanted. What started off making a few notes and a timetable for the day ended up turning into a full blown eight-page wedding manual! It included who needed to be where and at what time, along with meticulous information about which tasks people needed to complete, how and when. It even included things like how fast the horse and carriage travels in miles per minute (one mile every eight minutes by the way), plus supplier information, names, emails, contact, telephones and websites, and so, so much more. Now, I know that this makes me sound like a bridezilla, but everyone can (hopefully) vouch for me that I wasn’t. It was a collection of information following discussions with suppliers and it just felt that the, now famous, manual was a great central place to collate it all!” “Everyone said I was one of the happiest brides they’d every seen! I was smiling from ear to ear and laughing all day.” – Kerry 27 REAL WEDDINGS
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