Your Yorkshire Wedding - Page number 33 - September/October 2021 (Issue 50)

D orreh Khatibi and Alex Hill met while working at a Young Offenders Institute, where Dorreh taught young men, and Alex worked as an officer. “The first time I met Alex, he was in a classroom with another teacher and was being cheeky, with an infectious smile and was laughing at his own jokes!” recalls Dorreh. After a long dating process, with a few bumps in the road, they fell in love, found their dream home and dream jobs, and Dorreh had a ready-made family, “It’s been a journey for me and Quinn, Alex’s daughter, however we’ve made a very strong bond and she’s the most adorable thing in my life and was my sweet flowergirl.” Alex popped the question on Dorreh’s birthday on 23 rd December, 2018. “I sort of knew he was going to ask as we’d been talking about getting married,” recalls Dorreh. “Alex had recently found out about my grandmother’s ring which she had passed on to me two days before she died. We went to Gino’s in Leeds for my birthday and the waiter brought over a drink on a plate that had written on it “Will you marry me?”. Alex then took out the ring and put it on my finger. He had called my dad on the day to ask him for permission which meant a lot to me. “We decided to get married straight away, however it took us about two years to find a venue and to decide where we want to get married.” After lots of decision making and wedding planning, the big date fell on 3 rd January 2020, with The Coniston Hotel providing the perfect backdrop. SETTING THE SCENE Although Dorreh, who is of Iranian heritage, originally wanted to marry by the water abroad, the couple decided to get married in the UK. “We saw a few venues in the Lake District and even booked one provisionally for six weeks. However, I came across The Coniston Hotel and we instantly fell in love. It was Christmas time and they had decorations up and it just looked so magical, with the most beautiful lake outside the hotel.” Due to Dorreh’s teaching profession, the pair tied the knot in January during the Christmas holidays, meaning they could utilise the Christmas decorations that would still be up and she could spend time with her family who were travelling from Iran. For the finer details Dorreh chose big white orchids to complement her elegant satin wedding dress; while the bridesmaids had small bouquets of white roses and greenery. White flowers featured throught, including in the centrepieces which were floral displays decorating candelabra. “To add a Persian feel to the wedding we had the cake made by an Iranian lady,” shares Dorreh. “It was a three-tier white cake with white orchid and roses, in a banana and vanilla flavour.” REAL WEDDINGS 33