Anna and Chris met online. Although Chris messaged first, he then took a week to respond to Anna’s reply. When it finally did come, the note just said: “I’m rubbish at messaging people back. Shall we just meet?” They’d both discovered a common interest in CrossFit and he attended a gym Anna was herself interested in joining, so she thought: “Why not?” They got together for a lunchtime Nandos, and having both made strange requests with their food, immediately felt comfortable with each other. “We both had a lot in common, but were also both independent. Having our own interests was very important to us both,” Anna says. Anna’s family has owned Jervaulx Abbey for more than 50 years, so it’s a huge part of their lives. Knowing how important it is to Anna, Chris came home a day early from a trip away with friends to set up candles and flowers in one of her favourite parts of the ruin. In on the plans, Chris’ sister called Anna to let her know that something had happened at the Abbey and that she should go down there. When she arrived, she found her family there waiting who advised her to go inside straight away and see what had happened. “As I walked in and saw the candles, I thought how cute it was that someone must have just got engaged,” Anna remembers. “Then I saw the flowers my sister had arranged and it started to click, but there was no sign of Chris!” Having expected her to walk into the room, he was still in his hiding place behind a hedge, but Anna had remained frozen in the doorway. She continues, “When he eventually realised I was there, he emerged, pulled me into the room, got down on one knee and asked the question.” The venue choice was obvious. Jervaulx Abbey regularly hosts weddings, and Anna works with the couples to arrange them. “I already knew how beautiful, relaxed and unique the Abbey was,” she explains. “With my job, I’ve visited loads of venues but nowhere compared.” So, the date was set for 20th May, Anna’s favourite time of year. “The lambs are out in the parkland, the birds are singing away and the Abbey becomes so colourful,” she tells us. SETTING THE SCENE Anna and Chris were legally wed in the Abbey on the Wednesday prior to their big day. This allowed them to ask a close friend to conduct the ceremony for the main event. “Clarke did an incredible job, with the right level of loving, commitment, personal and funny,” the bride says. Anna was keen to have wedding favours that doubled up as place names, so she made the guests name keyrings from resin using the colours from the wedding palette. “I was so happy to see them all being taken away as a lovely memory from the day,” she tells us. The bride also turned her hand to creating the table plan. She chose florals that would be used in the fresh flower arrangements and painted them onto a big blackboard, which stood on an easel at the entrance to the marquee. The couple had opted for a long trestle-table layout for a more sociable dining experience. “We actually decided to avoid centrepieces,” Anna REAL WEDDINGS 31
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