Real Wedding | Caitlin and Carl | Blackton Grange Estate, Barnard Castle Celebrant
- MegStanierCelebrant
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Photographer: Joss Denham Photography
On a day filled with sunshine in April, Carl and Caitlin celebrated their wedding at the North Pennines' new hidden gem, Blackton Grange Estate. In their converted wedding barn, decorated by Wild Fern Wedding UK, we held the very first celebrant-led wedding at the venue and it was one to remember.
As their guests were taking their seats, you could feel the anticipation in the air for a day of sunshine, drinks, games, and celebration!
Before Caitlin made her entrance with her Mum, bridesmaids, and flower girls, we surprised their family and friends with a request - we encouraged everyone to get their phones out and capture a selfie or a video to send to Carl and Caitlin. With the timer set for 30 seconds, the atmosphere was instantly lifted with a fun and relaxed energy! After the time was up, we asked their guests to put their phones away and enjoy the moment.
Caitlin met Carl at the end of the aisle, smiling from ear to ear with their closest family and friends watching on. We welcomed everyone to their big day and began the ceremony by comparing Carl and Caitlin's love story to a television series, introducing everyone to today's 'episode' before going on to talk about marriage, what this means to them, linking back to why they love each other and poking fun at one another too!
Their first reading was a personalised, love story poem which told their tale so far from meeting online to their wedding day. Striking the balance between nods to humorous anecdotes and heartfelt moments in their relationship history.
This was followed by a more detailed account of their thoughts on each other when they first met and their proposal, linking nicely to our second reading "Yes, I'll marry you, my dear", a light-hearted reading about some of the everyday reasons we have for loving our partner, leading to making a commitment to each other forever.
This was the ideal moment for Caitlin and Carl to share their vows, beautifully written for one another, followed by the
exchanging of their wedding rings.
Just to make sure their promises were 'locked in' we also included a love lock ceremony.
Carl proposed to Caitlin with an engraved padlock at Liverpool dock... so we felt this was the perfect symbolic element to include in their ceremony.
Caitlin and Carl were presented with separate, engraved locks, symbolising their individual lives— their families, and paths in life.
To represent the vows they made to each other, their unbreakable bond and to signify that their individual journeys & families being intertwined from this day forward, we invited them to pick up their locks and secure them together.
But, what did we do with the keys? Well, we had the happy couple face away from their guests and throw the keys over their shoulders. The guests who caught them would then "hold the keys" to their marriage, tasked with keeping them hidden from the couple - which certainly got a few laughs throughout the day!
Now that the rings were exchanged and the love locks secured, it was time to go crazy for the newlyweds! We introduced them as Mr and Mrs, they signed a decorative certificate, and made their grand exit before being showered with confetti!!
A fantastic ceremony for a fantastic couple!
Congratulations again, Carl and Caitlin!! x
Team:
North East Celebrant | Blackton Grange Estate celebrant | Barnard Castle celebrant