R & J Wedding Layer Marney Tower

R & J Wedding Layer Marney Tower

Rhoda & James had the most lovely, intimate and beautiful elopement wedding at the amazing Layer Marney Tower...  



https://layermarneytowerweddings.co.uk/james-and-rhodas-november-wedding-ceremony/ 

With the wedding season well underway for 2022, I thought I would take us back to an amazing elopement wedding of Rhoda and James at Layer Marney Tower.  

What Layer Marney Tower had to say about this stunning elopement wedding... 

One of the things I love most about weddings at Layer Marney Tower is the variety.  James and Rhoda had the most beautiful and intimate of elopement wedding ceremonies in November, simply for the bride and groom with the two witnesses being members of staff from Layer Marney Tower, including myself! 

We are very grateful that although James and Rhoda chose to hold a very private wedding ceremony, that they are happy to talk to us about their wedding last year and share some of their wedding photos. 

With a little prompting from us, here they talk about their special day. (Karen – Wedding Coordinator) 

When did the proposal take place and how did it happen? 

We got engaged in December 2017 when we were on holiday in Prague.  We had gone to watch Tosca at the State Opera House and James popped the question in the interval.  We celebrated afterwards in a little restaurant across the river with sausages and Prosecco! 

Did you always intend to hold an intimate wedding and did you have an ideal venue in mind before starting on your search for a venue? 

We always felt that a bit statement wedding wasn’t for us because we’re quite shy, so a small event with a handful of family and friends was the most likely scenario.  The only question was how we might gather everyone in a location that was easy to get to, since we have family at opposite ends of the UK in Essex and Wales. 

Having looked at a registry office and other venues in London and East Anglia, we realised that these places seemed either a bit impersonal and imposing, or lacked charm.  And then came the pandemic.  In the end, we waited so long for the situation to improve, to get vaccinated, for restrictions to ease, that we decided to elope.  We are hoping to do some kind of get-together with our families in the coming months, for a belated celebration. 

How far in advance did you book your wedding? 

There wasn’t a long lead-time in to the day but we managed to book the ceremony, registrar and notary appointment two months before the wedding day.  We had a mild panic about whether we would find the right rings but eventually it worked out well.  Luckily Sam Rundle was available at short notice to photograph our ceremony and we are so grateful he was able to record the key moments of the day. 

We opted for Layer Marney Tower because it has a really special vibe.  It is of course incredibly grand and infused with so much history, but at the same time is has a unique warmth and welcoming atmosphere.  The hallway of the gatehouse was the perfect location for us to say our vows, since the registrars, photographer and our witnesses Karen and Sharon from the Layer Marney Tower team would be the only ones to join us in the ceremony room. 

In the days before the wedding ceremony, Layer Marney Tower were notified by UK Power Network that there was to be a scheduled power cut on the day of the ceremony.  We offered James and Rhoda a ceremony later in the day, (if the registrars were also available), or to delay by 24 hours but they were very relaxed about going ahead by candlelight if we were still happy to accommodate them – of course we were more than happy! 

Can you tell us a little about any memorable moments about your wedding day? 

On the day, we got ready in the Gatehouse apartment where we had been staying for the week and ambled over to meet the registrars before the ceremony.  It was the most low-key affair imaginable but it was exactly what we were hoping for.  The power cut might have been a bit inconvenient to some, but the team provided candles which created a lovely intimate scene in the Gatehouse. 

Afterwards, we had pictures taken against the impressive façade of the tower, looking towards the wide-open vista beyond the grounds before going back to the apartment for champagne and cake. We even got to meet the TV film crew who were shooting some scenes next to the fountain. We photo-bombed them a few times throughout the day, so they will have a lot of editing to do. 

Thank you to the whole team at Layer Marney Tower for making our wedding day so memorable, stress-free and fun!