Reflections on last year…

It was a damp, grey March morning. Our beautiful view was darkened by threatening clouds. Our marquee was still enjoying its winter hibernation and we had two couples (prospective clients), who insisted on seeing our venue.

Hope for even one booking was not high.

But what we had forgotten was that planning your wedding day is probably one of the most exciting journeys any couple takes. It’s filled with promise, dreams, excitement, sharing …

What our two couples saw was not a damp, gloomy, Hertfordshire view, but a day filled with the sunshine of laughter, the warmth of family and friends and the excitement of being waved off as they start their adventure together. And our stunning venue did not disappoint even with the cloud!

Our view, our gardens and our flexibility is what sets us apart and why so many couples fall in love with Burloes Hall on first sight!

As we listened to their excited planning, we started to reminisce on all the previous seasons:

The wonderfully colourful Indian and Sri Lankan weddings
The vivacity of a wedding group moving to the evocative sounds of a steel band
The emotional sight of a father, with his elevating wheel chair, escorting his daughter down the aisle – shoulder to shoulder
The authenticity of cuisines we ‘sampled’, as proud caterers tempted us with their creations
The gorgeous children, dressed in waistcoats and beautiful frocks, playing catch around the garden maze
The ‘adult children’ who, on discovering a cricket net in a secluded part of the garden, stripped off their expensive jackets and designer shoes and indulged in an impromptu net practice
The guests, smelling and stroking the blooms in rapt admiration of nature.

So many memories, which we enjoyed vicariously.

So many smiles, which we could not help but enjoy.

So much beautiful music, which stayed long in our memory.

Then we remembered that someone had once told us that we were in the ‘happiness business’ How right they are. Almost every Saturday afternoon, between May and September, we depart from the shores of (economic, political, and urban) reality for a few hours, wrapped in our (proxy) happiness cocoon.

For a few hours we share a world where brides have their veils and trains adjusted; where grooms gaze tenderly at their life partners before them – before sharing a beer moment with their ‘boys’; where intricate saris are carefully fine-tuned and where caterers quietly run through their logistics plans.

As we await our 2019 season, we mutter the usual prayers which all wedding locations utter:

Hope the weather always holds up
Hope every couple has a day rich in memories
Hope that everything, at every wedding, works like clockwork.

And, in case you’re wondering, (to misquote Jane Eyre), “Reader. Both couples are getting married at Burloes next year”.

Planning your wedding or event? Do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!