Diana & Sam’s Fairytale Wedding at Thicket Priory

A firm favourite in our collection, Thicket Priory really captured the hearts of D+S. Their big day was a joyous, multicultural celebration complete with elegant decor, pink bridesmaids dresses and African traditions. Whilst an autumn wedding, this has bright and breezy spring vibes and I think you’re going to love it all. Over to the Thicket Priory team to tell their story, as well as a snippet from the happy couple themselves…

Jess says…

One of our favourite moments (post the wedding day itself!) is when we get sent the photographs by the very excited newlyweds. We spend so much time with our couples in the run up to their big day which then ends up happening in a bit of a whirlwind so it is always so special to be able to look through the photographs and reminisce about their beautiful day. We say this every time but each wedding truly does end up having a special place in your heart.

Diana and Sam held their ceremony in our on-site Chapel. With Thicket Priory‘s rich history, the beautiful stained-glass windows pay homage to the three families who lived here; showing how the family crest changed as they were joined together through marriage. The stained-glass windows created the perfect setting for Sam and Diana to say, ‘I do’, cascading golden light around the walls and filling the Chapel with a warm glow.

Whilst you cannot marry with a registrar in our Chapel, you can have a celebrant led ceremony. Celebrants are able to create bespoke ceremonies with every aspect personalised; from the music and readings to the vows themselves, making them incredibly unique to each individual couple.

As part of Diana and Sam’s ceremony, they incorporated a candle lighting ritual which symbolises the union of the bride and groom and their families; as two become one.

Diana and Sam’s guests all checked in with us on Friday afternoon, staying through until Sunday morning. We would always recommend staying with your guests for two nights as it is so nice to be able to extend your celebrations over a couple of days as your wedding day itself goes by so quickly! Having all of your guests together under one roof further adds to the feeling of Thicket Priory becoming your home-away-from-home for your wedding; guests can make their introductions on the night prior meaning that on your wedding day you would think everyone had been friends forever! This takes a lot of stress and anxiety away from our couples as there is less of a feeling of having to be the ‘host’ on your wedding day.

Sam and Diana held a traditional Rwandan Gusaba ceremony as part of their pre-wedding celebrations. ‘Gusaba’ is a Kinyarwana word which means ‘to ask’, the tradition of this ceremony is that the groom must officially ask for the bride’s hand in marriage. In Africa, marriage is seen not just as a promise between two people but a promise and a joining of two families. During their Gusaba ceremony, Sam presented Diana’s mum with a series of gifts as a dowry in hope that he would be able to marry Diana. Starting off small with a keyring and a snow globe, Sam’s request was denied until he finally presented Diana’s mum with a gorgeous Gucci handbag at which point her blessing was granted! At Thicket Priory we love to accommodate different cultural traditions, we have lots of spaces that can be utilised to ensure your wedding is as perfect as you have always dreamed!

Notes from the Couple

Thicket Priory really was the most amazing of venues! We are still pinching ourselves at just how wonderful our wedding weekend at Thicket was!

It was just the most perfect wedding for us and a huge part of that is down to Becca and Jess! What a venue Thicket is! Our friends and family could not stop going on about how beautiful it is. Becca was there with us since day 1, and we really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding coordinator! Not only was she our coordinator but also someone who we connected with so much that we now consider a friend. We’ll never forget everything which she and Jess did to make our day so perfect. They were calm, accommodating and really helpful in re-positioning timings due to the unforeseen delays with the ceremony start times. The venue is just breathtaking. Every detail is beautiful! From the bedrooms to the ballroom to the breathtaking grounds. Just the perfect venue for a wedding that really blows you away. The team is beyond organised and run everything perfectly meaning that the bride and groom have a very relaxed journey knowing that they are in good hands. We really can’t thank the team enough for our perfect wedding!