The Great Hall at Mains

The Great Hall at Mains… Looking back on Jo and Melissa Wright’s Wedding – Friday 19th February 2010

2012-01-31T10:56:00.001Z

Here at The Great Hall we welcome many lovely couples each year, with some booking their big day with us up to 2 years in advance. Over this time, we get to know our couples very well and once their wedding is over, try to keep in touch as much as we can as they become not only clients of ours – but friends as well. We also like to re visit the excitement of the ‘big day’, by doing a special blog to look back on the wedding, providing some lovely memories for us and some new inspiration for our new Bride and Grooms in the early stages of their planning. On this special feature we will be looking back on Jo and Melissa’s wedding, which was almost 2 years ago now (how fast has that gone!!) – on Friday 19^th February 2010.

Jo and Melissa booked their wedding with us in June 2009 and had months of exciting planning leading up to their big day at The Great Hall on Friday 19th February 2010. Even though the wedding was in February, Joe and Melissa couldn’t have had a better day for weather – with blue sky and no wind it was a perfect crisp winter’s day.

The couples black and white colour scheme worked brilliantly in the hall, and the groomsmen looked dashing in co-ordinating suites. Jo and Melissa’s ceremony started at 1pm, with guest and groom arrival from 12pm. The wedding party eagerly awaited Melissa’s arrival, who looked totally stunning in her amazing Dizzy Lizzie wedding gown!

The pure white, princess silk dress was by designer 'Dizzy Lizzie' laced up at the back and scattered with Swarovski crystals. The dress was instant fairytale and Melissa added an 11-layer underskirt providing the dress with extra shape, without the need for a sometimes-uncomfortable hooped skirt. Total 'wow factor' dress!

The black and white theme that Joe and Mel had chosen for the day complemented The Great Hall, and the roaring log fire and candles added to the warmth, inviting guests in from the February chill. Chair covers and bows were provided by The Wedding Place, and reccomended suppliers Creative Cover Hire provided beam drapes. The team at The Great Hall decorated the isle with rose petals and lanterns, and the hall looked so romantic – a perfect setting in which to make the all important vows!

Once the ceremony was complete, the couple enjoyed a celebratory post ceremony drink with their guests, before posing for pictures in The Great Halls gardens taken by the fantastic and ever professional Ashton Photography.

Wedding entertainer Howard Wing arrived along with Calvin Henry a fantastic saxophonist, who played throughout the room turnaround until Howard took over at 4pm – entertaining guests throughout the wedding breakfast.

Catering for the day was provided by Twelve, who always do a fantastic job in creating the most delicious of wedding breakfasts. The wedding breakfast started off with Lancashire Cheese Rarebit, followed by breast of chicken with fondant potato, bacon, red wine sauce and traditional accompaniments and finishing with sticky toffee pudding, coffee and chocolates. Mmmmm.....Guests certainly were treated!
It was a fantastic wedding for us to run and we had a great time working with Jo and Mel to pull off their 'perfect day'!

Two years on, the couple now have a new addition to the family and are all doing well! We hope they have a lovely 2 year anniversary and look forward to seeing them again soon

Special thanks to Ashton Photography for the images used on our Blog!

The Gorgeous Winter Wedding of Alex and Elizabeth Downing

2012-01-23T19:28:00.000Z

Saturday’s wedding here at The Great Hall showed that you don’t need two years to plan a wedding. Alex and Liz came to visit us on the off chance that they would be able to have a look around on a bright sunny autumn day in October 2011 having just got engaged. 2 weeks later they had booked their wedding here at The Great Hall with just 4 months to plan. They have been together for nearly 10 years and just couldn’t wait any longer!

This was our first wedding of 2012 and their day started early, with Alex and his groomsmen arriving just after 10.30am in order to be in plenty of time to welcome the couple’s guests. The couple opted for close friends and family to attend the daytime festivities, with many of their close friends joining them for the evening’s party (but more of that later on!)

The simple colour scheme of sage green and ivory was echoed from the champagne and ivory chair covers provided by recommended Great Hall suppliers Creative Cover Hire to the green ties worn by Alex and his groomsmen.

Due to the fact that they themselves aren’t great fans of the traditional wedding cake, Alex and Liz opted for a “cake of cheese” which went down a storm! It also provided a great looking alternative to a traditional cake with tasty looking fresh fruit adorning it. The goat’s cheese hearts were also a particular favourite!

Event Manager Zoe helps Groom Alex with his buttonhole - all in a days work here at The Great Hall!

There was no danger of the bride being late as Liz, driven by step dad Graham, arrived at The Great Hall to meet the registrars right on time. Her bridesmaids made their way to the terrace to meet her as she made her way down the main drive accompanied by her dad Luiz and mum Lesley.

The ceremony was officiated by Carol from Lancaster Registration Services, and when she gave the nod, Liz made her way down the aisle in her stunning beaded lace gown Escorted by her 3 lovely bridesmaids with her mum and dad by her side.

The ceremony was one full of laughs as one of the readings took place in the form of a poem written for the happy couple and read by Sam and Olivia.

Once the ceremony had concluded the new Mr and Mrs Downing made their way back up the aisle and straight outside with their bucks fizz for the all important confetti shot.

We were busy turning the room around, helped by Twelve Event Management who were also busy serving up delicious canapés of salmon with pea puree, fillet of beef with fat chip and baby tomato and mozzarella balls. Delicious!

As we put everything in to place, we couldn’t help but admire the couples unique choice of place settings, using scrabble letters instead of the standard written cards – it must have taken forever to sort through each letter! This was also reflected on the table plan, which we thought was just lovely.

While we put the finishing touches to the tables, Alex and Liz made the most of our roaring log fire to pose for pictures with family and their Bridal party.

At 2.30 exactly, guests were called to their seats for the traditional wedding breakfast. Again, Twelve did not disappoint, serving up a scrumptious starter of Cream of Vegetable Soup, followed by a main of Honey Glazed Pork Belly with Spring Onion Mash, Crackling and traditional accompaniments. To finish guests were treated to a sticky toffee pudding – any New Year Resolutions the guests may have had to diet will no doubt have gone out of the window, as the food looked irresistible!

The evening guests started arriving from 6pm along with Rob DJ, provided by Camscott Leisure and to kick off the evening’s proceedings, our groom and his brother Stuart performed a few songs, which then led into the best man Alex and his much anticipated speech! Following this, the newlyweds took to the floor for their first dance – “Lovely Day”....

It certainly was a lovely day, not just for the Bride, Groom and their guests but for us here at The Great Hall at Mains – Alex and Liz are a great couple, it was a pleasure for us to play host to their special day and we wish them many more happy years together!

The Great Hall at Mains Open Weekend – Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January 2012

2012-01-10T16:41:00.000Z

Here at premier wedding venue The Great Hall at Mains, it is traditional for us to hold several open weekends throughout the year - always kicking off with the biggest and best at the start of the year, for all those couples who were lucky enough to get engaged over the festive period. This year was no exception, as it was the weekend that saw months of planning, preparation and hard work pay off – as for the first time in 10 years, we were delighted to open the doors again to the public to showcase our spectacular ‘Mains Hall Manor House’.

This beautiful Grade II listed 16th Century Manor House, is steeped in history and heritage and is directly adjacent to The Great Hall. Formally a private residence to proprietors of The Great Hall Roger and Adele Yeomans and their family, and now recently refurbished to a very high standard, the property offers luxurious accommodation for yourselves and 12 of your guests. The 7 bedroomed Manor House exudes the charm of its period with exposed oak beams, Jacobean panelling, original fireplaces, flagstone and wooden floors whilst also offering luxurious, contemporary furnishings, modern wet rooms and luxury under floor heating in some areas. This fabulous house will now be available to the bride and groom along with chosen members of their wedding party the evening of the wedding.

As Lancashire’s premier wedding and events venue, we are always pleased to welcome a handful of suppliers to our open weekends, who are undoubtedly the very best in the business. Among those who attended this weekend, we welcomed Steve and Steph Ashton from Ashton Photography, Sheree and her beautiful bridal gowns from One and Only Bridal Couture, Jason and his spectacular floral centrepieces from Flower Design, Kelly from Flutterby Couture, Camscott Leisure and the fabulous Paul Guard, Twelve Event Management, Heathcotes and With a Twist – who provided us with Chef Mike who was on hand to provide guests with sumptuous canapés over in the Manor House.

We were also pleased to welcome Dawn from Wings of Love, who specialises in dove releases, Little House of Cupcakes, Abigail and Eye Photographers and new recommended caterers Payal.

Special thanks also to CK Marquees who provided us with a lovely pagoda canopy for the terrace, and Dawn from Creative Cover Hire who dressed all the chairs and show tables.

Of course, our open weekends wouldn’t be the same without showcasing some transportation for your special day and with Lancashire Limousines, Jet Set Limousines and Arrive in Ferrari Style in attendance we had a wide selection of cars to view, the Ferrari always being a big hit with the men!

We had such a successful weekend, with the launch of the Manor House being a great hit with all the couples that attended. However if you could not make it to the open weekend do not worry – you are always more then welcome to make an appointment to view the venue throughout the week and speak with either Hannah, Zoe or Mel to discuss the plans for your special day here at The Great Hall at Mains.

A big thank you again to all the suppliers involved in making this weekend a success - and to all the lovely couples who we met ....we hope to see more of you over the coming months.

The Winter Wedding of Neil and Dawn - Wednesday 21st December 2011

2011-12-23T17:03:00.001Z

On Wednesday 21^st December we welcomed Neil Warburton and Dawn Williams to Lancashire’s premier wedding venue, The Great Hall at Mains.

Avid Blackpool FC fans, Neil and his entourage arrived in their very special 'seasiders on tour' minibus, and even wore their football scarves whilst guests were welcomed to The Great Hall.

The Great Hall looked so cosy with it’s roaring fire and twinkling candles– just perfect for a winter wedding.

Don't the page boys look smart? The bridesmaids are so pretty!

The stunning bride, Dawn, arrived in a vintage Mercedes and posed for photographs with the bridesmaids and page boys before the ceremony began.

As the opening notes of Van Morrison’s ‘Have I Told You Lately’ began to play the page boys led the way down the aisle, carefully carrying the wedding rings.

Next the bridesmaids glided down the aisle, before Josh proudly escorted his mum to Neil.

Dawn and the bridesmaids had a little giggle after the official register had been signed.

The newly married Mr and Mrs Warburton with Poppy.

Whilst The Great Hall at Mains team began to prepare the room for the wedding breakfast, chosen caterers With A Twist were busy little bees in the kitchen, preparing a whole host of scrumptious canapés for guests to enjoy with their bucks fizz reception. The dainty pigs in blankets with cranberry dip and cheese and chive puffs went down an absolute storm with guests.

Magician Derek Gustard was on hand to entertain guests with some rather impressive trickery.

The table décor really reflected the wintry season with crystal tree centrepieces and sparkly frosted snowflakes on the lovely stationary.

The wedding cake echoed the top table arrangement...

... and for anyone not so keen on wedding cake there were cup cakes too, from Little House of Cupcakes!

For the wedding breakfast, With A Twist treated guests to a warming leek and potato soup to start.

The guests were treated toroast Goosnargh chicken breast with dauphinoise potatoes, ormskirk carrot, green beans and buckets of chips. The groom and best man both had fillet steak - it looked amazing!

The children tucked into mini roast chicken, with jenga style chunky chips, green beans and of course a little dollop of ketchup!

Dessert was a rather sticky affair – sticky toffee puddings, with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.

With a Twist by name and With a Twist by nature, quirky mini mince pies were served with coffee, as guests readied themselves for the speeches.

As we were arranging the room in preparation for the evening reception, the children enjoyed a boogie to their own entertainer and mini disco.

Instead of wedding gifts, Neil and Dawn thoughtfully requested that guests bring a present for the Rock Fm Cash for Kids Christmas Appeal.

Guests counted down as Neil and Dawn cut their wedding cake.

Mr and Mrs Warburton’s first dance was to Take That's "Greatest Day", introduced of course by resident DJ Rob Harris, courtesy of Camscott Leisure.

Neil and Dawn had a great time dancing until late with family and guests.

All too soon it was time to wave goodbye to Mr and Mrs Warburton, who chose to spend the night at The Shard Riverside Inn. We wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year!

The Wedding of Paul Shipton and Debbie Hobday - Sunday 18th December 2011

2011-12-20T18:15:00.000Z

Sunday 18^th December 2011 was a beautiful bright and crisp winters day at premier wedding venue The Great Hall at Mains – just perfect for the wedding of Paul Shipton and Debbie Hobday.

Debbie had worked so hard to prepare a marvellous day for husband to be Paul, even ensuring that he and best man, Dave, were served with their favourite drinks as they arrived. As guests arrived they were served glasses of sparkling wine whilst a saxophonist played some of the grooms favourite songs.

The bride was chauffeured down our main drive in a white BMW to her awaiting bridesmaids, who had made their entrance in a silver stretch limousine.

Debbie wore a classic bridal gown from Dan Kerr Brides. Flower girls wore white dresses with purple sashes and bridesmaids wore purple dresses with silver shawls, and all had gypsophila in their bouquets.

The page boys and bridesmaids led the way down the aisle.

It’s official – Mr and Mrs Shipton sign the register!

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a bucks fizz reception with canapés served by chosen caterer, Heathcotes Outside. TGH favourite Mr Paul Guard, and his band, did their thing whilst we prepared the room for the wedding breakfast.

Whilst guests mingled, two cakes stood proudly on display. Little House of Cupcakes supplied a tower of vanilla cupcakes decorated with purple accents, and Debbie’s friend had also made and decorated a lovely three tier wedding cake.

A friend had made all the wedding stationary for the day, including the order of the day, seating plan and table names.

Wedding favours were hand made cookies which complimented the colour scheme and were threaded through the napkin ties with each guests’ name card.

Once the room was ready we invited guests to take their seats, before welcoming their bride and groom.

Heathcotes Outside served a fantastic wedding breakfast to guests, including a paté starter, roast breast of Goosnargh chicken wrapped in pancetta and cheese and biscuits.

Guests arriving for the evening reception enjoyed wine and mini fish and chip canapés, and the handsome Paul Guard returned to croon a little more, before Mr and Mrs Shipton cut their beautiful wedding cake.

The bride and groom took their first dance to ‘The Wonder of You,’ performed by Paul Guard, then a local band entertained, alongside our resident DJ, Gary Hird, supplied by Camscott Leisure.

Paul and Debbie left The Great Hall at Mains to spend their first married night at The Cartford Inn. We wish them a very merry Christmas and all the best for the new year.

Friday 9th and Saturday 10th December 2011 – Medieval Yuletide Revels at The Great Hall at Mains

2011-12-12T16:58:00.000Z

This weekend has seen the culmination of eight months hard work for The Great Hall team, along with Twelve and AtmosFEAR, as we presented our first two ‘Medieval Yuletide Revel’ evenings.

Guests were greeted on the terrace by 'Mortissa' whilst the resident fire breather entertained. Many of the guests thought that this was their entertainment for the night – little did they know what we had in store for them…

It was great to see some of our guests getting into the medieval theme!

At eight o’clock sharp the court Fool called guests to their seats after outlining the King and Queen’s decrees. Each time a guest passed by the royal table they must bow or curtsey and there were to be no visits to the lavatory without seeking prior permission from the King and Queen … or else the stocks await!

The King and Queen were greeted accordingly by guests, before Twelve Event Management served a starter of Vegetable broth. The King and Queen then chose a Wassail King and Queen. The origins of ‘wassailing’ are unknown, but it is mentioned in texts dating as far back as the Fourteenth Century. In one such text, the leader of a group took a bowl of ale and, raising it to the crowd, shouted "Wassail!" an Old English term meaning "to your health."

The second vignette featured a blessing of the sacred hog and a battle of holly and oak celebration. All the guests were bowing and curtseying as required but the Fool was very skilled in catching those who tried to sneak past – even our TGH staff weren’t able to escape the stocks at times!

Our bar staff member Lee gets caught out in the stocks - He loved it really!

After a sumptuous hog roast feast had been served, the third vignette of the story of the Yule log was played out, with a dessert of traditional sherry trifle being served by Twelve.

The origins of the Yule Log can be traced back to Midwinter festivals in which our ancestors enjoyed feasting, drinking and watching the fire leap around the log, burning in the home hearth. The ceremonies and beliefs associated with the Yule Log's sacred origins are closely linked to representations of health, fruitfulness and productivity. In England, the Yule log was cut and dragged home by oxen or horses as the people walked alongside and sang merry songs. It was often decorated with evergreens and sometimes sprinkled with grain or cider before it was finally set alight.

When the fire of the Yule Log was finally quenched, a small fragment of the wood would be saved and used to light the next year's log. It was also believed that as long as the Yule Log burned, the house would be protected.

By this point in the evening, many of the guests had made the mistake of ignoring the King and Queen, with a few being caught out by their friends and made to go in the stocks!!

The King and Queen retired to their bed chamber to allow the guests to dance the night away to the sounds of DJs provided by CamScott Leisure.

Another Medieval night is set to take place next Saturday at The Great Hall at Mains – we are already counting down – and also looking forward to 2012 where we have more themed dining events due to take place. Watch this space for more details!!

David Weingard and Louisa Blofeld’s Winter Wonderland Wedding – Sunday 4th December 2012

2011-12-07T17:53:00.010Z

The Great Hall team concluded our week with the wedding of the lovely Louisa and David, who booked our premier wedding venue in October 2010. Here at The Great Hall at Mains, we like to ensure that we are always available to couples throughout the stressful planning stages. After hearing about David and Louisa’s plans for the day at their various meetings with us, we were ever so excited when Sunday 4th December finally came around and we could bring their Silver and ‘Twinkle’ theme to life.

First to arrive at The Great Hall was David, who looked the part in his silver grey suit (and very happy too!), followed by the arrival of guests who posed for pictures in the bar area whilst waiting for the arrival of Louisa.

Kelly from Flutterby Couture provided the couple with a marvellous wishing well for guests to place cards on arrival!

The hall looked truly magical once we had put the finishing touches to it. The white chair covers with silver organza hooded bows, and white chandelier drapes were provided by the excellent team from Creative Cover Hire, headed by Dawn.

Flower Design always provide stunning floral pieces and David and Louisa’s wedding was no exception, with the fabulous wintery pedestals framing the fireplace and adorning the hall, with a subtle scattering of glitter in all the right places the white, silver and twinkle theme was complete and we were ready to greet the bride.

As guests took to their seats and David took his place at the end of the aisle, Louisa arrived at The Great Hall with her father. Louisa’s Bridesmaids were waiting on the terrace to escort her down the aisle, looking lovely in their silver grey dresses and fur stoles to keep the December chill at bay!

Louisa made her way down the aisle as Maxine Molin-Rose softly played the harp in the background. After the all important vows had been exchanged, we were able to grab some snaps of the happy newlyweds as they signed the register.

While the new Mr and Mrs Weingard mingled with their guests and posed for pictures, the team from The Great Hall worked swiftly to turn the room around in preparation for the wedding breakfast, aided by the catering team from the ever professional Twelve Event Management.

The seating plan, guest book and table stationary were also supplied by Flutterby Couture, and followed the wintery theme beautifully.

Twelve – as always – served up a feast, with a warming vegetable soup to start, followed by an exquisite looking roast beef dish and finished off perfectly with a dessert of Crème Brulee, strawberries and shortbread. Yummy looking or what?!

Following the sumptuous wedding breakfast, DJ Rob arrived courtesy of Camscott Leisure to set up for the evening’s celebrations.

Before we knew it, it was time for David and Louisa to take centre stage once again to cut their very special cake, which was made by a friend of Louisa’s Mum. After having a little nibble on the cake, the couple took to the dance floor for their first dance, joined by their friends and family after a short while.

Louisa and her father also had a little dance together, which certainly went down a storm!

We wish David and Louisa all the very best and hope they have a fab honeymoon on their cruise with Royal Caribbean! It was a real pleasure for us to play host to their special day here at premier wedding venue The Great Hall at Mains.

The Wonderful Wedding of Godswill & Natalie – Saturday 3rd December 2011

2011-12-05T17:38:00.000Z

Our next winter wedding here at premier wedding venue The Great Hall at Mains was that of Godswill Egboh and Natalie Hawkins. Godswill and Natalie were married in St Walberg’s Church Preston, choosing The Great Hall at Mains to host their reception.

The newly weds arrived at The Great Hall along with their family at around 2.30pm, braving the cold to pose for pictures by the bridal car. What a lovely couple they make, along with a very new edition to the family, baby Sofia-they all look the picture of happiness.

The Great Hall's magnificent Christmas tree creates a fabulous backdrop for photographs for those considering a Winter wedding.

The colour theme for the day was ivory and Cadbury purple, reflected in everything from the favours and the cake, to the men’s suits and the Bridesmaids dresses, how stunning do these ladies look?!

Chair covers and sashes were provided by the expert team from Creative Cover Hire, which also complemented the chosen colours perfectly.

Before sitting down for the wedding breakfast, the family headed down to the fireplace for pictures in front of our roaring log fire another stunning Winter wedding photo opportunity

Godswill and his family originate from Nigeria, so there was a real mix of cultures throughout the day. This was catered for superbly by the couple's chosen caterer for the day Heathcotes. Guests were served up a feast of both British and Nigerian cuisine – each menu looked fabulous!

Following the wedding breakfast, the couple treated guests to a flutter on the tables, before the evening really kicked off - of course with the help of DJ Richard Porter from Camscott Leisure - starting with Godswill and Natalie cutting their cake followed by their first dance. Godswill and Natalie chose K-Ci and Jo Jo’s All My Life for their first dance, very romantic!

We wish Gosdwill, Natalie and of course baby Sofia many happy years together; we are so pleased they chose The Great Hall at Mains to celebrate their wedding.

The Wedding of Zoe and Paul - Friday 2nd December 2011

2011-12-04T19:13:00.001Z

In May of this year Paul Cook and Zoe Alexander chose premier wedding venue, The Great Hall at Mains, to host their nuptials.

Keen to keep their day relaxed and informal, Paul and Zoe arranged for guests to arrive at The Great Hall by late afternoon for a dusk ceremony. Creative Cover Hire had prepared ivory chairs with dusky pink sashes, and chandelier drapes with matching dusky pink accents and fairy lights.

Candelabra arrangements stood tall on pedestals at the entrance to the ceremony area, whilst the black carpeted aisle was meticulously lined with votives and pink and ivory petals. Jane and Jason Thompson of Flower Design are renowned for their attention to detail and today was no exception – look at the fabulous arrangement designed for the registrar table.

Flower Design also provided these stylish lanterns to stand by the terrace doors, as well as miniature arrangements to accent the chairs lining the aisle.

Groom Paul and best man Andrew showed not a hint of nerves as they strode through our doors. Buttonholes were attached; speeches and readings rehearsed and, before long, it was time for us all to take up our positions in anticipation of the bride.

The bride, Zoe, arrived in a white Rolls Royce with her brother Stuart and bridesmaid Rebecca.

Rebecca looked absolutely stunning in her Ted Baker dress as she led the way down the aisle, followed by Zoe and Stuart.

The new Mr and Mrs Cook!

Guests were treated to a bucks fizz and canapé reception served by Twelve Event Management, whilst the awesome Calvin Henry entertained. Canapés included hot shots of butternut squash soup, tomato and basil bruschetta and chicken skewers roasted in hoi sin sauce, yummy!

The table centrepieces for the reception had also been designed by Flower Design and complemented our stunning wedding venue perfectly.

One of our resident DJ’s, Rick Porter of Camscott Leisure, called guests to the dance floor for the official cake cutting ceremony.

Mr and Mrs Cook then took to the floor for their first dance, to Take That’s ‘Greatest Day’.

Now, The Great Hall at Mains team know how to keep a secret, so when Paul told us that he had arranged for the biggest boy band EVER to pop in for a boogie we couldn’t wait. Mark, Gary, Howard, Jason and Robbie, aka Take That, were more than happy to pose for snaps before storming the dancefloor.

After much partying it was time to say goodbye to Paul and Zoe, who chose to spend their first married night at The Shard Riverside Inn.

Many congratulations to Mr and Mrs Cook from all the team at The Great Hall at Mains, we hope you have a fabulous honeymoon in St Lucia!

The Wedding of Stephen Wareing and Joanne Cross – Saturday 26th November 2011

2011-11-28T14:20:00.006Z

Here at The Great Hall at Mains the team are always excited when our clients’ big days come around; it’s great to see all of those months of planning and sheer hard work pay off.
This Saturday, 26^th November, we welcomed Stephen Wareing, Joanne Cross and their family and friends to our premier wedding venue in Lancashire.

First to arrive was groom Stephen, accompanied by his rather dashing best man and groomsmen
As guests began to arrive, our General Manager, Chriss, expertly attached the chaps’ buttonholes and briefed them on their duties for the day.

We love the way the hall looks in the winter months, when we can get the log fire roaring and all of the candles twinkling - it really brings out the grandure of the hall.

We aren’t gushing when we say the bride, Joanne, looked absolutely stunning in her dress from Essence of Australia. Not to be overlooked, the bridesmaids looked the part in chic black gowns from Coast, whilst the lovely flower girls wore faux fur shrugs. All the ladies carried elegant white rose bouquets.

The new Mr and Mrs Wareing signed the official register with a string quartet playing softly in the background before leading their guests back up the aisle for a celebratory bucks fizz.

The blustery late November weather made outdoor photographs a bit awkward but that’s no problem for The Great Hall at Mains. Our stunning fireplace makes the perfect backdrop for the official snaps!

The hall was swiftly turned around after the ceremony and before we knew it, it was time for Twelve Event Management to serve Stephen, Joanne and their guests a mouth watering wedding breakfast; leek and potato soup, breast of chicken with tarragon hash brown and red wine sauce, followed by scrumptious sticky toffee pudding.

The evening guests began to arrive for a good boogie but there were just a couple of formalities left. DJ Richard Porter of Camscott Leisure gathered guests around the dance floor for the official cake cutting ceremony.

The on-trend wedding cake was a real family affair, baked by Stephen’s mum, Pam, and iced by Joanne’s mum, Bernie.

Following the couples’ first dance as Mr and Mrs, guests flocked to join them, stopping only briefly for some sumptuous hog roast, served again by Twelve Event Management.

We hope Mr and Mrs Wareing enjoy their ‘mini-moon’ in the lakes, before jetting to Brazil for their honeymoon in January.

The Wedding Industry Awards 2012

2011-11-22T12:09:00.000Z

The Great Hall at Mains is thrilled to have been recognised as one of the premier wedding venues in Lancashire - we have been shortlisted for the regional section of The Wedding Awards 2012! Thank you for all our couples for voting for us and we will keep you updated on our progress!

Steph and Andy Beresford ~ 24th April 2011

The 2012 Wedding Industry Awards launch this year and they will be the only fully independent Awards for the wedding industry. The comprehensive and rigorous entry, voting and judging process will ensure that the very best suppliers are rewarded, both regionally and nationally.

Howard and Rebecca Berstein ~ Sunday 29th August 2010

Dave and Karen Owen ~ Thursday 4th August 2011

The Awards will recognize and reward excellence in wedding suppliers across 19 categories, both regionally and nationally. We have been shortlisted in the best venue category in the North West. If we are successful in this category we will then be shortlisted for the main awards which will be held in London in January.

Philip and Jackie Kendall ~ Sunday 21st August 2011

It is not just about the total number of votes. Each entrant’s average voter score will be calculated and used throughout. The proportion of each entrant’s eligible voters who vote will be also be taken into account.

Darren and Moira Godbert-Laird ~ Thursday 28th July 2011

Peter and Jayne Hughes ~ Saturday 17th August 2011

The regional award winners in each category will be announced on the awards web site in late-November. Each regional winner will automatically go through to the national final. The Awards for the national final will be announced and presented live at the Awards event on Wednesday 18th January, 2012

Gary and Kimberly Nolan ~ Thursday 21st July 2011

David and Nicola Eccles ~ Friday 29th July 2011

We thought as a celebration of our shortlisting we would share some photos of truly stunning weddings that have taken place here at TGHM over recent months.

We love revisiting past couples, as well as getting to know those whose weddings are around the corner - what else can we say? We just adore weddings!

Proposal at The Great Hall at Mains

2011-11-17T09:35:00.001Z

On Sunday 13th November we were looking forward to meeting Kimberley Graham and Rob Speakman, but this was to be a show round with a difference!

Earlier that week, cunning Rob telephoned The Great Hall at Mains to let us in on a little secret – he was planning to propose to his lovely girlfriend in the very place she had set her heart upon getting married in. Ever the romantics we listened carefully to his plan and were oh so excited when Sunday came around.

Chriss was on hand to greet (a slightly nervous looking) Rob and the lovely Kimberley as they arrived to our premier wedding venue. Rob manoeuvred Kimberley down the red carpeted aisle whilst Bruno Mars’ ‘Marry You’ played softly in the background.

Once in front of our candle lit fireplace Rob got down on one knee and, with the help of Isaac, asked Kimberley to marry him, to which she of course answered yes!

We are honoured to have been chosen for this occasion and we look forward to planning your wedding with you both.

Meet the Team at TGH! ....Introducing ~ Charlotte

2011-11-13T13:11:00.000Z

Regular visitors to our blog will know that we are quite a small team here at the Great Hall at Mains; some of you will know us very well and some of you are still to meet us. Whichever camp you are in, we thought you may want to get to know us better and find out a little more about the faces that make this Premier Wedding venue in Lancashire THE place to get married tick…….Meet the team!

First off – Charlotte.......

Name: Charlotte Lamb

Job Title: Part Time General Assistant

Time at TGH: 1 Year, 3 months

Life before TGH: I worked in Travel for roughly 4 years, both for Thomas Cook and for local independent agent ‘The Cruise Village’

Significant Other: Fiancé James Wheeler; who I will marry at TGH in April 2012!

Charlotte & James

Pets: None

What are your other favourite things:

• Food: Steak (Rare – yummy!)

• Drink : G&T

• Film: "The Hangover"

• TV Programmes: An Idiot Abroad, Don’t Tell The Bride and Family Guy

• Song: An impossible choice – Madonna and ABBA are my guilty pleasures!

• Holiday Destination: Unfortunately, my love of travel makes it again impossible to choose! Las Vegas is a serious contender though!

Bellagio Fountains Las Vegas

Likes:

Good food and drink, shopping, travelling (and trying to convince James that having 4 holidays a year IS normal and we MUST do it!!), spending time with James, my family and friends....Oh yes and
finding a good bargain!

Dislikes:

Windy weather, being cold, paying car tax, credit card bills - No doubt generated from all of the ‘bargains’ I like!!

A few random daft questions:

•If you were granted three wishes by the genie what would you wish for?

1. A long and happy life for all of my friends and family (and me too of course!)

2. A fast metabolism, a size 8 figure and abs of steal – while never having to exercise or diet!

3. To be successful in everything I do throughout my life

•If you could meet any celebrity or other personality in the world, (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

David Beckham, just because he’s such a dish!

•When you were growing up what did you want to become?

This did vary with age, however, as a young girl following the Spice Girls, becoming a pop star was high on the agenda. Sadly, this was never going to happen as the girls in the office will confirm, my tuneless squawking is not quite what Simon Cowell is looking for!!

•Which is your karaoke song?

I do try to avoid karaoke at all costs, I would not like to be held responsible for the pain caused to those witnessing! However, I love a bit of ABBA’s Dancing Queen!!

•Who is your favourite author and what is your favourite book?

I read far too many books to name just one.

And Finally, What is your favourite thing about working at TGH:

Of course working in such a beautiful environment. Helping the girls on the occasional event day during busy periods is always exciting and we have such a great team, so I always look forward to coming in to work.

We hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit about Charlotte. If you'd like to know more about the other people behind the premier wedding venue in Lancashire, look out for more from the rest of us coming soon.

The Wedding of Tom Clarke and Adrianne Young, Thursday 3rd November 2011

2011-11-06T12:46:00.004Z

On Thursday we welcomed Tom Clarke and Adrianne Young

to our premier wedding venue – The Great Hall at Mains, Lancashire.

Tom, his ushers and best man were amongst the first to arrive to The Great Hall at Mains and we wasted no time in getting these handsome boys organised! Reception Manager, Melanie, expertly attached Tom's buttonhole...

...whilst the lovely Zoë briefed the ushers as to their duties.

The bride, Adrianne, arrived in a classic cream Bentley.

As K-Ci & JoJo’s ‘All My Life’ played it’s opening bars the cute flower girls began the ceremony, walking down the aisle hand in hand – ahhhh!

Following the flower girls, the stunning

bridesmaid and maid of honour were escorted down the aisle.

We can honestly say there were two men bursting with pride this afternoon - Gary as he prepared to walk Adrianne to her future husband, and Tom as he patiently waited for her.

After signing the official register the newly Mr and Mrs Clarke posed for some pics, before making their way back up the aisle to rapturous applause and of course, a celebratory bucks fizz.

Guests enjoyed a reception of bucks fizz and canapés, served by Twelve Event Management, whilst the official snaps were taken. Adrianne’s friend Kristopher James stepped up to the mark and entertained whilst guests mingled - boy can he sing!

The Great Hall was decorated with a Cadbury purple accent for the day. This was reflected in the fishbowl centrepieces, place cards, menus and of course Cadbury’s favours. Adrianne had even taken the time to hand-make all her own stationary for the day and it looked fab!

Yet again, Twelve Event Management served an absolute feast of a wedding breakfast. Guests enjoyed Blackpool tomato soup, breadcrumb coated chicken breast filled with almond and garlic butter, and a luscious sticky toffee pudding before settling down to enjoy the speeches.

DJ Rob Harris gathered guests around the dance floor for the official ‘cutting of the cake’ before introducing Mr and Mrs Clarke’s first dance.

Time sped by as guests danced the night away (with some rather interesting moves chaps!).

As midnight drew nearer Tom and Adrianne hopped into luxury limousine from Jet Set and were chauffeured to the Shard Riverside Inn in style. We had a great fun planning your wedding with you and we hope that you have a wonderful honeymoon in Budapest.

Engagement Celebrations of Chriss Greenland and Ritch Greenwood

2011-11-03T11:07:00.000Z

As the premier wedding venue in Lancashire, here at The Great Hall we love any wedding news. So, you can imagine our delight and excitement when a member of our ‘Dream Team’ announced that she was engaged! Yippee!

We were delighted Chriss Greenland, general manager extraordinaire of The Great Hall at Mains became engaged to Ritch in the beautiful city of Verona last week. On her return to the office we couldn’t resist getting all the juicy gossip!

Of course we must share all the details with all of our lovely followers, many of whom know Chriss - having had their own wedding here at The Great Hall, or are due to be married here under the watchful eye of Chriss over the coming months. Read on!

TGH: Hurrah and congratulations on your engagement! When did you and Ritch meet?
Chriss: Our first date was on the 2^nd June 2010 at "The Tickled Trout" in Preston. We met through the online dating site ‘Plenty of Fish’.

TGH: How and where did your lovely fiance pop the question? Were you expecting it?

Chriss: Ritch proposed on Wednesday 26^th October 2011 on Juliet’s Balcony in the beautiful city of Verona, Italy. We had flown out the day before, however Ritch had bought the ring and planned the proposal in August when we booked the trip. It was totally unexpected, but a fantastic surprise and incredibly romantic.

Unlucky chaps! You're a few hours too late!

TGH: Do you have any dates in mind yet for the big day?

Chriss: All systems go for Saturday 6th October 2012!

TGH: Engagement celebrations must be on the cards, we love a good excuse for a party. Are you going to have an engagement party and do you have a venue in mind? Obviously we can recommend a great one……!

Chriss: We haven’t talked about it yet however we will most definitely be doing something with those who we know can ‘do it’ best!
~

How very exciting - we took the opportunity today to decorate the office with banners and balloons for the occasion rounded off with a celebratory glass of bubbly.

We can’t wait to celebrate the impending nuptials with Chriss and Ritch.

Many many congratulations to you both.

Love from all of us at The Great Hall

xxx

Wedding Professionals - Introducing "Camscott Leisure"

2011-10-28T18:02:00.012+01:00

Choosing the right venue for your wedding day is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make when planning your special day. Once you have chosen your perfect venue, you have many other decisions to make in regards to who else you would like to work with to make your special day perfect.

We consider ourselves to be the premier wedding venue in Lancashire. In choosing The Great Hall at Mains you can be assured that we work regularly with the best in the industry and only recommend those we truly believe echo our philosophy when it comes to making weddings perfect.

In this series of suppliers’ interviews, we have been chatting to some of our favourite suppliers who we consider to be amongst the best professionals in their field.

We are pleased to introduce our fantastic entertainment agent Cameron Scott who is the founder of "Camscott Leisure" Cameron and his team have been working along side us for many years. They offer an array of entertainment for any genre, i.e. DJ's, bands, swing or soul singers and string quartets...The list goes on!!

TGH: How did you get into providing entertainment services?

C: I was originally a singer and musician myself, moving on to become an entertainment manager and cruise director before setting up Camscott Leisure.

The man himself, the ever professional and helpful "Cameron Scott"

TGH: How long have you been in the industry?

C: 30 years as a performer and Entertainment Co-ordinator.

Paul Guard (Swing Singer) - One of the acts Camscott recommends...you can certainly see why - wit woo!

TGH: Why is it important to have entertainment at a wedding?

C: Entertainment really provides an opportunity to add the ‘wow factor’ to a special day! A great act can leave guests talking about them for months afterwards.

TGH: What services do you supply for weddings?

C: We can provide a wide range of entertainment from DJs, singers, bands and musicians to string quartets, saxophonists, chocolate fountains and casino tables!

Undercover Acoustics...entertainment for the evening, again another fab group provided by

Camscott leisure.

TGH: In your experience what is the average cost of entertainment for a wedding?

C: Probably around the £500 mark upwards, although this depends on the budget and what is required – you may want a singer during your wedding breakfast or a 5 piece live band for the evening party which inevitably costs more.

TGH: Can clients see testimonials of your past clients?

C: Yes, testimonials are readily available if requested.

TGH: How much contact do a couple have with entertainers that they book through Camscott?

C:In a word – lots! At the time of the booking, client contact details are passed to the act so that they can speak with them prior to the day to discuss musical requirements, timings etc. Direct contact is so important to ensure that everything is as the couple want it on the day.

James Edgar "Singer and Acoustic Guitarist''

TGH: How diverse are the acts that you can provide?

C: We work with a whole range of diverse acts from a DJ or wedding singer to comedians, circus performers, fire breathers, jugglers, caricaturists, magicians, dancers, cocktail flarers and Punch and Judy acts!

TGH: What is the best aspect of working with live acts?

C: The satisfaction of seeing happy customer’s reactions!

TGH: Finally, how important is it do you think, being a recommended supplier at The Great Hall at Mains, or anywhere else for that matter.

C: Extremely important! The recommendation has given us a terrific portfolio and we love working so closely with a venue with such a fantastic reputation.

Thank you, Cameron for taking the time to answer all the questions and we look forward to many more years of working with you in the future...always a pleasure!

Neil Brooks and Laura Pikes Crisp Autumnal Wedding at The Great Hall at Mains – Saturday 15th October 2011

2011-10-17T17:56:00.000+01:00

We had a busy weekend here at The Great Hall at Mains, with the lovely wedding of Neil Brooks and Laura Pike kicking things off on Saturday 15^th October 2011.

The weather over the past few weeks has been typical of an English October, so you can imagine our delight (and more then likely Neil and Laura’s), when the wind died down, the rain clouds vanished and the sun put in an appearance! What a lovely, fresh, autumn Saturday it was, so we flung open our doors with relish to welcome Neil and Laura along with their family and friends to The Great Hall.

The couple opted to keep things really simple for the ceremony, making the most of our lovely gold chairs by leaving them exposed instead of opting for them to be dressed, which we think really complements the hall. It just goes to show that sometimes, less is more.

As we put the finishing touches to the hall ready for the wedding, we welcomed Flower Design, one of our favourite suppliers to The Great Hall. Flower Design provided these lovely pedestals which lined the entrance to the aisle perfectly.

Neil, along with his ushers and best man Chris, arrived here at 12.30pm, ready to greet his guests. They posed for pictures in the hall and gardens, with Neil (second in from left) looking cool as a cucumber.

Making the most of the mid October sunshine, guests mingled on the terrace whilst awaiting the arrival of Laura, who was being transported from local hotel The Shard Riverside Inn, courtesy of her sister’s boyfriend Steve.

As guests were called to take their seats, the Bridesmaids, looking perfect in plum, gathered on the driveway ready to help Laura out of the car and fix her dress ready for the all important journey down the aisle. The roll of Bridesmaids has changed somewhat from the traditional responsibilities, where Bridesmaids were included in the day as they looked similar to the Bride, confusing any evil sprits that may be around to sabotage the bride’s journey up the aisle to her future husband. Luckily, in more modern times, the only spirits at The Great Hall are those we stock behind the bar, so the Bridesmaids can concentrate fully on providing support to the Bride on her big day, something Laura’s chosen ladies did splendidly.

Laura looked truly radiant as she arrived with her father Geoff. We just love her fitted lace detailed dress with its amazing bow!

After ensuring everything was in place, the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle, followed by Laura and her father, towards groom Neil, who was waiting patently for her by the fireplace.

The vows ensued, followed by the couple posing for pictures while signing the register. The registrars table was complemented with another of Flower Design's creations. Again, the flowers really complemented the hall and gave it a lovely country garden feel.

As the formalities drew to a close, our excellent bar team were busy preparing the post ceremony drinks, which were tray served as the new Mr and Mrs Brooks and their guests made their way towards the bar area. We pride ourselves on our service ( the finest in the North West where weddings are concerned ) and were featured last year in a BBC TV programme entitled 'Michel Roux's Service'. Maybe you caught us showing those young apprentices how it should be done?

The wedding day wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory confetti throw. The tradition of throwing confetti dates back to a pagan wedding ritual when the couple were showered with rice and grain to promote fertility, prosperity and continuity for the couple. Fortunately for Neil and Laura, who we are quite sure would not appreciate being covered in rice and grain, guests lined the driveway and doused the newlyweds in dried rose petals, provided by us in personalised confetti cones. Much nicer!

Meanwhile, away from all the excitement we were busy in the hall preparing for the Wedding Breakfast. The table plan really was beautifully crafted, and reflected the plum colour scheme for the day. With cutlery, glasses, menu cards and centrepieces in place, the finishing touches were added as we placed the favours of bags of sweets – which also acted as place cards – on the tables. The finished tables looked lovely with the twinkling candles and purple petals.

Guests were seated for the wedding breakfast and we caught the newlyweds as they took a moment together to reflect on the day, before being announced into the room to rounds of applause!

We have three catering options here at The Great Hall and the couple opted for Blackburn based caterers With A Twist. With A Twist served up a very seasonal starter of pumpkin and butternut squash soup, followed by a chicken dish for the main course and a very naughty-but-nice looking chocolate pot for dessert.

Once guests were suitably satisfied and the always anticipated speeches had finished, we ushered guests into the bar area to prepare the hall for the evening reception. One of the key elements of the evening celebrations is the traditional cutting of the cake which leads into the first dance. So, as the bride and groom prepared to take centre stage we moved the cake into prime position on the dance floor and got our camera at the ready to capture the moment. We loved the detail on the figures on the cake - amazing!

Following the first dance, to Cold Play’s ‘Yellow’, Rob Harris – DJ extraordinaire – courtesy of Camscott Leisure ensured the floor was well and truly full throughout the evening, playing a selection of songs to suite all musical tastes.

As the evening drew to a close, the couple prepared to bid their guests farewell as they made their way towards The Shard Riverside Inn for their first night as Mr and Mrs. The couple will be starting married life in style, honeymooning in France. We wish Neil and Laura all the very best for a long and happy future together, it was a pleasure for us to play host to your special day here at The GreatHall at Mains.

The Wedding Professionals - Introducing "Flutterby Couture"

2011-10-08T09:07:00.003+01:00

Special thanks to Ashton Photography for this photo

In choosing The Great Hall at Mains you can be assured that we work regularly with the best in the industry and only recommend those we truly believe echo our philosophy when it comes to making weddings perfect.

In this series of suppliers’ interviews, we have been chatting to some of our favourite suppliers who we consider to be some of the best professionals in their field.

This week, we have been chatting to Kelly Sinclair, the mastermind behind the beautiful award winning wedding stationary suppliers Flutterby Couture.

Thank you Kelly, for taking the time to answer our questions and for providing some of the photos featured on this post. We love your work and look forward to seeing you next week at our Open Day.

The Great Hall: How did you get into wedding stationary?

Kelly: I studied art at Blackpool and the Fylde College, and then never did anything with it until my dad asked me to make the invitations for his book launch – I’ve never looked back!

TGH: How long have you been in the industry?

K: I have been making wedding stationery since 2008.

TGH: What services do you supply for weddings?

K: We supply everything from save the dates, right through to thank you cards including: invitations, order of service, place cards, table plan, table numbers, guest books, wishing wells and post boxes!

TGH: Which is the most memorable wedding anywhere you have provided stationary for and why?

K: There are too many to choose from and all for different reasons, some of the brides I have worked with have been adorable and I’m sometimes sorry when the wedding is over. I’m always grateful that they choose Flutterby Couture to be a part of their special day.

TGH: How important is it being a recommended supplier at The Great Hall at Mains?

K: I think it’s an honour for any venue to recommend you as there are so many different companies out there offering wedding services. I am proud to be one of the recommended suppliers for The Great Hall at Mains as it’s an amazing venue, (one of my faves & I’m not just saying that!). The staff are all amazing at their jobs and it’s always nice to work with the other recommended suppliers.

TGH: What gives you the edge over other stationary suppliers?

K: Firstly I’m award winning!

Also, more importantly, all of our work is bespoke to each couple and I am genuinely interested in the couple’s ideas and usually quite excited for them as well. I try to be honest telling them what I think will and won’t work and I’m more than happy to go out of my way helping with other aspects of the couples' big day.

TGH: Can clients see testimonials of your past clients?
K: We have a testimonials page on our website and also a review page on our facebook page here

TGH: How far in advance would you recommend ordering stationary for a wedding day
K: I wouldn’t leave it any later than 6 months before the big day!

TGH: What is your favourite part of working in the wedding industry?

K: I like it when brides are enthusiastic and also - being a part of someone’s special day!

Thank you, Kelly, for taking the time to answer our questions and for providing the photos featured on this post. We love your work and look forward to seeing you next week at our Open Day!

The Great Hall at Mains Wedding Open Day ~ Sunday 16th October 2011

2011-10-03T17:09:00.001+01:00

We’re all excited about our next Open Day on Sunday 16th October. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of attending one of our open events, treat yourselves to a great afternoon out and come along and see our amazing wedding venue where you can meet the infamous TGH “Dream Team” and have a chat with some of our favourite wedding professionals.

The Great Hall's Dream Team - Hannah, Mel, Adele (Proprietor), Chriss and Zoe

We’ll be here from 12pm until 5pm, with live entertainment, a glass of Bucks Fizz and admission is completely free!!

So if you’re planning on getting married (or know someone else that is!) come along and find out about some of the amazing offers we have running on weddings for dates in 2012 and 2013 and take the opportunity to see The Great Hall at its best.

You can plan the wedding of your dreams at a price you can afford here at The Great Hall at Mains.

(Special thanks to Ashton Photography for some of the images used in this post)

Chris and Becki - Pretty in Pink

2011-09-27T17:10:00.000+01:00

Sunday 25^th September saw Christopher Hughes and Rebecca Frampton tie the knot here at The Great Hall at Mains. A pink motif ran throughout the day as chairs were dressed with pink sateen hooded sashes and lace overlays by Dawn and her team at Creative Cover Hire.

Nosegays on the chairs and arrangements on the registrar tables just go to

show how much thought Chris and Becki had put into their planning with expert

event florists Flower Design.

This cute afternoon tea tableau at the foot of the aisle gave guests just a hint of the theme for the day as they took their seats.

Becki and her mum, Christine, were chauffeured down our main drive in a vintage car courtesy of Lancashire Limousines.

The bridesmaids made their entrance carrying lace accented pomanders before Becki and Christine stepped up to the mark. A few ladies shed an emotional tear – yes we saw you! – as Christine gracefully led Becki down the candle and petal lined aisle to her husband to be.

The new Mr and Mrs Hughes made the most of the mild September weather and mingled with their guests outside on the terrace between snaps.

Abigail and Sarah of Abigail and Eye Photography snapped Chris, Becki and their guests in a whole host of poses within our beautiful gardens.

We’re all about the personal touches at The Great Hall at Mains and what could be more so than these dainty cones of confetti which match the colour scheme perfectly and make a lovely keepsake.

Meanwhile the Twelve Event Management and Great Hall at Mains teams were working hard preparing the wedding breakfast setting. Table centerpieces included afternoon tea trays absolutely brimming with flowers, tiered cake stands with dainty miniature vases and elaborate birdcages – wow!

Instead of favours the couple opted to make a donation to Cancer Research UK.

Flower Design even created an afternoon tea table plan.

I don’t know about you but The Great Hall ladies firmly believe that anything involving tea and cake can only be a good thing!

The Twelve Event Management front of house team, led by the awesome Caroline Upton, posed for a quick snap before service …

… whilst the kitchen team put the finishing touches to yet another superb wedding breakfast.

After being congratulated as guests took their seats, Chris and Becki enjoyed a little alone time and a quick smooch when no one *ahem* was looking, before being announced into the room to rather a lot of whooping and cheering.

As the evening reception commenced more guests arrived to watch Chris and Becki cut their ‘tea’ cake before taking their first official dance together.

For most grooms the first dance is approached with nervous anticipation to say the least but Chris was the picture of composure as he expertly twirled his beautiful new wife around our dance floor to kick off the evening celebrations. Sam Pegg, DJ, courtesy of Camscott Leisure ensured a jam packed dance floor all night.

As midnight drew nearer Chris and Becki were waved off to spend their first married night together at The Cartford Inn. We hope you have an amazing time on honeymoon in Reykjavik and wish you both every happiness for the future.

Glenn and Jessica Johnstone's Country Garden Style Wedding at The Great Hall at Mains - Saturday 24th September 2011

2011-09-26T18:00:00.027+01:00

We were here bright and early on Saturday 24th September 2011 to prepare for the wedding of Glenn Johnstone and Jessica Chapman later on in the day. This was the first of two weddings to be held here at The Great Hall at Mains this weekend and after working with Glenn and Jessica since spring 2010, we were looking forward to turning their wedding dreams into reality – we just love seeing a plan come together!

As we prepared the hall for the ceremony, which was to begin at 2pm, we couldn't help but notice the country garden theme that the couple had chosen really worked well in the hall, with lots of little butterflies adorning the flowers and stationery.

The Bride and Groom had opted to leave the chairs uncovered for their wedding; we love the ‘rustic’ look of our wooden gold chairs in the hall and they fit the country garden theme beautifully!

Guests arrived at The Great Hall prior to the ceremony to be met by our very handsome groom Glenn, along with the extremely talented Maxine Molinrose playing the Harp. How very ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’! The flower girls added to the performance looking like real fairy princesses with their gorgeous flower tiaras!

The bridesmaids looked very elegant; we love this classic pale ‘sage’ green colour.

As guests took to their seats, we met Jessica who arrived with her father Frank, shortly before 2pm to meet with registrars Chris and Kerr. She then made her way down our main drive to meet her Bridesmaids and flower girls. What a treat they all looked as they posed for pictures before the grand entrance – not a hint of nerves on Jessica’s face!

As the ceremony came to a close, the new Mr and Mrs Johnstone signed the register, completing the nuptials. How happy they both look!

With the formalities over, it was of course time to celebrate ‘newlywed’ status starting with bucks fizz all round. Our ace team of bar staff were on hand to attend to guests as we hurried into action to prepare for the wedding breakfast. No rest for the wicked at The Great Hall, as we like to be 100% involved in the day, making sure all the little details are taken care of leaving the Bride and Groom to relax and enjoy the day stress free.

Guests posed with the Bride and Groom in the gardens and we managed to get some cracking shots of the bridal party.

Here come the girls (All looking particularly stylish may we add!)!

The butterflies were reflected through the day as well, with these lovely alternative name cards.

How lovely our hall looks, all set up for the wedding breakfast. The tea lights and candles twinkled delicately as early evening drew near. We love the fact we can really make the most of using candles in our hall – the more the merrier as far as we are concerned! The time came for guests to take their seats and for Chriss to announce the newlyweds into the room for their first meal together as husband and wife.

We were delighted to welcome recommended caterers Twelve to The Great Hall at Mains again to wow guests. The menu for the day was looking lovely and Chriss – General Manager by day and amateur photographer by night, yet again braved the heat of the kitchen to capture a few foodie images for our avid blog readers. We are sure it all tasted as good as it looked!

After the wedding breakfast, we opened our doors to welcome more guests for the evening. DJ Rob Harris, courtesy of our entertainment agency Camscott leisure was on hand ready to provide the floor fillers, however the Bride and Groom kicked their evening off with the traditional cutting of the cake, followed by their first dance sung by Jessica’s old friend Kevin Simms, Ex “Liberty X” band member. Now he CAN sing!!! …”Give me just a little bit more”!!!

The celebrations continued well into the evening, with walking canapés served by Twelve and their team of expert waiting staff. All too soon it was time to wave Glenn and Jessica off, as they made their way over to The Shard to continue the celebrations. We are sure the new Mr and Mrs Johnstone will spend many happy years together and are so pleased to have played host to a memorable day to the couple, their family and friends.

Mr and Mrs Hughes’ Mid-September Wedding Celebration

2011-09-18T17:45:00.002+01:00

As the rain poured down on The Great Hall at Mains, we were cheerfully optimistic that the sun would shine come 1pm, as this was the time that Peter Hughes and Jayne Gittins would be married. The couple opted for a ceremony at a local church, before coming along to The Great Hall for their Wedding Reception and celebrations.

Peter and Jayne are most definitely a couple with impeccable style and taste. Jayne has a real eye for detail, which was apparent throughout the day, starting with these lovely candle holders she provided us with to display around the bar area.

Creative Cover Hire, our first call for perfectly pressed linen, provided the ivory chair covers. Jayne had chosen a beautiful new shade of “nude” for the sateen sashes and ivory beam drapes. The neutral colours work really well in our hall and are always a recommendation of ours!

The colours were complimented by floral displays created by Jane and Jason Thompson from Flower Design. They have an incredible talent to blend colours subtly and to create stunning floral pieces out of the most unusual flowers and shrubs. These amazing centrepieces were a mixture of decorated vintage birdcages and antique silver candelabras. The top table arrangement was Flower Design’s famous “hanging gardens of Babylon” design, adorned with pearls and complimented by vintage style crystal candle sticks.

As the couple married in church, we had plenty of time to prepare and do what we ‘do best’ at The Great Hall – host a jolly good wedding!
The room looked stunning when guests arrived, it looks so beautiful all lit up! Although we love the sunshine, the hall really comes into its own when it’s a little bit murky outside; hundreds of twinkling candles make a magical and romantic wedding setting.

Following the ceremony at St Chad’s at 1pm, guests started to arrive at The Great Hall from 2.30pm, closely followed by the new Mr & Mrs Hughes.

Our team were waiting for guests with chilled glasses of Prosecco and bottles of Peroni. Canapés were also served on arrival by Caroline Upton and her team from Twelve Event Management.

As guests mingled in the bar area, Sarah from Abigail and Eye, assisted by Suzanne, took advantage of a break in the rain and the much welcomed sunshine to get some shots of the wedding party in the gardens.

Jayne and the girls pose for pictures, each one of them looking very stylish!

At 4.05pm prompt (timing is everything here at The Great Hall!), guests were seated for the wedding breakfast, while Peter and Jayne took a few moments alone to reflect on their day. The guests then stood and welcomed the new Mr and Mrs Hughes to the room to rounds of rapturous applause!

All the excitement of the day’s festivities was enough to work anyone up into a hunger frenzy; cue the arrival of Paul Moss-proprietor and Head Chef at Twelve, along with his team of skilled chefs. The menu for the day was a sumptuous starter of ham hock and Lancashire cheese terrine, served with these cute pots of chutney and piccalilli, or buffalo mozzarella salad, drizzled with pesto and parmesan.

Guests were then treated to a main course of either chicken or fillet of beef. How anyone could choose between the two we don’t know, they both looked amazing and Jayne & Pete’s guests have all reported that it certainly tasted amazing too.

Hat’s off to our General Manager Chriss, who bravely ventured where no person has ventured before to give us these stunning ‘foodie’ snaps. The kitchen during service can be a daunting place even for the boldest of people, however she survived unscathed, capturing the precision and attention to detail that makes Twelve so excellent at what they do!

The choices seemed never ending, as guests were then given the option of a lemon posset or chocolate brownie dessert. The guests were truly spoilt for choice by Jayne and Peter!

We can set up a mean Sweetie Buffet even if we say so ourselves and this was no exception - scrummy sweets, mini cupcakes and delightful ‘cake pops’, another feast for the sweet tooth.

When all the evening guests had arrived and the reception was in full swing, the couple’s amazing cake took centre stage as Peter and Jayne prepared for the traditional cutting of the cake. Symbolically the cake cutting ceremony is the first task that the bride and groom perform jointly as husband and wife. Jayne and Peter did a cracking job!

At 9.30pm prompt, guests were ushered out onto the terrace to enjoy a spectacular firework display, courtesy of Leon and the team from Classic Fireworks.

As last orders were called we waved the couple off and they were whisked away by Jetset Limousines. The couple are starting married life in style with a honeymoon to Italy on Monday. We wish Peter and Jayne a very long and happy future together and it was a pleasure to host their wedding reception here at The Great Hall at Mains.

Rupert McDonnell and Rosemary Slade’s Stylish September Wedding

2011-09-12T16:34:00.137+01:00

Saturday 10^th September 2011 saw us fling open our doors to welcome Rupert, Rosemary and their guests. Many of the guests had travelled all the way from London to witness this lovely couple take their vows and become husband and wife.

The couple had opted for a subtle pink colour scheme which was brilliantly reflected throughout the day, starting with the décor. Natalie and the team from Creative Cover Hire arrived at The Great Hall on Friday to prepare the hall for the following days wedding, setting up crisp white chair covers, with dusky pink sashes and white chandelier drapes adorned with pink bows.

Although the couple are from afar, they opted for local florists and recommended suppliers here at The Great Hall, The Greenhouse. The Greenhouse provided candelabras and arrangements set upon crystal cake stands. These lined the aisle for the ceremony and provided a beatiful focal point on the registrar's table.

Guests arrived at The Great Hall at 12pm, followed by main man Rupert shortly after. We met the bridesmaids and “Chief Bridesmaid” Carl on the terrace for a few snaps just before Rosemary arrived.

Rosemary's father Bobby proudly chauffered his daughter down our regal main drive to the awaiting bridesmaids.

Rosemary and her father made their way down the petal lined aisle to Jack Johnson’s “Better Together”, followed by the bridesmaids. We are sure everyone will agree Rosemary looked a vision and Rupert is a very lucky man!

As the couple made their promises to each other and signed the register, Rosemary’s brother William performed an acoustic set for the couple and the wedding guests, which we thought was a lovely personal touch to the proceedings. Here he is in action!

As the formalities came to an end and the newlyweds made their way out of the ceremony area Zoë was waiting to greet them with a chilled glass of Prosecco. Guests were also served Prosecco and treated to a selection of divine canapés, served by caterers for the day, Heathcotes Outside.

Rupert and Rosemary were lucky enough to avoid very heavy rain, with just a slight drizzle throughout the day. Those who are superstitious believe rain on your wedding day is good luck and we are happy to go along with that theory. Guests gathered in the gardens for some lovely group shots.

While the guests mingled outside and in our bar area, we swiftly turned the hall around from ceremony area to wedding breakfast area.

Favours were a mixture of handmade heart cushions with love heart sweeties for the ladies and men had jars of retro sweets.

Rupert and Rosemary’s theme was Australia, as it holds a great deal of significance to the couple. They both went travelling following on from university and met in an Australian bar. Rupert then took Rosemary back to Australia to visit that same bar, in which he popped the question. How romantic!

Rosemary designed this chic table plan herself, naming each table after an Australian location.

Rupert, Rosemary and their guests were served a scrumptious wedding breakfast, cooked to perfection by Heathcotes Outside.

Following the wedding breakfast, the couple cut their cake, kicking off the start of the evening reception. The Australian theme was again reflected in this fun and unique wedding cake, which was made by a talented friend of the Bride, Joanna.

We have to say we think Joanna's attention to detail is exceptional, resulting in a truly unique cake.

The ladies jostled for prime position as Rosemary prepared to throw her bouquet. For anyone who is unaware of this tradition, the custom of ‘throwing the bouquet’ originates from medieval Europe. Back then, a bride did not expect to wear her wedding dress again, whilst other women considered the dress to be lucky, a type of fertility charm. After the wedding, single women chased the bride and ripped pieces off her dress, leaving her in tatters. Over the years, brides began throwing other objects as a distraction, one of which was the bouquet.

The dance floor was packed as DJ extraordinaire Rob Harris, courtesy of Camscott Leisure, provided the floor fillers. Such was the hype surrounding this stylish wedding, Take That personally popped in for a visit! The Great Hall at Mains – home to the stars!

As midnight drew near, it was time for us to wave the new Mr and Mrs McDonnell off in their Jetset Limousine to The Cartford Inn. Rupert and Rosemary are due to fly out to Kuala Lumpur on Monday morning for their honeymoon, how lucky! We hope they have a most fabulous time and wish them all the very best for many happy years together.

The Black, White and Purple Wedding of Simon and Ranya - Saturday 3rd September 2011

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Simon is well known to The Great Hall after being head chef at Twelve and overseeing the catering at many special days that have taken place here over the last few years. He and fiancé Ranya booked their wedding with us in February and finally the time had arrived on Saturday for the couple to take centre stage.

Ranya had chosen a bold black and white scheme with a hint of royal purple. Crisp white chair covers with black sateen sashes were provided by Creative Cover Hire, along with the chandelier drapes that adorned the ceiling.

With Simon and the guests waiting, Ranya arrived courtesy of Jet Set Limousines. The ceremony space was beautiful with purple petals lining the black carpeted aisle. Simon waited nervously as Jayne the celebrant asked the guests to be upstanding for the bride’s arrival.

The ceremony was over in a flash and it was over to Mr Paul Guard, entertainer extraordinaire to sing the newly weds back up the aisle to their awaiting drinks.

If you are a habitual reader of this blog, then you may see us talk about “turning the room around” on a fairly regular basis. When we use this phrase we mean to change the layout of the main hall from being a ceremony set up to a wedding breakfast set up. This is where the couple’s personality can really come out and where each wedding really comes into their own.

Simon and Ranya had a lot of special detail with their tables, (we love attention to detail!)meaning that the room looked fabulous when we had finished, with lots of different items catching the eye as soon as we took down the screens for the guests to take their seats.

The theme for the tables was New York. The table names echoing significant places that they had visited during their trip to the Big Apple, during which, Simon proposed in the middle of the Wollman ice rink. Other table names included Manhattan and Central Park.

Paul Guard acted as Master of Ceremonies for the day and asked guests to take their seats. He called in the bridal party one by one, with the best man and ushers, Chris and John, making the most of their entrance by doing a lap around the room! The bridesmaids danced their way in before the new Mr and Mrs Ball were greeted to rapturous applause.

There really was no other choice for Simon and Ranya than Twelve Event Management, having worked as part of their team for so many years. Caroline and her team looked after the proceedings with their usual flare, whilst Mr Guard took over the entertainment.

We also had the pleasure of seeing some of our past brides and grooms who are friends with the couple. Melissa (centre picture, on the left) who married husband Joe in February 2010 and Lauren and Keith (above), who married here in April 2009. So great to see you guys. We hope you can make our Medieval Christmas Night in December so we can catch up again.

For those that haven’t been to a wedding where a wedding singer features, it’s really an excellent addition to the day. Those extroverted guests (and sometimes brides-as shown above!) are able to show off their singing skills, even getting up to dance and work off that wedding breakfast!

The entertainment didn’t end with Paul. Ranya and Simon had arranged for casino tables to fill the time between the end of the speeches and the evening festivities. “Funny” money had been handed out during the wedding breakfast for the guests to buy chips to spend on the blackjack and roulette tables.

Before too long the time had come to cut the absolutely magnificent cake. There were 7 tiers to this wonderful creation, with the bridesmaids on hand to set off confetti cannons during the all important cutting moment.

Whilst Hooper, a local band, entertained, the evening food of Bowland beef burgers, mini fish and chip cones and tomato bruschetta was served. The final surprise of the evening was Kenny. Kenny is a fire eater and wowed guests on the terrace with his amazing fire breathing skills.

Ranya and Simon are a great couple and we wish them lots of happiness for the future.