Katie Pickering, a carer at Manor House care home in Knaresborough, wanted to share her special day with the residents.

The new Mrs Pickering and her husband Phil actually had their ‘official’ wedding in early August, but decided to hold an additional blessing at the care home so the residents could join in the fun.

Mrs Pickering said:

“Part of working in care is understanding that it’s like you’re part of a second family. So it felt fitting to celebrate and share the day with them as well as our other family.

“One resident even said ‘I hope you’re partner is ready to meet all these new aunties’, and the residents have been with me from the get go wanting to know all the details about our wedding plans.”

The Pickerings’ wedding was originally scheduled for August last year but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But when they finally tied the knot in August this year, it was the big wedding they’d dreamed of.

And they didn’t hold back for the care home blessing either, which featured everything you would expect from a wedding. Around 30 residents attended the ceremony and after party, with cake, decorations. Mrs Pickering’s colleagues Ali Morgan and Jo Meredith were bridesmaids.

Read More: 

• Thousands still without TV signal, says local electrical firm

• Woodfield school taking ‘effective action’ to improve, says Ofsted

The ceremony was performed by Reverend Garry Hinchcliffe, who regularly visits the care home in his role as the local priest.

“I’ve never done a wedding or a blessing in a care home before, so it’s a first for me. I come here every month to take a service, so I was delighted to be asked to do this blessing service today.

Brenda Raynes, a resident at Manor House, said she was excited about the big day:

“None of us could go to Katie’s official wedding because we’re residents in a care home and not allowed out!

“We’ve been shut inside and not able to do anything for two years while it’s been covid, but now we can have visitors and do things, its made it a big event for us. So we’ve all got dressed up and put our best frocks on, and come down.”

A Harrogate couple who lost £2,300 after being scammed by a bogus wedding planner have said they’re pleased with the court’s sentencing.

Nicky and Jason Asquith-Thorpe didn’t get the day they imagined in July 2019 after a fake wedding planner, Dana Twidale, ran off with their money.

The pair had met and spoken to Ms Twidale on numerous occasions insisting “there were no warning signs”.

It was only when July 25 2019 arrived, two days before their wedding, that all communication stopped and the fake planner didn’t show up to help set up the venue.

Mrs Asquith-Thorpe still held out hope but after hours of waiting finally came to the conclusion that they’d been abandoned.

Mrs Asquith-Thorpe, who works in the Harrogate Hospital pharmacy, said:

“She showed me a huge album of all the weddings she’d been part of. I put all my faith in her and she said she could do everything.

“The last message she sent me was ‘on our way, running late’.”

Determined to give them the wedding day they’d dreamed of, a friend of the couple asked ex-local radio station Stray FM to put a call out for local businesses to help.

The bride-to-be said she was “overwhelmed” by the response and was ecstatic to go ahead with the wedding on July 27.

Moving the party to a function room at the back of the Christ Church, Harrogate, and getting help from a local caterer and DJ the wedding went ahead, albeit not exactly as planned.

She added:

“All the changes to the venue and food meant there was more to pay for. We didn’t want it hanging over our heads so we worked lots of overtime to try and pay all the kind businesses back.”

Read more:

• Bogus roofers attempt to scam Harrogate’s elderly
• Ex-Crimple Hall employee ordered to pay back the money he stole from the garden centre

Ms Twidale, 44 and from Hull, was sentenced this week to five years after conning another 22 people out of a combined £15,000.

Hull Crown Court also heard Ms Twidale had defrauded a man she had met on Tinder out of £42,000 by lying about her mother’s death and saying she was a victim of domestic violence.

Mrs Asquith-Thorpe said she was “glad she got what she deserved” and hoped to draw a line under the whole ordeal.

A Harrogate couple who went for a delayed honeymoon in Portugal have been forced to cut their celebrations short.

The government announced yesterday that Portugal would move to the amber list next Tuesday, meaning anyone returning from that date will need to isolate for 10 days.

To avoid the isolation period and extra cost that comes with additional tests, Britons in Portugal are trying to fly home before the change comes into effect.

However, with so many people trying to get back at the same time airlines have increased the cost of tickets.

Read more:

• Knaresborough pool to reopen next month with new filters
• Two covid cases reported in Harrogate district

Hamish and Gemma Coventry got married on March 21 2020 and had to cancel their dream honeymoon to the Maldives.

They jumped at the chance to go to Portugal when it was on the green list and enjoyed the week so much that they booked in for another week.

But Gemma was on the beach when she found out that Portugal was moving off the green travel list. She told the Stray Ferret:

“We have made the most of the holiday and have had a lovely time but it was stressful when we were trying to book flights back.

“If we kept the original return flights we would have to isolate for 10 days and Hamish would miss the start of his new job.

“So we needed to get a flight back urgently. So many people have been scrambling for flights and the prices have jumped up astronomically.

“I don’t understand it. There was plenty of room on the flight out but now we are all cramming on to a full flight back to the UK.”

The couple did manage to secure new tickets, although they said prices had jumped up by £400, and should be returning to the UK on Sunday.

A luxury Harrogate wedding venue is transforming into a ski lodge restaurant to keep staff in work this winter.

Current covid restrictions limit weddings to a maximum of 15 guests.

This has had a huge impact on venues like Wharfedale Grange, near Harewood, which is able to seat 270 wedding guests and can cater for 165 people in its restaurant.

It hopes that by adapting the use of its barn it will be able to retain staff, especially with the furlough scheme ending this month.

Claire Thomas, managing director of Wharfedale Grange, said:

“We’ve got 18 full-time staff and 12 part-time staff so we’re effectively keeping 30 people in work by converting to a restaurant and not making them redundant.”

Described as ‘La Folie Douce meets Yorkshire’, the restaurant — called Apres Bar & Grill — will incorporate elements of ski lodge resorts.

It is due to open from November 1 to the end of March.

Read more: 

• Covid restrictions won’t stop ‘beautiful’ weddings, says Harrogate celebrant
• Harrogate couple cancel wedding for third time

From Monday, weddings in England can only involve 15 people but those in the industry in Harrogate say small ceremonies can still be “beautiful”.

New government restrictions this week will limit weddings to a maximum of 15 people, including the couple.

The decision has left venues and wedding vendors struggling. It also means couples have to decide whether to rearrange for a later date or go ahead with a more intimate occasion.

A celebrant and wedding planner from Harrogate both said they hope to encourage couples to continue with their weddings safely. Both agreed that smaller weddings can still be just as special.

Rachael Meyer, humanist celebrant from Harrogate, said:

“It’s tough on the couples and the venues. I feel so sorry for them and everyone involved in the day. But there are ways to have a beautiful day with small numbers. I’ve done several small ceremonies and they were beautiful. Those couples chose to have limited numbers and everyone is completely involved, which is fantastic. It made them rethink why they were getting married.

There is a feeling of uncertainty but love wins and will go ahead even if it is different.”

Laura Lindsay, a Harrogate wedding planner, said:

“It’s disastrous for everyone in the industry. It’s the yo-yo of rules: we can get married, we can’t get married – it’s not fair. Some people could have a small wedding now and big party next year. There’s still some lovely, beautiful, intimate weddings happening.”

Read more:

• The demand for humanist weddings is rising in Harrogate. 
• Harrogate couple has to cancel wedding for the third time following further covid restrictions. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the restriction on numbers was part of a six month plan to curtail the rise in covid cases.

No indication has been given yet about whether the restrictions on weddings will change again before March.

A couple from Harrogate has become one of the first to get married post lockdown.

Hannah and Tim Laughlan were supposed to get married on June 6, but had their plans cancelled due to covid. Instead, the couple decided to have their wedding on July 4, the first day marriages were allowed again.

The couple had planned a big wedding with a church service and large reception in a hotel. However, when their special day finally came, the bride and groom had to settle for a much smaller event, with just 25 guests in attendance at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Horsforth.

Singing wasn’t allowed at the wedding and guests had to abide by social distancing rules throughout the day.

Read more:

• Visitors greeted by 10,000 origami angels at Ripon Cathedral 
• Former teacher becomes civil celebrant due to significant rise in non-religious ceremonies 

Hannah told the Stray Ferret that despite it being different to what had been planned, the day was more intimate. She said:

“It was definitely different to what we had imagined, but it was really nice because we didn’t have to worry about as much. On the day I was so chilled out, I didn’t have to stress about things I probably would have done like seating arrangements and colour schemes.”

The couple made a collage of all their guests who couldn’t attend.

The couple live streamed their wedding from the church so guests could still join them for their special day. Even Hannah’s uncle got dressed up for the occasion and tuned in all the way from Australia.

In November, Hannah and Tim are hoping to celebrate their wedding again with those who couldn’t make it. They plan to go to church for a blessing and then have a bigger reception so that they can “do everything properly” when it is safe to do so.

Photography by Emily Green Photography, www.emily-Green-photography.co.uk.

A former teacher has set up a new business in Harrogate offering civil ceremonies as a result of a growth in non-religious weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies.

Weddings overall have been in decline over recent years, and religious ceremonies now account for less than a quarter of all weddings that take place in the UK.

Data published this year by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that in 2017, North Yorkshire had a total of 4,606 marriages of opposite-sex couples, 3,443 of which were civil ceremonies with only 1,163 religious ceremonies.

Former international teacher Melanie Gail has recently launched her new business in Harrogate. She told the Stray Ferret that the trend towards civil ceremonies sparked her interest in becoming an independent civil celebrant.

She said:

“The reason I am attracted to it is because I think it’s great that it offers people the freedom of choice. They can choose to have it on their front garden, or on a mountain top, or in a forest.

“People can get married whenever they want, provided they do the legal part in a registry office. They can have a ceremony which really reflects who they are.”

Read more: 

• WATCH: People flee to Yorkshire Dales for staycation
• District humanist celebrants support couples challenging law on humanist weddings

As of August 1, larger wedding receptions can return but guest numbers will be limited to 30. Melanie argued that this may also make civil ceremonies more popular.

She said:

“Everything is becoming a lot smaller because of the legislations and potentially also a lot more intimate. With the new limits on numbers of guests at weddings, people are rethinking the venues they choose.”

A Harrogate couple has received some good news from The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate who has offered to host their wedding after their original plans were ruined.

Ali Farr and Ben Cross ,who both work for the NHS, had their wedding plans cancelled twice. Firstly due to lockdown and secondly because their chosen venue, St George Hotel on Ripon Road, went into administration.

The couple had their wedding invitations re-printed for free and then heard the venue had gone bust.

However, thanks to the help of Ali’s grandma and bridesmaids, The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate has offered their venue for the couples wedding on December 31- the day they’d been due to marry at the St George.

Read more: 

• Ali and Ben’s wedding plans have been cancelled twice so far 
• Harrogate wedding planner offers 5 top tips for 2020 brides 

Bride- to- be, Ali Farr told The Stray Ferret that she is still apprehensive and hopes there isn’t a second wave. She said:

“It has all been quite overwhelming, if it happens on New Year’s Eve it will be amazing, but I am trying not to get too excited just in case, but who knows what’s going to happen.”

The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate will host Ali and Ben’s wedding at the end of the year.

The Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate also offered their venue up for the couples wedding. Guests travelling from as far as Australia and Singapore have been told about the new date.

The couple, who have been working throughout the crisis, have still had no correspondence with St George Hotel except for the information given on their website.

A Wedding planner from Harrogate has offered some advice to couples that were supposed to walk down the aisle this summer.

Laura Lindsay, who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises around 50 weddings between April to August but said that everything is 100% a write off until at least August.

Laura has 5 tips of advice for couples who were or are still planning to get married in 2020:

1. Have a plan B: I know many couples are hanging in there to get married this year, but it is sensible to check with your venue what is available for 2021 as dates will fill up quickly.
2.  Think of other the other ways you can get married: Human ceremonies, celebrants, possibly look at going to the registry office midweek to do the legal part…
3. Use this time wisely: a lot of people are furloughed and at home so if you have any DIY crafts that you want to do for your wedding… do it now!
4. Make a list of all your suppliers: Helps if you are planning a Plan B wedding… As you don’t want to realise further down the line that your photographer or makeup artist is booked up on your new date.
5. Look at the positives: It might not feel like there are any at the moment, BUT your big day will be valued so much more, it will be an amazing celebration as we’ve all missed each other so much!

Bride to be, but when?

Julie Yeoman, was meant to be walking down the aisle today to marry her fiance, Troy Scott. However, due to coronavirus, they are left in a ‘waiting game’, with no real certainty of when the ceremony will be.

Julie and Troy who live in Harrogate were due to get married at St John’s Church in Bilton today, then on to the reception which was to be at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

However, with all weddings put on hold because of the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the disease spreading, their big day can not go ahead.

Julie told The Stray Ferret that it has been one long waiting game:

“We spent a lot of time waiting to see what would happen as if we cancelled ourselves we would have to pay… Once the church and venue cancelled, we postponed it to February next year, but we have since found out that our marriage licence runs out at the end of June this year.”