Published at 15:36, Thursday, 28 August 2008

MATFEN Hall has become one of the first venues in Northumberland to receive a licence to hold outdoor wedding ceremonies.

For the first time, couples can now say “I do” in the great outdoors.

For often at other venues which offer outdoor ceremonies, the declaratory words, the “I do” parts, must still take place inside, thus separating one part of the ceremony from the other.

However, after months of working closely with Northumberland registrars, the hotel has become the first in the county to receive a licence which allows it to conduct a full marriage ceremony or civil partnership outdoors.

These will take place in a newly constructed pergola in Matfen Hall’s Dutch Garden.

During the ceremony there is a covered marquee area for guests, and the gardens then provide the setting for reception drinks and the all-important wedding photographs.

Nicole Vanzie, one of the wedding management team at Matfen Hall, said the hotel has received many requests in the past for outdoor ceremonies. However up until now it has been unable to accommodate them.

She explained: “To meet the stringent rules and regulations, to become licensed we have been working closely with Northumberland registrars for some considerable time.

“It is fantastic that at last this has been granted and we now have permission to provide couples with an elegant outdoor setting for their entire ceremony.”

The hotel now hopes to attract couples into the region to marry and to encourage couples from within the region to stay here for their ceremonies.

Registration service manager for Northumberland, Lorraine Dewison, said: “As a result of it being recently voted as one of the most romantic counties in the country, Northumberland is becoming increasing popular as a wedding destination.

“So we are certainly very excited that we now have and outdoor venue that is fully licensed, as this is yet another service to offer couples.”

And executive director for Northumberland Tourism, Giles Ingram, added: “Northumberland is a premier spot for weddings and this new licence gives people even more choice about where they will host their special day.

“It’s great news for Matfen Hall and the county.”

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk