Shuttleworth Estate: How a Venue can elevate your whole event
Last month, I was honoured to conduct the wedding of a wonderful couple in the most incredible setting. The Swiss Garden in the Shuttleworth Estate is one of three venues within the Estate itself which can be used to host weddings: the other venues are Shuttleworth House, a beautiful stately home built in the Jacobean-style with truly stunning rooms to host ceremonies, and the unique Shuttleworth Collection Hangar, which could be used for stylish weddings with a touch of vintage glamour.
Entering a World of Fantasy
The Swiss Garden was thought to be the honeymoon choice of Colonel Frank Shuttleworth and his young bride, Dorothy, and it is easy to see why! The Garden truly has a romantic feel, through the beautiful landscaping and obvious care of the lawns and foliage. Within the Swiss Garden, sat in the middle as its crowning jewel, lies the Swiss Cottage – a Grade II listed building that truly transported me to another world. A sweeping path leads up to the Cottage, with rows of daffodils on either side: on this couple’s day, it was almost as if they were dancing in the wind to celebrate the day with them! It wouldn’t have been out of the blue to see characters from the works of J. R. R. Tolkien in this fairy-tale setting, and once inside the Cottage the transformation seemed complete. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see Bilbo Baggins and the other Hobbits, but that didn’t matter as we took our places.
The pathway to another World
Love is Intimate
As with all the weddings I am asked to participate in, I always want my couple to feel as if they are within a world of their own with the ones they love close by. Unlike some venues, the Swiss Cottage can only hold around 20 people – and that was a squeeze, but still room enough to perform a handfasting! There were guests stood outside the venue, peeking their heads in, to witness the ceremony, as if providing a ring of love around the venue itself. It is always important for me to get to know my couple before performing their wedding, and this was no exception: as I expect most other celebrants can relate to, I have been performing ceremonies for couples that have had their weddings pushed further and further back due to Covid restrictions. I feel very grateful that it looks as if we have seen the last of the restrictions, but every wedding I do reminds me of the love and determination of these couples to show that when you know it’s right – you can make it work. I pride myself on always being on-hand, and available, during the wedding process, so my couple can trust that we can make it work together for them.
Love Has No Restrictions
The Swiss Cottage is the ideal venue for intimate and personal weddings, be it an elopement or a ceremony that is for a couple to share with their nearest and dearest. The views over the Shuttleworth Estate are stunning for any type of wedding, although I must admit they were best enjoyed in the sun! With the choice of three venues across the Estate, there really was scope for my couple to choose a venue that felt personal to them and what they wanted for their wedding – and I was honoured to be able to give them the personalised service that they wanted. As a celebrant, it is one of my biggest goals to give couples a day that they can treasure forever: in whatever shape they desire!
