Chetwynd Deer Park Seven Years Today

Nearly thirteen years ago, in a drunken haze in my student accommodation, a beautiful girl walked into our living room, and wondered what on earth she had let herself into living near such people.  I doubt any of us made a decent impression at first, but we all took a shining to her, and for some reason, I was selected as the candidate to be the lucky man.

Julia made her own dress for the day

Since then, I never looked back, I watched her move to London, so took the crunch to live with her.  While there on my 25th birthday, I asked her to marry me, and on the 21st May, 2005 we got our family and friends together for a small wedding at The Park House Hotel in Shiffnal, followed by a reception at the Chetwynd Deer Park near Newport, all in Shropshire.

All was the perfect day, with everyone happy as can be.  Julia made her own wedding dress with help from her friend Ayesha, and I even went so far as to make cravat's and handkerchiefs for the boys to wear.

The only hitch I remember was the need to get the majority of males out of the hotel bar as the wedding was due to start at the same time as the cup final... by all accords, this was bad planning on my behalf.



Bethany and Julia

Later, there was plenty of food for everyone to eat, we kept a healthy supply of wine, and even managed to get a mobile bar hosted inside the marquee.  All this mixed together brought the perfect recipe of dancing and partying the night away.

We left late, and can only be thankful to the aid of my best man and usher, Jon and Branden for helping keep things under control, and aiding in the mass tidy after the event.  We're also thankful to Branden letting his daughter Bethany be the perfect bridesmaid.  It's crazy to think she's taller than me today.



Our honeymoon was spent on the west coast of Ireland, where we had a fabulous time exploring the random peninsula's, and enjoying the setting as a whole.

That may be another story for another day though, today is about sharing one of the happiest moments in my life, sharing our love, and making the vow to be with one another into our dying days.

Happy Anniversary Mrs. Julia Banks.