A CELEBRATED North East wedding planner who has worked at venues across the region picked his favourite County Durham hotel for his own spectacular nuptials. Ben Carter runs Party Forever, which operates a shop at Coxhoe along with his business as a wedding organiser, and has had a hand in creating memorable events for numerous couples.
And when it came to organising his own wedding he had no hesitation in choosing a location that he’s transformed for others- Bowburn Hall Hotel. “There was a lot of pressure on me to create something very special for my wedding,” said Ben. “If that’s your day job then people will expect it to be spectacular and that’s exactly what we tried to do. “I have created weddings at Bowburn Hall Hotel for the past 15 years and absolutely love it, so it was definitely the place that Ryan and I wanted to have our special day.”
The country house hotel – which can be booked for exclusive use – housed Ben and Ryan’s 140 day guests and 250 evening guests with a lavish and unique celebration. The ceremony took place in Bowburn’s stunning garden, with a surprise rainbow firework display. “The fireworks were set to go off when the registrar said we could have our first kiss,” said Ben. “It was a fantastic surprise for everyone and really got the day off to a brilliant start.”
Bowburn’s main function room was transformed into a sea of white flowers and candles, with guests entertained during the day by a brass band, a saxophonist and then in the evening by a full Ibiza Symphony show. “The beauty about Bowburn is that the staff just can’t do enough for you,” said Ben, who started his business 15 years ago initially creating balloon displays before growing into a full event management business. “I’ve worked at so many venues where you don’t see the same faces twice because they have such a high turnover of staff but at Bowburn people clearly love working there and have stayed for years. “I have had such a fantastic relationship with them and I knew it would be the perfect place to bring our vision to life.”
Tom Pallister, General Manager at Bowburn Hall Hotel, said he was delighted Ben and Ryan had chosen the venue. “It’s fantastic when someone who has such insider knowledge of lots of North East venues wants to hold their own special day with us,” he said. “It was an absolutely amazing day for everyone and we are so glad that Ben and Ryan decided to choose Bowburn.”
Bowburn Hall Hotel has a whole range of wedding packages available which includes the option to book the hotels woodland lodges and its recently opened cottage suites – perfect for pre-wedding celebrations. Further details of all the options are available at www.bowburnhallhotel.co.uk
