An Exclusive real life wedding - Neeta and Nick

Nick and I met in 2002 and started dating at the end of 2003. He proposed to me in July 2016 when we were on holiday, staying at the Shangri-La in Muscat, Oman.  Laying in a shallow pool, stunning views of the mountain and he asked me and I said yes!  

We quickly narrowed our choices down to four wedding venues. We chose Pennyhill Park because we fell in love with it.  Personally, I thought it’s like house hunting, you know it’s the one when you step inside and that’s how we felt.  It was just so ‘us’.  But also, the fact that we weren’t pushed into a sale was so refreshing.  Our visit to Pennyhill Park was just that, a visit.  There is no hard selling involved because anyone would see that the venue speaks for itself. 

The date that we picked was only significant because it would mean that four children that we invited would have a free weekend to attend and play a key role in our wedding.  They were all still on summer break from Uni.

For me it was the walk down the steps to the Pavilion holding hands with my son, seeing Nick standing at the Pavilion and hearing ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri in the background and of course the beautiful sunshine.  For Nick it was seeing our daughters (as bridesmaids) walking down and then watching me walk down.  For a lot of our guests, it was seeing the bridesmaids walk down and then seeing me standing there at the top of the steps with the sun shining behind me which lit up my dress.

We did not actually have a theme but we wanted all our guests to feel the love and romance of our special day and we definitely achieved that.  Our wedding is still talked about and our guests were stunned with the venue.

I have to say that during the organising of the wedding, the lovely Samantha Gottschalk made it all incredibly special.  Despite Pennyhill Park, being a very popular venue, the team make you feel like you’re the only one who’s ever had a wedding there.  It truly is special.

I still can’t believe what a beautiful day it was from all aspects and to hear some of the comments about it being one of the best weddings they’ve ever attended speaks volumes about everything, the venue, the organisation, the food, the staff.  All of it.

We feel very lucky indeed.

For me it was ‘work together’.  The day is for both, Bride and Groom and the bride predominantly organises everything but work together and make the decisions together without interference from mothers, sisters, friends etc.  They all mean well but it’s YOUR day, for the two of you so you both need to feel confident and comfortable with every part of your big day.  All the decisions for our wedding were planned together, expedited mainly by the bride but the decisions were made together whether it was the menu choices or the little things like wedding favours and table decorations.  It is a partnership that you will embark on so start off united by planning a wedding where you both make joint / equal decisions to create a beautifully perfect day that is yours and one that you will remember.

Looking back four months later, there is nothing we would have done differently and I know that’s because Nick and I agreed everything together.  Wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The Bride and Groom: Neeta Koria and Nick Derbyshire
That date: Saturday 2nd September 2017
The location: Pennyhill Park, an Exclusive Hotel & Spa - Ceremony in the Pavilion and Reception in the Balmoral
Photographer: Will Spencer
Flowers: Longacres
Styling: Sarah Stacey
The Dress and Bridesmaid dresses: Watters WTOO