Liv & Ben’s Big Day in Harrogate

Cast your mind back a month or so.  The nation was once again starting to believe that England could win a major Football tournament.  Summer, although officially underway, was still wet (No change there then) and Liv & Ben were getting married in Harrogate.

The day started, bright and early, with the ladies all getting ready at the Doubletree Hotel in Harrogate.  It’s massive.  I’ve been to Harrogate loads of times, how did I ever miss a hotel this big?  As the morning went on and the mood inside got more and more excited, the weather outside, got worse.   By the time that I made it to the registry office, the heavens were starting to open.  In years to come, I think people will look back on wedding photographs from this year, with interest.  The guests all wearing masks and spaced out.  Large rooms with just a few people in etc.  I’m still not used to it to be honest, although things are starting to revert back to how they were, slowly.

Leaving the ceremony was an experience.   No one was quite sure whether to run across the road to the awaiting coach, or swim.  The rain was torrential.

At this point I should mention how the weather affected people’s mood, in particular, Liv & Ben’s.  It didn’t.  Not in the slightest.  If anything, I think it made it all a bit more fun.

Evening at The Shoulder of Mutton

By the time we made it up to the Shoulder of Mutton in Kirkby Overblow (If you’re reading this in another country & haven’t experienced British village names before, yes, that was the village’s name), the rain had abated and we managed to get some photographs outside.  From that point onwards, the weather just got better and better as the rest of the day went on.  After dinner, everyone headed outside to the beer garden for an evening of partying, sunshine and football.

Liv & Ben wisely decided that rather than avoiding the England game that was rudely scheduled for the same time as their reception, embrace it with a large screen TV.   The rest of the evening had a real garden party / family barbecue kind of atmosphere.   Everyone was outside enjoying the evening sunshine.

The Shoulder of Mutton Inn has, as you might expect, a kind of Sheep theme.  There’s a lot of ceramic sheep.  Everywhere.  You’ll see from the photos that they played a big part in the evening’s festivities.  I’m not sure I’d have used the ancient sheep egg cup as a shot glass though, at least not without a thorough rinse first 🙂

If you’d like to read a bit more about The Shoulder of Mutton, you can find their website here.