Lights, camera, action! Let’s take it from the top! The venue search is in the can, people!
As you may have guessed from the movie-related sayings, one – I’m hilarious, and two – our new wedding venue has a Hollywood theme. Or, more accurately, a Pinewood theme.
We’ll be getting married at Heatherden Hall, in Pinewood Studios, the “home of British film”, if you will. As owners of Cineworld cards, The Boy and I are very excited.
This is Heatherden Hall in winter. Doesn’t it look beautiful? Can someone have a chat with the weather fairy and ask for wedding day snow? Once all the guests have arrived, of course.
Films and TV shows filmed here include:
- James Bond (The Boy and I were in a James Bond-themed play at school when we were 15. We, along with our similarly-aged classmates, created, wrote and directed it ourselves. It was removed from Performing Arts Week.)
- Doctor Who (I know, it gets everywhere.)
- My Week With Marilyn (which I loved.)
- Oliver Twist
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- Pygmalion
- Whistle Down the Wind
- The Prince and the Showgirl
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- Mamma Mia (fairly certain my mum is more excited about this than the fact I’m getting married)
- Star Wars (7, 8, 9 and the spin-offs)
- Jonathan Creek
- The Catherine Tate Show
- Harry Potter (not all of it, obvs)
- The IT Crowd
- The Dark Knight
- Les Miserables
The event team at Heatherden Hall are just lovely. From the moment I called them in a mildly hysterical state after Duxford cancelled the wedding, they’ve been calming, friendly and proactive (and didn’t even blink when I brought out my “I-know-it’s-long-but-it-is-my-wedding-do-you-have-an-hour-or-two-spare” list of questions). Exactly what we needed, in short.
It’s a bit further away than we’d like (just over an hour), but enough of our guests have told us it’s fine that we’re hoping the distance is ok. It also means our vintage bus idea isn’t going to go anywhere (possibly like the vintage bus itself, on a cold February morning). While this makes me sad, The Boy has pointed out that the money could go on something else (he’s thinking “Windows for the house”, I’m thinking “Epic sweet table”. I’ll let you know who wins.)
We first looked at the venue not long after it was revealed Simon Pegg is in the new Star Wars film. The Boy then informed me that the new, new Star Wars film would be in production around the time we get married. Many plans were made (in my head) to ask him along to the day, and much was my sadness when The Boy told me it’s actually the spin-off “Rogue One” that will be filming. (If you’re reading this and are, in fact, in Rogue One, you are, of course, welcome to pop along for a scone.)
The venue has some beautiful features, including a massive fireplace, a wood-panelled reception room, and a cave in the grounds (The Boy and I went to investigate said cave, but didn’t get very far before The Boy thought he saw a bat and we made a hasty retreat. We’re so good with nature). At the same time, it’s much more of a blank canvas than Duxford was, really freeing us up to do what we like. Vintage mixed with Doctor Who could become 1950s-meets-geek, 1940s-meets-film, or vintage-meets-video-games. Who knows, the possibilities are endless. Although, aware that we’re quickly running out of time, we should probably pick one pretty ruddy soon.
Another plus is that everything is in one place. As opposed to Duxford, which was all sort of in one place but involved a 10 minute walk in the pitch black here and there. Plus, the room we’re getting married in is gorgeous, with pillars and lovely views of the garden, instead of the windowless box we would have been getting hitched in at Duxford.
Here’s the Hogwarts-worthy fireplace, which I am a bit in love with. Just hoping none of the children (by which I really mean my sister) have the urge to fling themselves into it shouting “Diagon Alley”.
The hall set up for a wedding – look, how pretty!
I guess what I’m trying to say is, although the past few weeks have been some of the most stressful I can remember, I think the Imperial War Museum (or, to be more accurate, their event management company), probably did us a favour. The wedding is now much more about what we want, rather than geared towards the things I’m passionate about.
Something Definitely Happened 