This Vogue Editor Got Married in the Stunning Manor House That Appears in Persuasion
“2020 has a nice ring to it,” I said when discussing potential wedding dates with my now-husband. The proposal hadn’t been totally unexpected (in fact, I picked out the engagement ring myself in advance, knowing how particular my taste is), but Ali did manage to add an element of surprise to proceedings by unexpectedly popping the question during a weekend away in Cambridge, where we first met at university back in 2011.
And so, the wedding planning began in earnest in the spring of 2019. Having set our sights on getting married in the southwest, where Ali grew up, we narrowed it down to a shortlist of three venues. The first one we visited was Brympton House, a Grade I-listed manor house in Somerset—and almost instantaneously, we both knew it was where we wanted to get married. We were drawn in by the gorgeous driveway leading up to the house, the beautiful terrace at the back, the small chapel-like building to the side where civil ceremonies are held, the stunning grounds….the list goes on. So picturesque is Brympton, it serves as Uppercross in a new adaptation of Persuasion with Dakota Johnson as the lead (as well as featuring in Chocolat and a BBC adaptation of Turn of The Screw).
Once we had our hearts set on Brympton, securing that 2020 date was next. All the summer weekend dates had already been taken, leaving us to decide between a May or September wedding. Opting for the latter to give us more time to plan, we marked September 5, 2020 in the calendar—a few days after my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. It seemed like the stars were aligned.
Of course, it wasn’t to be. By the time the first lockdown came around in March 2020, I still hadn’t got a dress. Optimistic at that point that we’d still be able to go ahead in September, I bought an ivory gown by eco-conscious designer Gabriela Hearst online. As a sustainability editor, finding a dress that ticked all the boxes from an eco perspective, and that I actually liked, proved a challenge. Hearst’s minimalist style was the perfect answer. The only catch? It was two sizes too big, but that could be fixed.
By the summer, it became clear that we couldn’t go ahead in September with the wedding we wanted, so—with some tears on my part—we postponed to July 11, 2021. Even then, we weren’t sure until the last minute whether we’d have to postpone again. You might remember that England’s so-called “Freedom Day” in June last year was delayed, with rumors flying about what the postponement would mean for weddings. Less than a month before our wedding was scheduled to take place, we finally found out we would be able to go ahead.
From then, everything came together very quickly. Brympton House’s in-house styling team did an incredible job with the flowers (without any artificial flower foam, of course), while our menu was created using locally-sourced ingredients. I had my Gabriela Hearst gown altered and after much deliberation, I purchased an evening dress by another sustainably-minded designer, Maggie Marilyn, from eBay. It meant my main wedding dress didn’t get wrecked during the evening party (so I can sell it on), and I can re-wear the shorter dress in the future, too.
There was one last decision to make. England had made it to the final of the Euros (the first major final for the men’s team in 55 years)—and it happened to coincide with our new wedding date. Ali and I are both big football fans, and we went back and forth on whether to screen it. In the end, we decided not to; we didn’t want our wedding day to become a football viewing party—it was, after all, meant to be our special day. Of course, people still watched on their phones, with all of us gathered around to watch the painful penalty shootout.
Since it was held mid-pandemic, the day naturally didn’t turn out exactly as we’d planned all those months before. I would have never imagined that our guests would be wearing masks during the ceremony; that some of our friends and family abroad wouldn’t be able to make it due to quarantine rules; or that some of our friends (including my maid-of-honor) would have to pull out last minute after testing positive or being exposed. On top of that, it also rained all day—which we were told (numerous times) is meant to be good luck.
All that aside, we’re both so grateful that we could finally get married, given that no one knew how the COVID-19 situation would continue to evolve in the months and years to come. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable. After a difficult 16 months, our wedding was the first opportunity we’d had to see many of our friends and family, and to celebrate with them in person. It was a truly magical day—and we’ll cherish the memories forever.
Ed Godden1/15Brympton House’s beautiful south front, which stars in the new adaptation of Persuasion.
Ed Godden2/15Getting my makeup touched up by one of my bridesmaids, Ellie, shortly before the ceremony.
