(pictures from Julie Harris Blog)
At 23, I decided to visit Graydon Hall Manor in person. The then-boyfriend-now-fiance and I waltzed in unannounced and gave ourselves a self-guided tour. The visit reaffirmed my desire to wed there.
At 23 and 5 days engaged, the fiancé and I decided to visit the Manor again, this time to meet with an event co-ordinator. During our visit, the event co-ordinator showed us rooms which we had missed during our first visit, including the guest washrooms which had brocade uphousltered sofas and velvet curtains. The toilet stalls were more like little rooms, complete with a floor-to-ceiling doors, framed mirrors and more than room my entire powder room at home. Then the co-ordinator described the Manor’s services: uniformed waiters, tables with a choice of a hundred different linens, real silver silverware… He painted a beautiful wedding exactly like the one I had envisioned since I was 16.
At 16, I decided that when I got married, my wedding would be reminiscent of the gilded jazz age, filled with romance and elegance (and, to be clear, not organized crime and corruption also associate with roaring twenties). I imagined a scene from The Great Gatsby: an abundance of alcohol and dancing to jazz at twinkling big house. My female guests would wear low-waisted dresses and nibble on h’or dourves at tables of rich satin and sterling silver. The party would last to the wee hours of the night.
At 19, I decided my great Gatsby wedding would take place at the Graydon Hall Manor. With gardens and fountains and stoned driveways and high ceilings and georgian architecture, the manor emanates grandeur and refinement. there is lots of room for merry reveling, dancing and alcohol.
At 23, I decided to visit Graydon Hall Manor in person. The then-boyfriend-now-fiance and I waltzed in unannounced and gave ourselves a self-guided tour. The visit reaffirmed my desire to wed there.
At 23 and 5 days engaged, the fiancé and I decided to visit the Manor again, this time to meet with an event co-ordinator. During our visit, the event co-ordinator showed us rooms which we had missed during our first visit, including the guest washrooms which had brocade uphousltered sofas and velvet curtains. The toilet stalls were more like little rooms, complete with a floor-to-ceiling doors, framed mirrors and more than room my entire powder room at home. Then the co-ordinator described the Manor’s services: uniformed waiters, tables with a choice of a hundred different linens, real silver silverware… He painted a beautiful wedding exactly like the one I had envisioned since I was 16.
At 23 and 7 days engaged, I decided it wasn’t really practical (financially) to marry there. The manor is beautiful and the service immaculate (and worth every penny, I think), but our meager budget would only allow us to serve h’or dourves. then our guests would starve and that’s not very great nor Gatsby like.
And so, at 23 and one week engaged, I let go of the wedding I had envisioned since 16 and started planning for one with the darlingest boy ever.
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