A medieval castle and wedding venue celebrated holding its first traditional Indian wedding.
Langley Castle Hotel and Restaurant, near Hexham, held its first Indian wedding over the August bank holiday weekend.
The castle, built in 1350, created the perfect wedding day for a couple wishing to enjoy a traditional Indian marital event within its authentic medieval English castle setting.
NHS professionals Aashna Jain and Matthew Ronalds from Newcastle fell in love with the fairytale castle the minute they saw it.
The celebrations spanned two days of exclusive use of the castle and its extensive lawned and wooded grounds, to treat guests to all elements of Indian wedding tradition.
In the late afternoon of Friday, August 23, close family and friends arrived to enjoy delightful vegetarian canapés and attend a traditional Haldi ceremony. This is an important part of Indian wedding tradition, involving the application of yellow turmeric paste to the face, neck and arms of the bride and groom.
This hugely symbolic ceremony cleanses the couple and blesses them, warding off evil spirits and offering every wish for health and happiness.
This event was staged in the contemporary Langley Castle Pavilion.
The traditional bride’s henna party was held in the Langley Castle tipi, whilst other guests were entertained by a magician performing in the 2AA Rosette Josephine Restaurant.
That evening, a menu of traditional Indian food, comprising pav bhaji, tomato-based curry, vegetable biryani and chana masala, was served in the more formal setting of the Stuart Suite.
This wedding location is tucked inside the castle, besides the impressive battlements, which afford stunning views to Hadrian’s Wall.
Entertainment was then provided in the Stuart Suite, where the dance floor was put to excellent use.
On the wedding day itself, the castle catered for 160 guests, with more than 50 staying inside the castle or castle grounds and the rest transported by shuttle bus from nearby accommodation.
The groom’s family and groomsmen danced their way to the ceremony, held in a specially erected marquee. There, an hour-long traditional service was conducted by a guest, wholly in Indian. Following this, a half-hour civil ceremony, to legally seal the marriage under English law, was conducted by local registrars.
Photos were staged around the Langley Castle fountains.
Wedding guests enjoyed canapés including samosas, paneer tikka skewers and mushroom vol au vent, before sitting down to their main meal.
This was a feast of tomato soup with tadka focaccia, followed by shahi paneer curry with dal makhani and peshwari naan. Dessert was a rose-infused cheesecake with gulab jamun, a much cherished Indian festival dish of fried dumplings in rose and saffron syrup.
A little nod to British tradition was incorporated into the evening’s catering, albeit with an Indian twist. Guests indulged in an ‘Indian chip butty’ – spiced, cubed potato served in naan bread. An ice cream van also catered for those with a sweet tooth.
The vegetarian menu was very personal to the couple and Langley Castle’s chefs, particularly Gary Robinson, worked to get everything spot-on and truly authentic. This involved numerous meetings and taste tests with the couple, resulting in menu tweaks, to deliver Indian culinary perfection and sourcing of speciality items for true authenticity. Gary delivered much of the menu, creating all the curry dishes.
The two-day wedding event, which concluded with fireworks, brought much joy to the happy couple and their guests. All was played out inside, or in front of, the traditional English medieval backdrop the couple had set their hearts on.
A wedding showcase is scheduled for October 19.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here