Wednesday 8 January 2014

Two weddings and a funeral...well, almost

Our wedding at Goldney Orangery in 2003
On Sunday night, Dave and I indulged in a total geekfest as we watched Sherlock.  Not for the usual reasons of spotting the short stories making up the whole, or the joy of figuring out whodunnit before he does--hey, it's happened--but because we recognised Watson's wedding reception venue.

You see, ten years ago we got married at Goldney House in Bristol, and held our reception in its gorgeous Orangery, just as John and Mary did.

Goldney House is one of Bristol's hidden gems.  Many people walk past it unwittingly every day--unless they students who live in the hall of residence within the grounds--as it is hidden behind a rather forbidding tall wall.  If you climb up the next hill you can get a glimpse of the house.

Goldney House from the road
Many houses have their good sides and Goldney's faces out over its sumptuous gardens.  It, like the Orangery, was thickly covered in glossy green wisteria when we got married.

The "prettier" side
Sherlock was filmed in April, before spring really got started in Bristol, so the wisteria hadn't started growing yet which is a bit of a shame.  If you compare the top photo and the one below, you can still see that it's clearly the Goldney Orangery, though!  (And in hindsight, I do have memories of Cliftonwood residents going bananas on twitter about the BBC vans blocking the pavements on both sides of Constitution Hill; I should have been more nosey about what was going on!)

The Sherlock wedding at Goldney Orangery, 2014
We watched avidly, occasionally commenting in hushed tones--Oooh, they've redecorated.  It's very yellow; I don't like it--while every clink of a glass or burst of laughter brought back so many happy memories.  A wash of emotion, really.




The top table was set up differently to ours, but it's still clearly the same room!  After flicking through hundreds of images of Goldney and its Orangery on Google, I've reached the conclusion that the somewhat lurid yellow walls and murals were TV trickery.  Which is a relief, really!  I think the peach walls work much better, but then I'm biased!  The Orangery is such a lovely room; loads of light, bounced around endlessly by the mirrored doors...just gorgeous.

Wish we'd seen the Watson's cake--here's ours instead!
Sherlock didn't show off the gorgeous (but rather recognisable) grounds, and since I'm in a thoroughly nostalgic mood I want to give you a peek.

Hercules and the Tower, the Mahogany Parlour where we said our vows, and a rather pretty archway in the gardens
If you fancy flicking through more gorgeous pictures of the house and gardens, there's a gallery on the official website.  I'm going to be keeping my eyes open for this year's open day so that we can wander round happily and perhaps have a picnic on the lawn again.  But first, I may indulge myself by watching The Sign of Three once again and continuing to wallow in glorious nostalgia!

PS The "almost funeral" comes from Sherlock.  Our wedding was entirely crime-free!  John would be most envious.

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36 comments

  1. I am squealing here!
    And so glad your wedding was crime-free and I won't spill the criminal here!
    I was thinking it was really rather yellow and probably set that way for TV. I can't imagine that's everyone's taste, although it was truly gorgeous. Trickery, as you say.

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    1. I have no idea how they changed the colour for TV; it was certainly very...bold. Still so lovely to see it on TV!

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  2. As if you got married here too! The venue is gorgeous :)

    xxx

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  3. Aww so lovely! Your cake looked amazing!

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank-you! Last Autumn I bumped into the lady who made it; her cakes are still as delicious as they were ten years ago.

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  4. What a gorgeous place to get married and you look beautiful! A little bit serendipitous that it then went all Whotastic :o)
    Bet it was fab seeing it on the telly box. Even in its transformed state!
    M x Life Outside London

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    Replies
    1. Sherlock, dear, Sherlock. (Although, it does have the same writer so I'll forgive you :) ) And thank-you!! That's the prettiest I've ever looked (and probably the last time I wore full make-up).

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  5. It is so beautiful and I loved seeing your wedding photos, looks like you both had the most wonderful day. That cake looks amazing! x

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    1. Thanks, Liz! That cake was pretty much solid chocolate. Unsurprisingly I loved it :)

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  6. It's so pretty - what a gorgeous place for a wedding! I went to Bristol University and this was a hall of residence if I'm not mistaken? I wasn't posh enough to live there though (I got shipped out to Stoke Bishop to a Hall we used to call Shite Bunker - slightly different to Goldney, a sixties building). But I did used to live in Cliftonwood. Beautiful part of the world. Where are you in Bristol? Even though it's years since I lived there, it has a special place in my heart. I love going back. x

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    1. Yep, there's a hall of residence in the grounds to the left of the house. We had a few students randomly wandering around during our wedding, even though it was in the summer holidays! There's always one "posh" hall at Uni!

      We're in North Bristol, near Winterbourne. I like being minutes from the countryside but with all the hustle and bustle of the city :)

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  7. I can't believe it's the same place! You lucky lady! Though obviously, you picked it first. Happy Anniversary too! I hope you had a lovely day. The grounds and the garden looks stunning from what I saw. And you lady looks so beautiful and that cake, yum! x

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    1. Awww, thanks, Rhi. I reckon that's the prettiest I've ever looked. I'm sure the Sherlock crew had a fabulous fake wedding there!

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  8. Happy Anniversary! What a fab venue, you look absolutely stunning (plus the cake looks pretty tasty as well!) :-) xx

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    1. Thanks, Louisa! (Anniversary isn't properly till July, though. I was just being all nostalgic.) The cake was lush--remember the Chocolate Delores cake that you bought? It was that.

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  9. What an amazing place to get married, you lucky duck! I love the gold on your dress, very pretty :) xx

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    1. I loved my dress so much! It had crystals all over the lace bodice and sparkled like mad every time I moved. I keep thinking that I should do something with it...maybe take off the bodice/corset top and wear it with jeans, and there's probably enough fabric in the skirt to make another dress in its own right :P

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