North East meets Far East as Families Unite at Ellingham Hall
Rosie & Jiaxing
8th August 2023
A Chinese wedding tradition was enjoyed at exclusive Northumberland wedding venue, Ellingham Hall when Jiaxing and Rosie Ma tied the knot for their sensational summer wedding.
Jiaxing, who is originally from China, and Rosie from the Northeast, took part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony during their wedding celebration. The couple kneeled to serve tea to Jiaxing’s parents and in return, his parents gave golden gifts and pockets of money as a symbol of the two families uniting.
The elegant drawing room at Ellingham Hall also became the centre of attention during a game of Mahjong the night before the wedding. Playing the centuries-old Chinese game, helped guests who flew in from China and America to get to know each other – and it helped Jiaxing’s parents feel at home.
Your guests travelled from around the world for your wedding. How did they find
it?
Rosie: “They loved it. We chose Northumberland Wedding Venue, Ellingham Hall because it offers exclusive use of the venue and grounds. It meant our guests could settle in and stay in the same venue without having to travel to accommodation offsite. Jiaxing’s family really felt at home and the Ellingham team couldn’t do enough to make everyone feel so welcome. They took so much care setting out the room properly for the tea ceremony. As Jiaxing’s parents don’t speak English, they paid a lot of attention to detail about the place names on tables, which were in Chinese.”
Jiaxing: “Everyone felt at ease because they got to know their way around the Hall, on the night before. On the wedding morning, it really was a home from home. That was important as so many guests had travelled so far. The fact the Hall is exclusively available, was so much better for my parents as they could unpack and then relax.”
So, it was a perfect setting for your wedding!
Jiaxing: “It really was. It was the first venue we’d visited and nothing else matched it. You look at pictures of a venue and think it looks great until you visit and find it’s not quite what you expect, such as unusual places for the bride to get changed etc. At Ellingham Hall it’s like being at home as it’s so warm and inviting. We got married on 8th August because 8 stands for ‘fortune’ in Chinese, so it was the 8th day of the 8th month. It happened to be a Tuesday, and in some venues, it would have meant getting married with hotel guests and other types of events going on.”
Rosie: “It also worked out because my Dad and brother, Bob and Rob, are both in a wedding band and they would have been booked out on weekends. They’ve both played in many different venues and Rob said Ellingham Hall was the best wedding venue he’d been to in the Northeast. My friend from China had no experience of an English wedding, as in China, you marry in the equivalent of a registry office and then have a huge banquet with hundreds of guests – we had 57! It was a different experience, and she loved it. When I sent her the photographs of Ellingham Hall before the wedding, she said it looked like a fairy tale wedding venue… and it was!”
It sounds like your wedding went well.
Rosie: “It was perfect. Everything went so well – from the wedding morning right to the end of the evening. A lot of that is because the Ellingham Team pay so much attention to detail. They are on hand when you need them but then they disappear into the background and let you get on with enjoying your time. For example, my dad had recorded some music for me to walk down the aisle to and I wasn’t sure how it might work. It was on a tablet and Alicia said it would be no problem and took care of it. Nothing was a problem. It’s all those little bits that made it so special. It was such an amazing day. We also had the After Dark Experience. I would recommend that because the day goes so fast that if the wedding day ends at midnight, it feels too early to finish the party”
Did Ellingham Hall meet your expectations?
Rosie: “It exceeded them. In fact, Jiaxing’s mam loved it so much she would like his brother to get married at Ellingham. He’s not even dating anyone, but she’s already decided he needs to get married at Ellingham Hall as it was so good.
If you are considering an exclusive Northumberland wedding venue, or a summer wedding, contact us today to arrange a viewing appointment.
Credits
Photographer – Carn Patrick Photography
Videographer – Abigail Grace Videography
Registrar – Northumberland Registrars
Dress – Accent Original
Shoes – Dune
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Little Mistress
Groom’s Suit – Herbie Frogg
MUA – Anna McClen Make Up
Hair – Tina Elliott Hair Styling
Flowers & Styling – Styled and Seated
Cake – Katherine’s Cakes and Bakes
Band – Hip Operation
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