Yahoo News I visited the stunning Northumberland village where more and more couples are choosing to get married
When looking at where to go for this week's feature, I decided to visit an idyllic village in Northumberland, with stunning views that make it the perfect wedding location. Otterburn is located in the Cheviot Hills, and has seen its wedding trade boom in recent years.
For a village of its size, Otterburn uniquely has three different wedding venues Le Petit Chateau, Woodhill Hall and Otterburn Castle, with all of them offering something different to betrothed couples. However, before I visited one of these places, I wanted to speak to some other businesses about the wedding trade in the village and the impact that it has on them.
My first stop was The Border Reiver Village Store, which is managed by Melissa Cowens, who was recently promoted into the position. Melissa, a lifelong resident of Otterburn and the surrounding area, spoke to me about life in the village.
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She said: "I just started as manager here after working in the shop for a long time previously, and it's hard work, but I am really enjoying it. It's definitely a lot busier here than it used to be thanks to the wedding trade picking up, and we have always had a lot of people from the army coming in and that hasn't changed.
"We have relationships with other businesses, such as Otterburn Mill and the different wedding venues in the village. We help each other out which is vitally important as the area gets busier."
After this, I headed to Otterburn Mill, which had been mentioned by Melissa, and I was able to speak with Nigel Owen, the Operations Director. Nigel has been involved in the transformation of the mill into a retail space for the last 29 years, after being brought in to oversee the daily goings on at the family-owned business.
Nigel said: "When we arrived, the mill was an actual production mill that had closed down in 1976 for health and safety reasons. There was a shop adjoined but it wasn't very well built up so we had to build everything from the ground up.
"We opened the shop up more, as we wanted to look at this in a more commercial way to make it successful and bring it into the 21st century. We worked on the building keeping things like the diesel engine and the water wheel in order to preserve the history of the mill, and we felt like the area needed a café, so we brought this in, with a range of products that are all homemade.
"The wedding trade has been really good for us, as if people arrive early, they will often come in for a drink and something to eat, as well as browsing the shop. People started coming here for weddings and the popularity of the area has just grown ever since.
"We also get locals in, and they are always surprised when they come here and see all of the brands we have and I think this helps to legitimise the business. Parking is free and we are constantly looking to diversify the business so we will continue to do this."
Finally, I headed to Le Petit Chateau, where I was able to talk to Megan Lowes, who is the Assistant General Manager at the wedding venue. She spoke to me about how the wedding business has taken off in Otterburn.
Megan said: "We have now been here for eight years, and it was previously a pub and hotel, two facets of the business which we have still maintained. We also have the wedding venue and the beautiful outdoor garden space outside.
"The pub is always busy, with a mix of locals and visitors, and it is the main social area in the village. Last year alone, we hosted 290 weddings, and the exclusivity of the venue has helped to put the village on the map to a wider group of people.
"We also look to work with and accommodate all of the other businesses, as we see ourselves as part of a wedding package, rather than it being exclusively around the venue. All of our staff are local and everyone knows each other which makes it great, working in a friendly, social environment.
"We can certainly see ourselves being here long term, as I think there is nothing like what we offer in the area, and I don't think there will ever be a time when this isn't desired by couples. It's an idyllic place and it is so quiet, which is amazing for anyone who is thinking about getting married in Otterburn."
When I was leaving Otterburn, I thought about just how much of a positive impact the wedding trade has had in the village, and it was great to see the local businesses benefitting from this. I could certainly see myself heading back to Otterburn in the future, maybe to attend what I think would be a truly beautiful wedding.
