Couple spend £30,000 on wedding banquet

Most girls can only dream of being swept off their feet by a knight in shining armour. But Sian Jenkins, 26, was determined not to miss out.

She and her 40-year-old fiancé, Rupert Hammerton-Fraser, decided to hold a medieval wedding at a castle complete with horses, falconry and a banquet.

The couple and 100 guests dressed in 14th century costumes, with the groom resplendent in a hand-forged steel suit of armour trimmed with brass and velvet coverings.

Miss Jenkins wore a court dress which was based on a brass rubbing and made from 270ft of silk. She arrived at the outdoor wedding at Lulworth Castle, Dorset, riding side saddle on a white mare.

The service was the Sarum Rite, on which modern ceremonies are based. In it, Miss Jenkins had to promise to be "bonny and buxom in bed".

After the vows, Mr Hammerton-Fraser, his squire and ring bearer fought challengers with swords, a common practice in the middle ages for fun and honour.

Miss Jenkins said: "The day was wonderful, everything I could have wished for. It was a wedding that will go down in history." The couple, who met in a muddy field seven years ago during a re-enactment, spent two years planning the day, which cost £30,000.

Mr Hammerton-Fraser, a lecturer in traditional print making, said: "I arrived with a guard of three armoured men and my best men, squire and chief usher. My bride then rode up on a white horse and was escorted by her oldest male friend, maid of honour, three armoured knights and three bridesmaids.

"We had a traditional medieval service and then went outside for the only contemporary part of the day which was the photographs."

The couple, from High Wycombe, Bucks, and their guests feasted on grete pie containing chicken, lamb, beef, hare, plums, figs, apricots, sultanas and spices. They also had venison pottage, roast hog and stuffed dates before a dessert of custard, fruit and cream syllabub.

And that was not the end of the festivities. The following day, about 200 more friends arrived to watch a jousting competition as well as dancing, sword fighting and a battle.

Mr Hammerton-Fraser said: "We had a great time with jugglers, falconry, a passage of arms and we finished the day with a joust."

From: Telegraph