Glenda Stirling Marriage Celebrant

13/04/2025

Day 7

The reason Fellbrigg Hall was closed (to all but us 😁) was because they were setting up for Christmas. There was a LOT of Christmas stuff everywhere we went in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. Inside, apart from the lovely Christmas tree, there were Meissen plates (!!), a painting of Vice Admiral Lukin and his brothers (the rellies), some out of this world plaster work on the ceilings, and this stunning ‘China room’. The photos do not do it justice! Even the wallpaper is woven with silk and I can’t express how glorious this was and how much they care for it - the careful and considerate restoration and protection. Stunning!!

02/04/2025

Day 7:

Ironically, on what would’ve been Dad’s birthday, we finally got to see Felbrigg Hall. My Dad’s maternal grandmother was a Lukin and at one stage the Lukin’s owned Felbrigg Hall and Estate. I had planned our whole itinerary around when the Hall would be open but then their open days changed! The horror!! Fortunately I’d been in touch for a few months so we were given a tour anyway, because we are relatives of the Lukins! I will have to do a few posts about Felbrigg, but here are first impressions ❤️

If you’re a Lukin / Whittem, or just interested in, check out the timeline on the website below

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/norfolk/felbrigg-hall-gardens-and-estate/history-of-felbrigg

23/03/2025

Day 6:

Waving goodbye to gorgeous Cambridge (with bloody confusing roads!!), we were heading for Cromer on the Norfolk coast, but I wanted to see if we could find Lower Goat Lane in Norwich on the way. I guess you could probably say I’m ’one quarter’ Emms, if that makes sense, and before migrating to Australia over 100 years ago, the Emms’s were tailors on Lower Goat Lane! We still have some letterhead so that was helpful too. And we found it! It’s now a very funky lane full of hip and happening shops and cafes. Here are 3, 5 & 7 Lower Goat Lane - just like the letterhead 😁

We did stop and have a scone (pronounced either rhyming with stone, or as ‘scon’ - depending where you are in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿). I enjoyed lingering in an area with such family history and then we wandered around, had fish and chips, looked at antiques, and then headed off east to Cromer because the next day was a big one!!

03/03/2025

Day 5 - London to Cambridge

I didn’t want to drive in London so had arranged to collect a hire car in Cambridge. So step one - get to Cambridge! Fortunately this turned out to be fairly easy - Underground to Kings Cross Station, purchase tickets for a different train, then jump on and 45 minutes later, voila, in Cambridge. Then push the suitcases for 2km because the car hire place is nowhere near the train station - how dumb!!

After collecting the car, we drove around to see what we could see. The buildings are absolutely beautiful - it really is an architecturally stunning place! We wandered around, I finally got a Cambridge jumper, and then spent the night on a farm. So different from London!!

The distance to Sydney sign just to remind us how far away we were ❤️❤️

29/01/2025

London Day 4…part 3

After paying my respects to William Marshal, it was time to jump forward about 800 years and head to the M & M shop in Leicester Square - that was quite eye opening I have to say!! A couple of floors of M & Ms was quite impressive!!

We had a relaxed wander around Leicester Square, then over to Covent Garden for a browse. It was absolutely brilliant to be in the centre of London soaking it all in but that’s it for now… with knackered feet by the end of the day, it was nearly time to catch the train to Cambridge….

16/01/2025

London Day 4…. part 2

Who knows who William Marshal was?? He was who ever lived (not my words) and I have been amazed by him for years! He served FIVE kings (Steven, Henry II, Richard, John, Henry III), loved his wife and valued her opinion (can you imagine this in the 12th century!!!), was very much part of the Magna Carta, was on excellent relations and beloved by Eleanor of Aquitaine, relieved Lincoln from a siege - and much more!! He was hugely courageous, loyal, and successful, and even warring kings trusted him. I can’t think of a modern equivalent actually….

William Marshal’s effigy is in The Temple Church in London (think Knights Templar) - nobody knows where he’s actually buried, so I had to go and say hi 👋. It is as impressive as you’d imagine (might have to zoom in on the plaque)

If you want to start to understand this exceptional knight who started out as the fourth son to a minor noble who hostaged him to a king and then left him to be killed (when he was 5!!!!), and ended up being the regent for an underage king with the support of basically everyone in the land AND encouraged that king (Henry III) to reissue the Magna Carta and stick to it (unlike his father King John), then you could start with books The Greatest Knight and then The Scarlet Lion.

Or ask me. Much to the kids’ chagrin, I LOVE talking about him and would happily do so for hours 😁😁😁

12/01/2025

Just before I departed for the UK, I had the absolute pleasure of joining E & N in marriage. On an absolutely glorious Albany afternoon we walked up to to hold the ceremony. It was short and sweet, just as they wanted, with just a few special friends present. A joyful ceremony for an extremely kind couple whose company I thoroughly enjoyed ❤️

11/01/2025

London Day 4… part 1

Having decided we wanted to walk to Buckingham Palace to have a look, we encountered an issue with a park that we needed to go through being closed and guarded by police and the military. Something serious was clearly going on! We finally found somewhere to buy some breakfast (almond croissant 🥐, I do love you!) and then a bench to rest on, eat the delicious croissant, and ask trusty Google why the park was closed. And guess what? It was the King’s birthday. And we were in London, heading to Buckingham Palace, on the King’s birthday, and didn’t know. How’s that for timing. Or irony!!! So the park was closed for a 41 gun salute (why 41? Who knows!) - but not just ‘guns’ - cannons! So then we wandered where we were allowed to, and watched. There was a brass band (awesome!!), and horses (also awesome - they are magnificent!) and cannons. We did eventually make it, listening to the cannons as we went, and the King must’ve been in residence as his flag was flying. So for those of you who asked me to ‘say g’day to Charlie - consider it done 🥳🇬🇧😁

07/01/2025

London Day 3…. part 3

So, exiting from The Tower of London, back on to the London Underground, and off to the I hadn’t been on the Eye before because last time I was there, it was still being assembled. was keen to go on it and it was terrific! We went about 4pm by which time the sun was setting so the views and lights were spectacular! I recommend it!!!

04/01/2025

London Day 3 …. part 2

You can’t really go to London and not go to …. So we did! Those who know me well know that I read a lot of royal history, I can list all the English monarchs since 1066, and to the kids eternal boredom, often tell them random bits of Tudor or Wars of the Roses info and how the various people fitted in - all interesting to me, BUT, whilst I was looking forward to returning to The Tower after 25 years since I last visited, the kids approached it with some apprehension - more worried about my history lessons than never getting out - (unlike many others in the past!)

We were fortunate enough to be able to join a tour and this yeoman was the guide. They really are terrific! He clearly had a soft spot for Lady Jane Grey (as we all should!!) but when I asked who his favourite monarch is he said ‘the current one - anything else is treason’ 😁.

The Crown Jewels 💎 are outstanding, as expected (but no photos allowed), and Henry VIII’s armour is, ah hem, still amusing 🤭.

It is a truly splendid place but also has such a frightening history as it wasn’t only a royal palace but also a prison and the last place a lot of very famous people met their ends: the princes in the tower (Edward V and his brother Richard), Anne Boleyn, and Lady Jane Grey, just to name a few!

The view across to the Tower Bridge is stunning! However, we couldn’t linger as we had a booking on the London Eye!!

That’s the next post, but just to reassure you, we were released from the tower, and are back home now ☺️

28/12/2024

London Day 3…. part 1 (it was a big day!!)

We started the day by heading to Madame Tussaud’s (in reality, it was probably just to see Harry Styles and Mdme T clearly knows this is the case as there were big signs outside exclaiming ‘Harry is home!’). This isn’t going to be our last H Styles excursion in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿…

Amongst all the other people in Mdme T’s, there is this brief selection of interesting people - the one you may not know is and yet historically she is arguably the most important 💚💜!

If you’re ever wondering if it’s worth dropping in, it is. Even if only to be Queen for the day 👑😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

21/12/2024

London Day 2….

If you’ve been to London (or, yes, played Monopoly!) you’ve probably been to Piccadilly Circus! It is amazing being there because it’s so famous and yet it doesn’t scream ‘circus!’ at all 🤣. Here is Eros, and if you look up, there are these gorgeous art deco diving ladies not far away.

Of course we went to Hard Rock Cafe and wandered into Soho. I love Soho - the architecture is gorgeous- check out the curved buildings- and the shops are high end We also went to Harrods (in Knightsbridge, not in Soho) so it was a day of glamorous shops, tackling the London Underground (easy!), and London crowds. LOVE it!! ❤️

17/12/2024

Calmness and Chaos!

After a loooong flight ✈️ direct from Perth to London, it was time to stretch our legs, get our bearings, and get started!! We stayed in Kensington and next door was Kensington Gardens - what a calm oasis right in the middle of the city!

The hop on hop off bus was one of the day’s adventures, and amongst other things, you get to cross the Tower Bridge, drive through Piccadilly Circus, past Trafalgar Square, Fleet Street - you’ve got the picture - it’s like being in Monopoly 🤣 And I can NOT imagine driving there!! It is chaos!

14/12/2024

A short break from weddings and ‘normal’ life to spend once in a lifetime time with my two most important people….

We did planes ✈️
We did trains 🚆
We did automobiles 🚗

Cathedrals, castles, and palaces

Private tours in ancestral stately homes now owned by the National Trust; part of big crowds in the West End; lost in the Cornwall wilderness.

We visited the home town of Harry Styles; the town where Doc Martin is filmed; and were outside Buckingham Palace on the King’s birthday and heard his 41 gun salute.

And more.

So if I look knackered in this photo, I probably was - it was the last few hours in England, relaxing in the Heathrow Qantas Club Lounge - what a treat!

And now I’m back and loving that wedding enquiries are flowing in - can’t wait to celebrate with you all 😁❣️. More ‘English Escapades’ forthcoming

25/11/2024

I’m out of phone / text range. Yes it’s true and I’m loving it!!! But if you email me, I’ll get it and will reply ❣️ I still want to celebrate with you on your big day!! [email protected] ❣️❣️

Instagram & Facebook messages will also find me 😉

05/11/2024

That’s it. I have no more vacancies in 2024 ❤️!! Thank you to all my gorgeous couples this year. And I can’t wait for the 2025 / 2026 weddings! I still have a few spots available in 2025 so please get in touch if 2025 is your year ❤️❤️

02/11/2024

So I know it’s been an absolute age since I’ve posted (!!) but let me share this glorious location with you today ❤️.

11/10/2024

How absolutely stunning was my bride from last weekend Dakota Westmacott!! A beautiful, relaxed wedding - perfect!!!

Photo by Photographica by Kirsten Sivyer

This amazing bride made her own gown! Beautiful corsetry with layer upon layer of fine silk. Wow!