On the 1st of June 2024, here at Happy Valley Norfolk, we had the absolute privilege of hosting the wedding of a very special couple.
Cara & Imran, met back in 2019 using one of the most popular modern ways to find a partner, Tinder. The two found the conversation flowed with the help of Love Island being the main topic of their conversation…who knew the reality show could lead to ever-lasting love in real life? Things for Cara & Imran developed effortlessly and when lockdown rocked us all, back in 2020, Cara & Imran saw an opportunity to dive head first into their life as a couple because when you know, you know! The pair moved in together during the pandemic and in their own words ‘we have never looked back!’
Anyone who knows Cara & Imran knows that their love for each other is larger than life, as is their thirst for fun! So it makes sense that for their engagement in 2022, Imran created a mini treasure hunt around Norwich City involving their closest family and friends. Significant places such as their first date spot and other special locations were included in the hunt.
When it came to choosing a venue, it didn’t take the couple long before they knew Happy Valley was the perfect location for their day. In Cara’s own words ‘I had already fallen in love with Happy Valley after I saw an old friend attend a wedding there - so it was a very easy decision for us!!’ With some guests travelling from afar Happy Valley was also a great choice for Cara and Imran, with plenty of accommodation on-site, wedding guests were able to stay for the duration of the celebrations.
We absolutely loved how Cara and Imran wanted to honour their varied cultural heritage, celebrating their love and marriage on 3 separate occasions. The first being in May with a traditional Nigerian engagement, the engagement acts basically in the same way a wedding would here. However, it pays homage to some of the ways ancestors carried out the traditions, such as dowries, chanting in the native tongue of Yoruba and signalling by the talking drum player. The celebration itself is mostly the Groom’s family paying respect to the Bride’s family and showing how they are worthy of being able to take on another daughter. It is then down to the Bride’s family to accept and willingly pass their daughter over. The way these traditions are carried out has been adapted to more modern times. The day involves lots of dancing and singing. The attire is colourful and the event is a joyous occasion with lots of delicious food too.” they then had a legal ceremony at the registry office and finally their more personal Wedding Weekend at Happy Valley Norfolk on the 1st of June. They opted to have three because they wanted to be able to honour the Nigerian traditions, whilst still having a wedding day tailored to who Cara & Imran feel they are as a couple. They decided to get legally married separately too so that they could have a very personal civil ceremony conducted by Cara’s Uncle, whilst still being able to include religious aspects for Imran’s family.
The attention to detail that they put into their wedding day at Happy Valley Norfolk was fantastic. So much thought went into everything that would make their day theirs, and that would give their guests a wonderful weekend with them. Cara & Imran wanted their day to be as personal as possible - from choosing their favourite flowers and colours in their floral arrangements to choosing Imran’s favourite food (his greatest passion is BBQing and smoking meat) for their wedding breakfast and of course having beloved Timba the dog present for walking down the aisle and photos. They also had family members completing important roles, for example Cara’s wedding hair was done by her cousin, a very talented Auntie made the wedding cake and travelled with it from London!
Special touches- honouring family members who couldn’t be there with them. They included a photo display by their guest book, which highlighted all of these wonderful family members as well as a nod to celebrate the love stories that came before theirs. Cara said, ‘this was also a great talking point for our guests as they looked back at memories and their loved ones.’
Another highlight of this very personal and fun wedding day was Wedding karaoke! Cara & Imran went back and forth about having a band or a dj and when deciding which option would suit them and their guests best came across a package from DJ Jak Ropa where karaoke could be added. This struck a chord with the couple as it reminded Cara of her first Christmas with Imran’s family where both sets of our parents sang karaoke! The karaoke was so popular amongst family and friends that what was originally scheduled for an hour ended up taking up most of the evening!
At Happy Valley Norfolk we feel so honoured that Cara & Imran fell in love with our venue and we are so pleased they were able to have the personalised experience they dreamed of. We are sending you all the love in the world in your journey through marriage x
A review from Cara & Imran - “Happy valley is beyond beautiful and the team go above and beyond for their couples. ❤️ We instantly knew it was the place for us as soon as we first laid eyes on it. The grounds are sensational and it just gets even more beautiful the more you look around. The spaces available allow you to really tailor your day to what you want, making everyone’s day totally unique, and that is super hard to come across. Katy, Hope and the team are fantastic too - by the end of it, they feel like friends and you know that they’ll do anything they can to make your day special. They were constantly beaming on the day and I wouldn’t have trusted anyone but them! Happy Valley made our dreams come true for our special day and I can’t wait to keep visiting and making even more memories there!”
