Chicheley Hall

The staircase at Chicheley Hall is the first frame of the ceremony and one of the best of the day. You come down it with crystals hanging above you and the marble-columned hall of the Buckinghamshire house opening out below, so the walk in is already a picture before anyone has said a word. That hall is where you marry, and the double-height windows keep it bright enough that we work off daylight alone on the tiled floor. The bedrooms have tall sash windows, which is where the dress hangs and where the morning happens. Outside, the red-brick front takes every guest in a single line across the lawn. Then it opens up: a tree-lined avenue that turns properly gold in autumn, cedars big enough for both of you to stand under, a stone archway, a raised brick path through the formal garden, and a lake with the whole house reflected in it. Come back to the staircase after dinner for two more portraits, and keep the last ten minutes of sun for the avenue.