BRIDGEWOOD MANOR HOTEL HOSTS MEDWAY’S FIRST CIVIL PARTNERSHIP CEREMONY OUTSIDE REGISTER OFFICE
Thursday 9th February 2006
The Bridgewood Manor Hotel, near Chatham, has hosted the first same sex Civil Partnership ceremony to be held in Medway outside a register office.Retired investment banker Chris Hipkins and partner Mike Horton exchanged vows and rings in the four-star hotel’s Maidstone Suite before enjoying a reception with 60 guests in the Hogarth Suite, last Sunday (5 February).
The couple, who have been together for more than 20 years, divide their time between Medway, London and their chateau in the Dordogne. Many guests travelled over from France – and the Champagne, specially labelled for the occasion, was home-produced by friends from Epernay.
Marston Hotels’s Paula Ward, who helped organise the ceremony, said: “Chief Superintendent Registrar Pam Strevens, from Medway Register Office, assisted by two colleagues, officiated and there was a French theme to the menu. We were delighted to be part of what was a very special day.”
Chris and Mike have delayed their honeymoon until mid-March, when they hope to catch up, somewhere in South America, with Chris’s daughter, who is travelling the world.
Chris said: “We worked very closely with Marston Hotels on every aspect of the ceremony and the reception and we were absolutely delighted with the result. Their organisation and attention to detail was superb.”
