KNOWSLEY Hall is at the centre of a new trend for Asian brides choosing the stately homes of England as their wedding venue.
Asian celebrations, which are typically up to five times the size of an average UK wedding, have seen profits at the historic estate rise by between 5% and 10%.
Daniel Sheratte, events director at Knowsley Hall, said: "We’re beginn- ing to get a name in the Indian community. We’re a fairly distinct venue. There are other halls in the North West, but we can offer a living stately home and a substantial place with in-house catering.
"People have gone through the hotels and golf course and are looking for something unique – we offer that."
Lord Derby’s home has taken on four Indian events in the last three months and Mr Sheratte points out Asian wedding parties can number from 140 to 550.
Leading wedding planner and event specialist Raj Somaiya at Payal Prestige works closely with Knowsley Hall.
He said: "Asian couples don’t just invite family and friends – they invite whole communities so a wedding becomes a get-together of almost everyone they have ever known.
"But we just can’t find enough large venues. That’s why the Asian market is moving towards country estates which have the right amount of space as well as car parks that sometimes need to take over 120 vehicles."
The wedding itself can be quite elaborate and takes a fair amount of organising to accommodate traditions not seen in traditional Christian nuptials.
Hindi weddings held at Knowsley have seen a Mandap altar erected in the great hall for the happy couple.
Mr Sheratte added: "They use sacred fire which burns throughout the ceremony and creates an awful lot of smoke. We have to be extremely careful about our chattels but we’ve just kept windows open and there have been no problems.
"It’s just great to be able to do different types of events here."
The trend is also welcomed by Britain’s Historic Houses Association.
"We are delighted whenever we can help bridal couples and their families to find the right venue for their wedding," said president James Hervey-Bathurst.
"It is particularly welcome that more and more Asian families see historic houses as the right place for a wedding, because of their romance, tradition, hospitality and spirit of continuity. That is the way their owners see them too."
