We live in a relatively small town… with only two (small) shopping malls, two bowling alleys and a handful of hotels. The town we’re actually getting married in is even smaller (no mall or bowling alleys to be found in lovely Woodbridge)! So when it came to searching for somewhere in the area for the Mister and I to spend our first night of married bliss, I wasn’t sure where to start.

I made some calls… sent some emails, and got several very similar responses; “Sorry Miss, but that’s a bank holiday weekend… we can only book rooms for a minimum two-night stay.”

What the heck!? Honestly, hearing that more than four times begins to get a bit frustrating, and left me wondering if we might end up spending our first night as Man and Wife like this:

source – At least they look happy, right!

I decided to widen the search to local Bed and Breakfasts… with a little more luck; one or two were prepared to book us for a single night, and at very reasonable prices – but most were further out of town, and not as convenient as staying somewhere we could easily leave a car the day before.

Then one day a few weeks later, having temporarily ‘given up’ the search (my default approach to when the hunt gets tough, take a break and calm down!), we were driving to church one Sunday and I noticed one of the ‘pubs’ up the road from the church wasn’t a pub at all – it was a hotel!

I quickly made some enquiries, at the Bull Hotel (Woodbridge) and was overjoyed when the manager, Nathan told me that a single night stay on our wedding night would be fine.

source – seriously, we drive past at least once a week!

source

They even have a couple of four poster bed rooms/suites available on a bed and breakfast deal, so we can spend the night in style, and then enjoy a newly-married breakfast before rejoining our families for Sunday brunch and post-wedding cleanup. I think we really got a good deal here; and I can’t wait to raise a few eyebrows of any late-night drinkers in the bar when we rock up in our wedding clothes at midnight!

The best part? The Mister will be able to drive our car down there on the day of the wedding; collect the key and drop our bags, leave our car in the carpark and then walk himself and his best man down to the church and wait for me to arrive! Saving us worrying about a second ‘bridal car’ (since the Bus can’t make more than one trip what with the top speed being 30mph and all!).

Have you ever found the answer to a problem, “right under your nose”?!

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