By Emily Parsons

Last updated at 12:22, Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Two ghost hunters became the first couple to wed at the birthplace of the “father of romance”.

Ian O’Neill and Natalie Morgan

Natalie Morgan and Ian O’Neill, from the Wirral, tied the knot at Wordsworth House and Garden just 11 days after the National Trust building was granted its wedding licence.

The swift nuptials were possible because Natalie’s stepmother, Alex Morgan, works at the property and so she was aware of the imminent licence.

Despite this, Alex, interpretation and communication manager for the former home of poet William Wordsworth in Cockermouth, admitted it had still been a quickly put-together wedding.

“We knew it was going to be tight for anyone to get married there this summer, and obviously we wanted to have somebody so we needed to think if there was anyone we know,” she explained.

“My stepdaughter and fiance had planned their wedding a couple of years ago, but the wedding hadn’t gone ahead because of work commitments and Natalie’s health.

“They had planned most of it and already had the bride’s dress and bridesmaids’ dresses, so I asked her if she’d be interested, almost as a joke.

“She thought about it for a couple of minutes and then said yes.

“It came together really fast.”

Wordsworth House offers a more intimate wedding venue, catering for only about 40 to 45 guests, but Alex believes it is perfect.

“It is the childhood home of the father of romantic poetry,” she said, “so it makes it a romantic and special place for a wedding.

“It’s an extraordinarily beautiful house. It’s not huge and has a very warm and friendly feel to it and the gardens are just lovely.

“It is a very special place to be for the ceremony and the photographs.”

Natalie, 27, and new husband Ian, 34, run a ghost-hunting business in their spare time, and have carried out sessions at various National Trust buildings in Cumbria.

Alex continued: “They love investigating old buildings, and have actually held a ghost hunt in Wordsworth House and love the place.

“Some of the guests on Friday were fellow ghost hunters, and they said they felt something warm and friendly watching over them so there may have been spirits present.”

Wordsworth House and Garden is the only National Trust property in the county to allow guests to marry there, and the new Mr and Mrs O’Neill are believed to be the only people to have ever married at the property since it was built in 1690.

In an extra twist for any romantic couples planning their nuptials there, the registrar for Natalie and Ian’s ceremony, Richard Horrocks, actually works in the building’s shop.

The newly-weds are currently enjoying a few days on their honeymoon in Aberdeenshire.

First published at 11:26, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk