Medieval Wedding Planner: Fantaysia
Interview by Grace Sydney

Planning her own medieval wedding led Valerie Rowe Hartley on the path to her true calling as a themed events organizer. Meet the proprietor of Fantaysia as she relives her own wedding experience and offers her advice on achieving the fairytale ceremony of your dreams. Enjoy these photos of the wedding of Valerie Rowe Hartley, also known as Princess Valaria.


Your wedding was held at Conisbrough Castle in South Yorkshire. How did having the ceremony in a castle setting enhance your wedding experience?

It made it the ultimate fairytale wedding I had always dreamed of because we had a fully themed medieval wedding and the venue is really the icing on the cake.

Could you tell our readers about some of the medieval elements you incorporated into your wedding?

Everything you can think of -- minstrels, jester/juggler/fire eaters, sword fighting displays, arriving on horseback with hand maidens, a medieval magician, my husband and the best man arrived also on horseback -- that actually took my breath away and made me cry!!!

[It was a] fully themed banquet with medieval pottery etc. Nothing modern, a mock Celtic ceremony also.

There was so much that happened and I can still, eight years on, say it was for us and our guests the most amazing day in our lives, and we are so glad we did it the way we dreamed and that spurred me into creating the magical kingdom of Fantaysia. We are actually in another two years time renewing our vows and doing it all again big time I hope to have bought a forest by then for us to hold it in.

Many couples would like their wedding guests to don period attire, but find that they are met with reluctance. What advice can you give to those hoping to persuade attendees to wear attire in keeping with the theme of the wedding?

We show the potential families footage of the weddings and pictures and try to explain that the costume makes the wedding day, after all you are trying to go back in time and that won't look right with modern clothing. Think of the bride and grooms: it is, after all, their day.

What advice can you offer to couples on a budget who would like to have a medieval-themed wedding?

Budgets are difficult really, as every couple have different ideas on what they want, but the fact is that weddings are not so inexpensive but then again not expensive compared to traditional weddings. You get a lot more for the amount of money being spent, each individual element is costed accordingly.


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Photos courtesy Fantaysia