The Mann family share a passion for the estate as well as having a family connection.Throughout the 60s Tom’s father used the motor circuit for testing his racecars for AMR (Alan Mann Racing) and Tom’s brother Henry now runs the same team, which drives regularly at the Festival of Speed, Members Meeting and Revival. Tom has been coming to Goodwood since the early 2000s and shortly after meeting him Kirsty got bitten by the racing bug at Revival.
NOV 26th 2017
Mann Wedding ‑ Love Story
Kirsty says, “we chose the House as given the history and connection to Goodwood it felt like a great fit. With almost 150 people on the guest list a venue who could cater to that many was a must. We both loved everything about the House; the overall vibe was incredibly welcoming for such a grand property. The choice was also a tribute to Tom's father Alan who sadly passed away in 2012. We wanted to have a truly memorable day that we would never forget – and that was absolutely the case. The sheer beauty of the estate and the House is breathtaking. The food was possibly the best we've had at anywhere catering for lots of people. The real making of the day was the staff though – they were incredible. From our first viewing of the House until leaving the Hotel to go on honeymoon, nothing was too much effort and everything flowed flawlessly. Every time we visit Goodwood we feel like we are coming home; the House has that extraordinary feeling of welcome that we simply haven't experienced elsewhere. It is a place that feels like it is loved and lived in.”
Tom's favourite moment was “turning around and seeing Kirsty come down the aisle in the Yellow Room with such joy on her face”. Kirsty’s was “arriving at the house to be greeted with such a warm welcome from the staff when nerves are at an all-time high and walking down the aisle and seeing Tom”. A special moment for both of them was walking out of the house into the amazing (and surprisingly) warm sunshine on a February day to a crowd of the people they love the most. Kirsty says, “There was confetti everywhere and a buzz we will never forget. We got the same feeling when we walked into the ballroom as husband and wife and everyone started clapping and cheering, there was just this overwhelming feeling of happiness in the room.”
When it comes to the team at Goodwood three members get a special mention:David the head butler, who was an “absolute legend, a true pro, we all just loved him. The head chef Mike – we had various dietary requirements among our guests and he ensured the menu seamlessly took this into account. The food was unbelievably delicious. Felicity, our wedding planner is one in a million. Wedding planning was a breeze having her by my side. Knowing you have someone you can completely trust to ensure every detail of the day was carried out to perfection is incredibly valuable.
For us it was a holistic end-to-end experience. We got an incredible amount of support to ensure all of the details of the day were as they should have been, as well as recommendations of suppliers such as florist, DJs etc. Our guests at the hotel were also well looked after. The best thing is we've already been back to Goodwood for a couple of races, we are hoping to run our AMR cars at some of events next year and we'll be going to The Kennels soon.
Images courtesy of Jamie Bott Photography