Castle Wedding Guests to Witness Largest Ever Wedding Party Skydive

-       Groom & 9 groomsmen set to sky-dive into Northumberland castle wedding

The largest wedding party skydive ever undertaken, anywhere in the world, is set to take place at iconic Northumberland wedding venue, Langley Castle, on Sunday July 9.

Former British army soldier Chris Parkes (34), who lives in County Durham, will be skydiving into his wedding with fiancée Pippa-Rosy (31) alongside nine groomsmen, some of whom are still serving in the military.  

All will be suited and booted in black tuxedos for the spectacular wedding drop, which they will all undertake independently, rather than in tandem. Tuxedos will then be swapped for kilts for the ceremony.

The scene in the sky above Langley Castle will be something to behold on the day, as the 10 jumpers make their descent. It will also be a real talking point for the 200 wedding guests, some of whom are travelling from as far afield as the USA.

Chris has always been a keen sky-diver, first learning the skill in the army and then, several years later, completing an accelerate freefall course and acquiring several licences in a variety of disciplines. He and his groomsmen have undertaken hundreds of skydives, across many drop zones worldwide and some of them actually work in the sport.

Co-ordinating this feat has taken in-depth planning, which started when Chris proposed at a black-tie Christmas dinner at Langley Castle. The couple then realised that Langley, with its incredible ambience and idyllic setting, not to mention its status as England’s most authentic, fortified medieval castle hotel, was also the perfect wedding venue.

It was gazing across the castle’s battlements – accessible to guests on a daily Battlements Tour – that allowed Chris to recognise the possibility of the pre-wedding sky-dive and spectacular arrival on the big day. Doing something different - and having something to laugh about in years to come - greatly appealed. With a clear view right over to Hadrian’s Wall and 10 acres of Langley-owned land as well, the area that could be utilised for a jump was evident. 

In fact, much of this was originally part of Langley’s medieval barony originally established by Adam de Tindale, which controlled lands the size of 9848 football pitches.

Once the seed of the idea had been sown, brainstorming was undertaken by Chris and his team and lots of reaching out to the sport’s governing body, British Skydiving, followed. Months of preparation and training, to back the decades of cumulative skydiving experience, has now helped get the plan to the stage where it should be brought to fruition, in a safe and precise manner, on the wedding day.

The plan is for the plane to depart from the group’s local drop zone, Sky-high Skydiving at Shotton, and for the wedding ‘team’ to descend to either primary, secondary or tertiary landing areas, arranged to cover any eventuality. These have been secured thanks to the kindness and permission of Langley Castle’s neighbours, the Bates family.

Ideally, however, Chris and his groomsmen will land in the field by the castle entrance, where they will be best observed from the castle.

The remarkable castle structure, with its imposing battlements, is easily identified from the air and the jump should take place regardless of what the weather brings, with all jumpers used to strong conditions. Bar a cyclone, or some other form of very severe weather, it should proceed. If it does not, the rather more sober back-up of a minibus arrival awaits.

There will be no practice runs and the groomsmen will get just one shot at getting this right. Hours of reconnaissance and surveys of satellite imagery, have had to underpin the operation.

The plane door will be opened above the castle and the group’s scout will “assess the spot”, prior to the groom and his groomsmen leaving the plane when the green light is given. A strategically placed windsock and deployed smoke grenades will highlight the desired landing location and the landing/wind direction.

Once on the ground, the team will leave their skydiving rigs behind and celebrate their world-record-breaking achievement with a well-deserved bottle of champagne. After a quick wardrobe switch into their kilts, they will join their guests and bridal party for a ceremony in Langley Castle’s woodland wedding area. This has the stunning castle as a backdrop through the trees and will be beautifully decorated with flower arrangements and natural displays.

The groom and groomsmen will be piped into the woodland glade by talented friend, Stevie Bagpipes and, from there on, the wedding will be infused with music, with an eclectic mix of musicians providing the entertainment, from a harpist and swing jazz quartet to evening ceilidh band.

Chris Parkes says, “Pippa-Rosy thinks we are crazy to undertake this and would rather we do the conventional thing and just hire wedding cars. I am doing my best to allay her fears and am lucky that she herself is a qualified and licensed sky-diver, having retired from the sport just a few years ago to focus her energy on other things and her career as a construction project manager, overseeing rejuvenation and development projects across the north east. 

“I and my team have got everything planned to a tee, so hopefully all will go well. Our wedding video should feature some amazing helmet camera footage and our sky-dive should make for an incredible start to proceedings.”

Once all the joy and drama of the wedding is over, Chris and Pippa-Rosy will be heading to the Scottish Highlands, for a spot of chilled and idyllic wild camping – a very different honeymoon to complement the extraordinary wedding day.

Langley Castle’s wedding and events manager, Katie Livingstone-Evans Lowes, says: “We were delighted to be chosen as Chris and Pippa-Rosy’s wedding venue and to have them decide our woodland wedding area would be the perfect place for their ceremony. However, when we heard about the sky-dive, we were truly thrilled and amazed to have this plan evolve around the castle.

“This will be something that the castle has never witnessed before in its 673-year history and in its 37 as a wedding venue. We can’t wait for the day to arrive, hopefully with the right weather conditions to allow all of the intricate planning to pay off.”

More details of Langley Castle’s wide variety of wedding options, covering woodland, tipi, marquee, traditional indoor castle ceremonies, elopements and weddings for two, civil ceremonies and renewal of vows, can be found at www.langleycastle.co.uk                                                                                     

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Editors notes

Langley Castle, built in 1350, is located in Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland and is one of the few authentic, fortified medieval castles in England. It has a rich history, with strong links to Jacobite rebellions, is located just a stone's throw from the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall and boasts features including battlements, seven-feet-thick walls, window seats set into the walls and the best example of medieval garderobes in Europe. It is one of the most exquisite wedding venues in the north and also offers a wide range of options when it comes to exclusive use, with the castle being available for weddings, family celebrations, Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, D&D-style events and a wide variety of corporate functions.