WHEN Ellie Bell and Mackenzie Cockram booked their wedding at a Hampshire hotel, they knew it would be a special occasion.

But the ceremony on October 20 at Marwell Hotel turned out to be the 100th wedding to held there, and so the couple were surprised by owner Grace Bastian with a magnum of champagne.

Owner and manager Oliver Bastian said: “We were delighted to give Ellie and Mackenzie a small extra gift on their wedding day to mark the occasion.

“It doesn't matter what the economic climate is - people still want to tie the knot, and they want to know that they'll be looked after in the build-up to their big day.”

The 68-bedroom hotel in Colden Common is owned and run by the Bastian family.