We decided to get married in this treehouse on 27th July 2005 where we were due to spend our wedding night. We had originally booked a beach wedding at Pinewood Village but changed our minds as we really wanted a very private low key affair.

It was wonderful. My partner arrived first and he got ready at the treehouse after his massage at Pinewood. I had my massage, pedicure and manicure and then followed on, arriving 30 mins before the ceremony but already showered etc. The treehouse is in Shimba Hills and is only about 40 mins from Pinewood.

Petra and John who planned our wedding (from Africa Renaissance) came along to be our witnesses and they arranged our photographer and video too as well as the flowers – cream rose bouquet for me and cream rose buttonhole for him and the cake.

The treehouse is amazing – it is not exactly a treehouse – you enter from the rear which is at ground level and go on through the bedroom to a veranda at the front which is built on the hillside so the front is on stilts overlooking the valley and the Shimba Hills.

In the bedroom there is a 4 poster wooden bed with nets which is on wheels so it can be wheeled out onto the veranda. There is also an assortment of sodas and alcoholic drinks and an air horn to be used to summon your butler if there are any problems or you want to order ice or drinks etc. The bathroom is completely open onto the veranda and the hills and valley – it takes a bit of getting used to sitting on the loo or showering in the open like that but didn’t seem to shock the elephants too much!!

I put my make up on, Petra helped me into the dress and led me to where the ceremony was to take place. A tip for any ladies considering marrying in Kenya or anywhere like this – don’t forget that your body does expand in the heat – I had to be shoe-horned into my dress although it didn’t help with the extra pounds I’d put on courtesy of the Finch Hatton’s and Pinewood’s chefs!!!.

Next to the treehouse is another area with a swimming pool, a large veranda and a covered, thatched area. The veranda had a great view and this area had been decorated beautifully and a table set out for the ceremony. The ceremony was fairly short but beautiful and was all a bit too much for me in the end and am now embarrassed to see the box of tissues on the table in all the wedding photos!!

After the ceremony, we signed the certificates etc, had some photos taken, sipped a large cocktail and then cut the cake. After a few more pictures everyone went and left us alone. It was exactly what we wanted – quite, private and very romantic.

The butler and chef then served us drinks and a cold bottle of bubbly, filled up the Jacuzzi with hot water, provided us with a basket with smellies and towels in and brought some robes out for us, checked if there was anything we did not like before he went off to prepare our dinner and left us to enjoy the sunset from the Jacuzzi.

Dinner was lovely and was served with very nice wine. Another tip for anyone doing anything like this – you do get wine with dinner and you do get bubbly in the Jacuzzi so don’t go ordering drinks before this like I did as I fell asleep after dinner – very romantic!!

The butler came and wheeled the bed out onto the veranda for us and then left us for the evening with coffee booked for 9am in the morning and breakfast for 10.

When I finally woke up again, we had a wonderful night listening to the sounds of the park and gazing up at the countless stars…it really was a very memorable day and evening!

Coffee and breakfast came as expected in the morning and we sat on the veranda listening to elephants. We saw gazelles, elephants and water buffaloes from our breakfast table.