WHEN Mike and Michelle Passmore got married this autumn, you could easily have mistaken them for Mr Darcy and his true love Elizabeth Bennet.

For the Georgian mansion where Mike, 28, and Michelle, 29, exchanged their vows would not have looked out of place in an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice nor would the 244 acres of beautiful parkland the couple strolled in after the ceremony.

But the Passmores, from Abbey Meads, did not need the help of a novelist such as Jane Austen to make them a special couple.

Instead, they were making history by being the first to get married in what many regard as Swindon's most beautiful building, Lydiard House.

Michelle spent countless happy days as a child playing with her family at Lydiard Park, and said that it was a wonderful surprise to find the former stately home on a list of official wedding venues sent to her by the local registrar.

HTS, the firm that organises conferences at the house, had just decided to move into organising weddings there, and the Passmores were getting married at precisely the right time to become their first customers.

"It was perfect for us," said Michelle.

"The grounds are superb and the house looks very grand, and the cost was reasonable for what you are getting."

Mike, who like Karen works for Lucent Technologies in Westlea, had previously been to the park for summer barbecues during their courtship.

But he said getting married in the splendour of the house was a much more prestigious affair.

"It felt really weird because the room where we held the ceremony was where they received the Queen when she came to visit," he said.

"Knowing that made it much more, regal, if you like."

The general manager at Lydiard House, Mike Gough, said it was little wonder that Mike and Michelle had fallen for the house.

"You can't help but be in love with this place I've been here eight years and I love it," he said.

"There's no other house quite like it in Swindon, it's really ideal for people to get married in.

"You can get married in a historic mansion and go straight outside and have drinks on the lawn."

The minimum cost for wedding at the stately home with at least 50 guests is £3,500. Some bookings are still available for 2002.

For information on weddings at Lydiard Park contact Swindon 770062 or log onto the website www.lydiard-park.com