If we look like the kind of place you’d like to host your wedding, you’ll have a ton of questions you’ll want to ask before you book. To save you time, we’ve put together a list of wedding FAQ’s for you to read through at your leisure.
Grab a cup of tea, sit back & read on…
Nicola, we love the look of Ever After and your ceremonies, it all looks great – what makes Ever After different to other wedding venues?
We think there are several things that make us different…Everyone says when they see the venue for the first time, ‘wow, we’ve never seen anything like this!’ That’s definitely the main difference. Have a look at the photos here on the website and check out our photos on instagram and facebook to see for yourselves. You can have an outdoor wedding in beautiful natural surroundings and if the weather doesn’t co-operate on the day, you don’t have to compromise on your outdoor dream, it’s all taken care of and you and your guests will still be outdoors – in the dry!
We’re not a wedding factory, we don’t churn out cookie cutter weddings, you won’t feel you’re on a wedding conveyor belt here. Some venues do hundreds of weddings every YEAR, we haven’t done hundreds since we started in 2014. We like to take time in the months and weeks before your wedding and over your 3 days here to devote ourselves to your wedding day, making it as special as we possibly can for you and your guests. We can do that because we strictly limit the number of weddings we hold.
We see a wedding as much more than just a big party. It’s a privilege to help you share your story and celebrate all the people who have helped shape the two of you who have fallen in love and are making this public and private commitment. These are the people who will be there in later years through the less joyous times of life, the times when you need people to lean on, to take some of the heavy lifting from the two of you. The bonds created on your wedding day will support you for the rest of your lives. Of course weddings are about having a great time and loads of fab food and drink (and crazy dancing!) but they’re mainly about creating memories which weave through your lives, strengthening the bonds that connect you with the ones you love.
We’re also sharing our home here at Lower Grenofen. My husband Steven (referred to by me as ‘the lovely S’) and I live here and we created this venue for our own wedding in 2012 – we really know what it takes to hold a great wedding here! Our home is yours for the day and we want you and your guests to feel super comfy here. If you want a relaxed, laid back place where guests can kick off their shoes, wiggle their toes in the grass and not feel they’re being watched by portraits of long dead ancestors of someone they’ve never met – this is your place. We’re not a hotel or a restaurant, we don’t have any other customers to keep happy; we only hold exclusive-use weddings and only for a limited number of days each summer on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
There are other differences too, our chairs, table linen, crystal glasses and other decor items create a wedding reception you can’t get anywhere else. We have contemporary chairs, table linen in earthy colours (olive, buttermilk and silver grey in case you were wondering!), Tritan Crystal stemware and top quality china that will make your day stand out and set the benchmark for how to have a wedding that feels totally different.
How do we know if you’re a good fit for us?
This is a crucial question and one you should definitely be asking yourselves! Are we your people?! Your wedding day is one of the biggest milestones in your entire life. Family and friends here to celebrate the two of you, you’ll be creating bonds and memories that will extend for generations. From the children experiencing their first ever wedding to the oldest generations who have seen weddings over decades and witnessed their family grow and flourish. Your wedding will become part of your family’s folklore, a touchstone with your friendship group of a precious shared time that can never be replicated, the starting point for those “Remember that time…” moments talked about at other gatherings.
If you’re looking to throw an awesome wedding that reflects the story of how the two of you got here and all the people who’ve helped you along the way, we are your people. If you value family and friends over everything; time over money; authenticity and teamwork; custom-made and hand-crafted (and you have an aversion to wedding chair covers!) then yes, we are your people.
Creating a wedding isn’t just about designing a beautiful event, it’s about creating an emotional experience for you and your guests, memories which family and friends will treasure.
You’re probably paying all or some of the cost of your wedding – so value matters too. I know you’re tech savvy, you’ll do a lot of online research before you commit to your wedding venue. I know you’re interested in the quality of the experience but not about impressing guests for the sake of it, it’s about showing them through the small details how much you appreciate them sharing your day.
My pledge to you: I’ll help you put your wedding together and make sure it’s beautifully delivered on the day. If you need help designing the big picture, I’ve got your back. I’ve got over 7,000 wedding pins on Pinterest so trust me, I’m into your pinterest boards as much you are (I just get to call my wedding obsession ‘work’ – how lucky is that?!). When you can’t see through a problem, I’ll help you find the fix, I’ve never met a wedding problem I couldn’t solve. If your friends and family are cool sources of help and support but you don’t want them running the (wedding) show, I get that, I’m on your side. I understand the tricky navigational waters of keeping people happy AND still having the day you want and I will be there to share your joy on the day when it all comes together even better than you imagined. I’ll guide you through the wedding minefield to create your dream wedding while still keeping it real.
If you want to see what other couples have said about the experience of planning a wedding and getting married here at Ever After, pop over to our reviews page and take a look.
Which days do you hold weddings?
In the summer (from the last Saturday in May to the first Saturday in September) we hold big weddings (max 120 guests) on Saturdays only.
If a midi mid-week wedding (Wednesdays from the last week in May to the first week of September for up to 20 day guests and option for more evening guests) sounds like your thing, check out the brochure on our dedicated MMW page.
During the winter we hold elopement weddings for a maximum of 8 guests and those are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. We’re open for winter elopements in October, November and the first half of December. We’re closed for weddings in January and open again mid-Feb, the whole of March and the whole of April each year. We also do 5 summer elopements a year, that’s one a month from May to September – get ’em whilst they’re hot!
With summer weddings, you can arrive and make yourselves at home from 2pm the day before your wedding and check out at midday the day after your wedding. You get plenty of time to settle in before your wedding and we’ve got time to tidy up and change over between each wedding so everybody’s happy.
For winter elopement weddings, you arrive any time after 3pm the day before your wedding and check out time the day after the wedding is 11am.
Can we get legally married at Ever After?
Yes we’ve got a licence from Devon County Council to hold legal weddings here which means we can conduct civil marriage ceremonies for up to 120 people at the venue.
Do you book the Registrars or do we need to do that?
You need to contact the Registrars yourselves to book your actual wedding ceremony because they can only take a booking and payment from the couple themselves but we give you all the information you need with our handy guide Ever After Wedding ceremonies to booking your wedding.
How many people can we have to the wedding ceremony?
For a big Saturday wedding from the end of May to the beginning of September it’s 120 people. The wedding barn is licensed for 70 people inside. The wedding ceremony has to take place in the licensed space which is the wedding barn for summer weddings and the glass roof terrace for an elopement wedding. Guests can sit outside the wedding barn on the area known as the horseshoe if it’s dry. If it rains, we can attach an awning to the barn to accommodate an additional 50 guests so the total number of guests that can be seated for your wedding ceremony is 120.
For a midi mid-week wedding the maximum is 20 (we can squeeze in a couple of extra guests) and for our elopement weddings, the maximum is 8 guests (plus the wedding couple) from November to March with a few more guests if you have an elopement in the warmer months of October or April.
How many people can we have to the reception?
Ceremony and reception numbers are the same so whatever the maximum for your ceremony (see answer immediately before this one), that’s the maximum number for the reception too.
Can we have additional evening guests?
You can have additional guests come later provided the maximum doesn’t go above 120 for a big Saturday and 8 for an elopement wedding. For the MMW you can have an extra 80 evening guests – yay!
Do you cater for small weddings?
We’ve got 2 different ways to have a small wedding. We’ve got midi mid-weeks for up to 20 guests on Wednesdays from the end of May to the beginning of September. Get more details from our dedicated midi mid-week wedding page.
If 20 still sounds like a crowd, our elopement wedding package is aimed specifically at tiny weddings. And by small we mean a maximum of 8 guests – a micro wedding! If 8 guests is still too many, don’t worry, we’ll happily put on a gorgeous wedding for just the two of you (we’ll provide witnesses too) and yes, we really do offer exclusive use for these lil weddings, even if it’s just the two of you. You can get more details from our dedicated elopement page here.
If we really want a church wedding, can we still book you for our wedding reception?
Absolutely. You can get legally married elsewhere, either before your day with us or earlier the same day and then have your wedding breakfast or celebration with us here at Ever After, no problem. Maybe you’re getting married in church or abroad and you’d like a further wedding ceremony here with a wedding celebrant as a way for more of your guests to share in a ceremony.
For church weddings we suggest that your church is no more than 30 minutes drive from us here so that your guests don’t spend too much time travelling on the day. If you get married elsewhere, you can use the wedding barn for an additional ceremony. If you get married in a nearby church earlier in the day, the wedding barn is the perfect place for your guests to grab their first drink as they wait for you to arrive from the church.
If we don’t need a legal wedding ceremony, can we still have a wedding ceremony with you?
Yes definitely, you can have a wedding celebrant come to the venue (we can make recommendations if you need them) or you can have a friend or family member conduct a private ceremony which you have designed yourselves.
Do you do any non-wedding ceremonies?
We’re licensed for vow renewal and/or baby naming ceremonies. These can be arranged with the Registrar’s office who issue a certificate after the ceremony. You might want to combine your wedding and the baby naming at the same time when all your family and friends are together.
What about music during the wedding ceremony?
You’re welcome to have live music (maybe a harp or singer) or you can play recorded music. You can have whatever you like. The only exception is that if you’re getting legally married here the Registrars won’t allow any religious music at all.
Can we have our wedding ceremony with you and have our reception elsewhere?
We’re not an alternative to a Registry Office. We only host two weddings a week so we don’t offer wedding ceremonies only, it’s either a summer wedding for up to 120 people on Saturdays, up to 20 people on Wednesdays (both from the end of May to the beginning of September) or an elopement wedding with up to 8 guests from October to April. To be really frank, it doesn’t make financial sense for us to offer ceremonies only so we don’t do it.
What happens after the formal wedding ceremony?
It’s completely up to you. You could have champagne/Pimms/cocktails and canapés for your guests on the lawns. If it’s raining you can have your drinks reception under the glass roofed terrace. If the weather is dry you could have a croquet competition on the lawn, we have a range of outdoor games including our giant deckchair, giant jenga and connect 4, they’re all available free of charge. If you’re looking to provide more entertainment for your guests you could think about photo booths, carichaturist, maybe even body art/face painting for the children…
We’ll have a lot of children at the wedding, do you cater for them?
Most children love the space here at Ever After and the freedom to run about. They’re usually the first to start the lawn games, make up their own croquet rules, look for tadpoles and newts in the ponds and clamber on the deckchair. (Adults do all of those things too but it takes them a little longer to warm up!) If you want to book children’s entertainers there are plenty in the local area. We’re on the banks of a river and we have ponds in the garden, so you do need to make sure that children are closely supervised at all times. You might want to think about hiring in crèche facilities depending on how many children you’ve got coming.
We want to deal with a ‘green’ company, how ‘eco’ are you?
We see ourselves as custodians of this special place that is Lower Grenofen. We’re in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and part of our grounds are designated as a SSSi (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Natural England has found our SSSi to be “100% in favourable condition” so I think we’re doing something right. The SSSi is protected primarily for rare lichens and moss (giving the woods their amazing green-ness) and for the rare brown fritillary butterfly whose caterpillars feed on wild violets which grow in the woods and the garden in Spring. We have 7 different species of bat living on the site and we hear owls in the woods most nights. People have lived in this house for hundreds of years and each generation has added to the place. We’ve added our own stamp too and built something contemporary here that would probably astonish previous inhabitants!
We’ve created two wildlifeponds, which has made a significant contribution to wildlife habitat. We see ourselves as living in the midst of nature, sharing the space with the wildlife (deer, foxes, badgers, bats, owls, newts and frogs, dragon flies). I will confess I don’t like sharing my space with so many slugs…I don’t pretend I have learned to love them…All our stationery is 100% recycled, all our printer cartridges are recycled as are all our glass bottles (and we have a few of those each week!)
We grow most of our own plants, either from seed or from cuttings. We like to decorate with living plants and cultivating our own plants is a big part of what we do here.
We have a green travel plan, which means we insist that guests to your wedding use our bus service. The service is free to all day guests living or staying within a few miles radius of the venue, this covers Tavistock, Yelverton, Horrabridge. Our accommodation list has a full list of accommodation covered by the bus service. The buses will pick up your guests from a central point in Tavistock to bring them to the venue and then take them back directly to their accommodation in the evening. It’s one of our contributions to reducing our carbon footprint.
All our water comes from springs up on the hills. The water in our ponds, water feature and rills runs down from the moors and is gravity fed and eventually feeds into the river.
We’re always looking for ways to improve our greenness, we’ve got plans to be completely energy self-sufficient over the next few years.
Can we use our own caterer at Ever After?
Good food is such an important part of the wedding experience at Ever After that we have an exclusive arrangement with Taylors of Tavistock. Our shiny new menus for 2020 with full pricing are all on the food page. Let me give you a little insight into our new evening food options. Choose the style of your evening food. Fancy a street food vibe? You’ve got the choice of Moroccan, Indian or Asian. Maybe a grazing table with cheese cake tower and artisan breads is more your style – we’ve got that too. Or are you going old school with mini fish & chips in paper cones and mini sliders? We’ve got an exclusive Devon afternoon tea canape option I know couples are going to love. You can relax knowing that you will get great food on your day that your guests will love. Other than using our caterer we’re happy for you to use any supplier you like for your day.
Can we bring our own drinks or do you have drinks packages?
You can bring your own drinks. We now also have our own drinks packages for the summer weddings but they’re still optional, you don’t have to have them. You can read more about drinks options, our copper topped bar and our pop up whisky & cigar and bubbles & botanicals lounges (I know right?) on our drinks page.
So what are your corkage charges?
There are no corkage charges.
Nothing at all?
Nope, nothing!
Can we have a bar?
We have our own bar here at the venue. It’s a hand-crafted bar with beautiful cedar cladding and a bespoke copper bar top which fits perfectly with the natural vibe of the venue. For the big summer Saturday weddings you can have our pay bar (we provide all glasses, drinks and staff and it costs you nothing – zip.) or you can bring in your own drinks and provide a free bar for your guests, it’s up to you. If you’ve got contacts who can provide experienced staff for your evening bar, you’re welcome to bring them. If you’re happy to arrange and organise your evening, that’s great, I get that no corkage is a great deal! You can get more details from our drinks page.
For the midi mid-week weddings (maximum 20 guests) we include arrival and reception drinks plus drinks for the wedding breakfast and toasting drinks. You’ve then got a choice of our pay bar (no hotel prices here, your guests will be thrilled) or our drinks package for your evening drinks. You can get more details of our MMW drinks packages here on the drinks page.
For the elopement weddings – we provide 1/2 bottle of champagne free with the package, you bring all the other drinks – no corkage…
Do you provide glasses for drinks?
We provide crystal glasses for arrival drinks, reception drinks, wedding breakfast drinks, water glasses and all tea and coffee cups. We clear our crystal glasses for the evening and supply plain (cheaper!) glasses for evening drinks.
Can you provide bar staff for us on the night?
We’re very happy to provide experienced bar staff for your wedding bar. The number of staff depends on the number of guests but generally for 120 guests we suggest 4 members of staff so there are staff to collect glasses, replenish the bar and ice. The cost of the staff is £11 per staff member per hour plus VAT. This is only for your evening bar – the catering staff will serve arrival and reception drinks, wine and toasts during the wedding breakfast and tea & coffee after the wedding breakfast – that’s all included in the price. Most couples have the bar open in the evening after the end of the wedding breakfast, so from about 7.30pm to midnight when the bar closes.
Do we need to supply ice?
We’ve got a commercial ice maker on site which makes enough ice for all your drinks. The caterers will keep the ice topped up on the day.
If we don’t hire a bar service, how do we cool our drinks?
We’ve got a large fridge on site solely for cooling drinks, we’ve also got a commercial bar fridge in the bar area for the evening.
What about music? Do you have volume restrictions?
We’ve got a specialist sound system supplied by the lovely people at www.directacousticsolutions.com and it’s a condition of our permissions that your music must be played through our system to make sure the sound doesn’t escape and affect our neighbours. So our volume is limited to 94dBA which is a good volume! Our great sound system significantly reduces the volume away from the dance floor so people not dancing can still hear themselves think and carry on a conversation – win,win.
Can we have a live band?
Yes our sound system has a special setting for a live band. It’s a good idea for them to read our crib sheet on the sound system so they know in advance how it works and they can ask any questions of the system experts directly.
Can we hire a DJ?
Yes the sound system has a setting for a DJ who can just plug their kit into our system.
What if we just want an ipod playlist?
That’s fine too, the system has a separate setting for an ipod play list.
What else comes with the music system?
Quite a bit! The sound system comes with its own speakers which are fixed to the frame of the marquee roof, under the lining so you can’t see them. We also have a fab white starlit dance floor with twinkly lights which is 20 ft x 20 ft (6 m x 6 m).
What’s the closing time?
For the big summer weddings the bar closes at midnight, 12.15 am is the shut off time for music so that all guests can be off site by 12.30 am.
For MMW weddings, the bar closes at 11pm, 11.15 shut off for music and all guests off site by 11.30pm.
For the elopement weddings, so long as we can’t hear any noise from our house after 11pm, there’s no curfew, you and your guests can stay as long as you like.
Do you work with wedding planners?
Yes we love working with professional planners and are more than happy to liaise with them to help create your day. They reckon it takes about 250 hours to plan a wedding so if we can take some of those hours off you, we’re happy to be part of your team and work with a wedding planner and friends or family members.
Can we bring our own stuff to decorate the venue?
Absolutely. Let us know what you want to do and we’ll figure a way to make it happen. I love collecting inspiration for DIY projects so do check out my pinterest boards for ideas. If you bring stuff in to decorate the venue, you need to leave enough time to do that the day before your wedding. Don’t try and do it on the day of the wedding! No matter how much time you think you’ll have on the morning of the wedding, you won’t! Trust me, you want to be in the honeymoon cottage with your best people enjoying all the prep, not half way up a ladder with curlers in your hair!
Can we use our own suppliers for the wedding?
Yes, for the big summer weddings, except for our caterer you’ve got complete freedom to choose whoever you like for your photographer, florist, cake maker, entertainment – it’s up to you.
For the MMW weddings and the elopements, you get a whole package so we’ve sorted the flowers, food, cake and photography for you.
We’re not from the area, can you recommend suppliers?
Yes we’ve got great contacts with amazing local wedding suppliers and we’re very happy to give you a short list of recommended people we think might suit you. We don’t take commission from any of our suppliers, we recommend them because we like them and we know they’ll do a great job for you. We don’t recommend anyone who hasn’t worked here and been brilliant. That doesn’t mean to say that people who are not on our list aren’t fab, but if we don’t have first hand experience of their work, they won’t be on our list. So yes, do ask if you need any help with recommendations.
Can we or our guests bring dogs to our wedding?
We love dogs! We welcome well behaved, friendly dogs here at Ever After so you and your guests are welcome to bring your dog(s) to share your wedding day whether that’s a summer wedding or an elopement wedding. When we say ‘well behaved’ we mean we’ve got ornamental/wildlife ponds at the venue and we don’t allow dogs in the ponds, they can tear the liner and even the loveliest dogs are destructive to the water plants and wildlife. So if your dogs love water, you need to make sure they resist the temptation to go in the ponds! When we say ‘friendly’ we mean friendly to both other people and dogs. Our staff love dogs so they’ll need to be able to cope with strangers (our staff here) on the day and of course we have our own border terrier on site so they’ll also need to be able to cope with Chip who’s a super friendly canine host. If your dog doesn’t do well with strange people or dogs, we might have to say ‘sorry but no’ as we’ve got to be fair to our staff and our own dog – this is his home after all! You’re welcome to have your dog(s) stay in the cottage by prior arrangement but we do ask that they treat the place respectfully. You need to let us know in advance how many dogs and what breed they are so we can be prepared. We’ll have to charge for any damage (including any extra cleaning) if your pet(s) don’t prove to be perfect house guests!You can see some weddings here with dogs in attendance here, here and here. We can also recommend a wedding dog creche service who can look after your dog on the day, including taking them for a dog grooming appointment on the day so they can look their best (of course!) taking them for a walk and taking them for a rest/overnight stay if you wish. You’re welcome to have your dog(s) with you during the wedding breakfast, we don’t mind that although they do need to be well behaved and keep out from under the feet of the serving staff!
How about accommodation?
We’re not a hotel so we have 2 different accommodation choices available on site…First up, we have our fabulous honeymoon cottage. That’s right, it’s a whole house just for you on your wedding! It’s a beautiful 18th century detached stone cottage with a first floor deck off the bedroom suite. Have a look at our photos of the cottage here on our accommodation page. Obviously you can stay as a couple on your wedding night but also it’s available for either of you to stay the night before with attendants so one or both of you can stay the night before with your wedding party and have hair and make up people come the next day to help you get ready. The honeymoon cottage can sleep a maximum of 6 people (2 people sharing the king and the queen size sofa bed & 2 people on single pull out beds), we provide bed linen for all 6. If you don’t mind people squishing up and maybe bringing in a blow up mattress and sleeping bag, you can have extra people to sleep the night before the wedding.
There’s also a separate annexe with a double bed and en suite shower room. It’s great for any attendants the night before the wedding and the wedding night. As we live on Dartmoor, there’s loads of accommodation available locally for your guests from 5 star country house hotels, boutique B&Bs, self catering and camping. We have an accommodation list with a range of local accommodation from country house hotels (for those who want to splash out) through to boutique B&B’s, self-catering, luxury stargazer shepherd’s huts to camp sites where you can pitch your own tent. We can help you with finding suitable local accommodation for your guests.
What if it rains?
Ah the great British weather…Of course it has been known to rain sometimes in the summer in England so we’re well prepared for that. We have a bespoke marquee and canopy which means all your guests can stay dry and warm whatever the weather outside and they still feel as though they’re outside with the indoor planters, the fairy light canopy and the water feature. We also have rain screens round the terrace which quickly roll down in case it rains. If the weather changes, they can be rolled up and down as needed. The marquee has a wall of clear panels so guests have a great view straight down the lawns when they’re in the marquee. If the weather is dry we roll up the rain screens on the terrace and the marquee walls so you have an open sided space. If the rain comes in we can roll everything down in minutes and you and your guests stay all dry and cosy. We have glass roofs on the terrace and clear panels on the canopy linking the terrace so the light shines through during the day and you can see the stars at night – magical!
What if it’s chilly?
There’s an open fire on the terrace which we light in the evening and also earlier in the day if it’s chilly. We’ve got two ceiling heaters on the terrace and two big marquee heaters (Thomas and Henry) which are placed outside the marquee if necessary to blow warm air inside. They’re rarely needed as the marquee and terrace heat up nicely when the fire is on and the space is filled with guests. The heaters are thermostatically controlled and automatically come on and go off as needed. Toasty!
Do you have a brochure?
We’ve got separate digital brochures for the summer, MMW and elopement weddings. We try to keep our printed material to a minimum so we don’t have any printed copies. If you want an instant download link for the brochure, go to any of our Get In Touch pages. If you’re reading this in bed at 2am and you want to see the brochure RIGHT NOW, you can go ahead and get it! The brochure has prices for 2020 and plenty more fab pics of weddings here at Ever After.
Can we come and see the venue?
I’d love to show you round! For the summer weddings I think it’s essential to come and see us so that we can really talk in detail about your vision for your day and what we can do to help you achieve that. I’ll sit down with you and ask a load of questions (yes I want to know how you met, what your hobbies are, what your favourite foods are!) so that I can get a clear picture of you as a couple, your story and your vision for your day. So either email me at email or call me on 0844 5000 501.
Don’t forget that during May to September we have weddings here pretty much every Saturday so we can’t do viewings from Friday afternoon through to Sunday morning because our wedding couple are on site and we offer exclusive use to them which means no-one else wandering round whilst they’re here. If you book with us, you’ll appreciate that when it’s your wedding!
If you’re looking for an elopement wedding, you’re welcome to visit but we find most of our couples just book without seeing the venue first. Some elopement couples book first and then visit us at some point before the wedding for a look round. You’re welcome to do whatever suits you.
Are you taking bookings now?
Yes we are! We’re down to our last few summer Saturday 2020 dates for big weddings, we’re taking bookings for 2021 and we’ve just started taking bookings for 2022. We haven’t set our prices yet for 2021 but if you book before we get to that, we’ll freeze the 2020 prices for you – yay!
The elopement calendar is pretty full for the rest of 2019 and Spring 2020 but check with us for our most up to date availability.
Do get in touch with me at email to ask about available dates.
Does the month we choose affect the cost?
No, to keep things simple, all our summer weddings from May to September cost the same (both big weddings and our MMW) and all our elopements from October to April cost the same. There’s an additional charge over our usual winter hire fee for the few summer elopement weddings we do from May to September.
What about Bank Holiday weddings?
We only take one wedding booking for a Bank Holiday weekend so we make an additional charge for Bank Holiday weekends of £600 (including VAT) to cover extra staff costs for working a Bank Holiday. The additional charge applies to the two May Bank Holidays and the end of August Bank Holiday.
That all sounds great, how much does it cost?
The costs for the elopements and the midi-mid weeks are super easy, they’re a fixed price. So just download the elopement brochure or the MMW brochure straight from the ‘Get in touch’ page and you’ll find them right there in the brochure on the page headed, ‘How much?’
Our hire charges for the bigger summer weddings are easy for you to work out for yourselves. There are a few variables such as how many guests you’re having and whether you need the marquee. Let’s run through some numbers for you – exclusive hire of the venue for a Saturday wedding in 2019 including the wedding barn, the deck, the terrace, all the gardens and grounds plus 2 nights accommodation in the honeymoon cottage and the annexe is £5,400 plus VAT (£6,480 inc VAT). You need to add to that an additional cost per guest of £18 plus VAT (£21.60 inc VAT) so you can work out what difference changing guest numbers makes to the cost which covers the bus service and the supply of all tables, chairs, table linen and crystal glassware for the day. For guests who only attend your evening reception there is a small charge of £10 plus VAT (£12 inc VAT).
If you need our marquee (and you will need it if you have more than 60 guests and/or you want music and a dance floor) there’s an extra charge of £2,700 plus VAT (£3,240 inc VAT). The marquee has been tailor made to fit directly on to our terrace to create one large space which easily takes 120 people for dining and dancing. There are more details below about what’s included in the hire charge.
We’ll be changing our 2021 prices but at the moment, if you book for 2021 (or 2022), you get the 2020 prices – get your booking in quick!
Click here to get your brochure download link.
Is there a discount for children?
Yes,under 5s are free, there’s no charge for being a mini guest or for mini food – tiny portions can be provided depending on age and up to 3 high chairs can also be provided, all free of charge. From age 5 to 13, the guest charge is 50% for day guests and half price for your food choice. We can provide a separate children’s menu if you prefer or they can have a small portion of the adult menu for half price. Children over 13 are treated as adult guests and and if they have an adult menu/portion, the food price is the same as for adults.
Have you set your 2021 prices yet?
We haven’t set our 2021 prices yet but the current 2020 prices will give you a good idea of pricing.
What’s included in the hire cost?
A lot! Exclusive hire of the wedding barn and terrace (reception) area, use of all the grounds and gardens, free bus service to and from the venue (from our approved accommodation list) for all day guests, all tables and chairs, all table settings (napkin and choice of table cloths), crystal glassware (champagne, red & white wine & water), cutlery and crockery, garden furniture, bar tables and stools, commercial ice maker and fridge for cooling your drinks, hire of the generator and luxury loos, use of our lanterns, candles and pots of flowers, festoon lighting, wood for the fire.
It also includes our decor items such as salvaged doors and windows to use for your table plans, our white post box for your wedding cards, ice baths, slate signs, barware including chalkboard bar menus, ice buckets and tongs. There are also plenty of other things like lawn games including giant jenga, croquet, giant connect 4 and our giant deckchair and 20 umbrellas and 30 knee rugs for your guests to borrow.
If you hire the marquee it includes a solid wooden floor, our dandelion lights (see our photos elsewhere on the website), carpet, our bespoke sound system, large white starlit dance floor and disco lighting covering the walls, ceiling and floor and a wifi mic for speeches. There’s also our personal service, we work with you in the months leading up to your wedding to put together a detailed running order for your wedding which includes everything going on during the day.
We also have a team of people on the day (the Ever After wedding ninjas) to provide all the on-the-day co-ordination so you don’t have to worry about any of the logistics on the day, we take care of all of that for you. We do all the set up and clear down, no shifting of furniture or laying up of tables for you or your wedding party!
Anything not included?
The main item is food and drinks. You make your own separate arrangements directly with our caterer for food and you can decide how much to spend on drinks and save money by having our pay bar for the evening. Download our menu suggestions here on the site from our food page. Summer menus range from £50 to £80 per head including canapes, 3 course wedding breakfast and VAT. Like most wedding catering there’s an additional staffing cost of £10 plus VAT per guest to cover waiting staff for the whole day who’ll serve arrival and reception drinks and canapes, the wedding breakfast, tea and coffee and evening food. In addition to food you need to pay the Registrar’s fees, flowers, wedding cake and any music or other entertainment you’d like for your guests.
Are there any optional extras?
We do have a few optional extras you can hire. One is our liveried ice cream trike. You can have luxury ice creams from local maker Langage Farm. If you’re looking for something a little different, we’re one of the few stockists of boozy ices by the lovely people at Pops, made with real alcohol.
We’ve got a vintage hand cart which the lovely S restored complete with striped canopy in two colour choices. You can hire that for a sweet trolley, we can supply the sweets or you can supply your own.
My personal fave are our two pop up lounges, a whisky & cigar lounge and a bubbles & botanicals lounge. I know, how fab do they sound?! The whisky & cigar lounge includes a vintage leather chesterfield, persian rug, potted palms and art deco cocktail cabinet, oh yes and 50 shots of whisky plus cigars. The bubbles & botanicals lounge is decked out in old style Hollywood glam with white leather and plenty of bling plus champagne and speciality gin. You can download full details of the lounges including prices from the Drinks page.
Can we hire the venue without the marquee?
That’s a question I sometimes get asked. If you’re not having amplified music and you don’t need the dance floor, you don’t have to have the marquee provided your guest numbers are under 40. That’s because without the marquee you have to eat on the terrace and that space can’t seat more than 40 people.
You need to be aware that we don’t take the marquee down between weddings so it will still be up although it will be screened with ivory drapes so you don’t have to look at a large empty space.
Can we have our band or DJ on the terrace in the evening?
Our space is very flexible and generally you can arrange things as you want – the only bit of the venue that’s not flexible is where you have the sound system. Our licence requires all amplified music to be played through our Zone Array sound system. That system is fixed to the frame of the marquee roof under the lining and plays down into the dance floor. That means that you can only have amplified music if you have the marquee and also that the dance floor can only be in one place – under the speakers in the marquee roof so music and dancing can only be in the marquee.
Can we have fireworks?
We’re at the bottom of a wooded valley so fireworks are a serious fire hazard. There’s also lots of local wildlife and livestock so we can’t have fireworks or chinese lanterns. We love sparklers though and they’re a really popular alternative, especially the giant ones!
Who does all the set up for the day?
We do all of that for you. We set up a table for you the day before so you can check you’re happy with how the tables will be set up the following day and we make sure that all the tables are set up that way the next day. We also do all the clearing away at the end of the wedding – you don’t have to lift a finger. We want you to fully enjoy your day with your guests and spend your time with them, not setting up or clearing down.
We set up all the tables for the wedding breakfast which includes any centrepieces, table names/numbers, guest place names and any other decor items for the tables. If you bring other decor items (eg bunting or pom poms or other items that need installing or hanging) you need to put those up so make sure you leave enough time to do that the day before the wedding and make sure you have enough people to help you – putting up decorations often takes much longer than you think! If you want to have your wedding breakfast napkins tied with twine/ribbon or you want each napkin fashioned in the shape of a swan (haven’t had that yet but you get the picture), make sure you’ve got some handy helpers the day before the wedding to help you with that. I’ll bring you the napkins, laundered and ironed and I’ll collect them from you when you’re done.
When do we get access to the venue?
For summer weddings (Saturdays and MMW’s) the venue is yours from 2pm the day before and you can then come and go as you please. So it’s not that you can drop stuff off and you have to leave, the place is yours so make yourselves at home! Have friends and family over for drinks, do last minute DIY tasks if needed.
For the winter elopement weddings, you can arrive any time after 3pm the day before the wedding. Move in, make yourselves at home!
What time do we have to check out the day after the wedding?
We want you to enjoy a leisurely morning the next day so you don’t have to leave until midday (11am for elopements). Make sure you leave yourselves enough time to pack up all your bits and pieces from the venue! There’s often a car load (or two!) so think about asking family and friends to pop over the next day to help you pack up your things.
Can we leave things with you after the wedding to be picked up by our suppliers?
Yes we’re happy for things to be left here provided they are collected before the next wedding in order to avoid any mix ups.
Do you take more than one wedding per day?
NEVER! We guarantee not to hold more than one wedding a day. We also guarantee not to hold a wedding the day before or the day after your wedding so that you don’t feel rushed.
Will you be there on the day Nicola?
Yes I’m usually around on the day but even if I’m not here, you’ve got the Ever After ninjas taking care of you on the day, doing all the on-the-day co-ordination, making sure your day is running smoothly and everything’s running to plan.
What deposit do we need to pay to confirm our wedding date with you?
For the big summer weddings the deposit is £1,800 (incl VAT) to confirm your wedding date with us.
For the midi mid-week weddings the deposit is £900 (incl VAT) and for the elopements the deposit is £600 (incl VAT). Your date isn’t confirmed until the deposit is received.
You’ll also need to sign our standard terms and conditions which we email over to you.
Do you take credit cards?
We prefer direct bank transfers but we can take credit or debit card payments in person so if you’re able to pop over to pay in person, that’s great. We can’t take credit or debit card payments over the phone.
Can you hold a wedding date for us?
Once you’ve decided to book with us, we’re happy to hold your date for 7 days to give you time to book the Registrar or church, sign the t&c’s and pay the deposit. Dates are booked on a first come, first served basis. We guarantee that your date won’t be booked during your 7 days holding period. If you haven’t paid your deposit within the 7 days you’re still welcome to book the date if it’s available but you would need to check with us first that your date is still free.
Can we pay by instalments?
We have an interest free arrangement for couples to pay by instalment if you book your date more than 12 months in advance. It works very simply, we divide the entire hire charge into monthly instalments which are paid by standing order with the last instalment being made 3 months before your wedding date. There’s no interest or other charge for paying by instalments but some of our couples like the arrangement because it helps them to budget.
Do you have liability insurance?
Yes we’ve got liability insurance up to £2m per wedding. If you want to see a copy of our insurance policy, I’m happy to send it to you.
If I have some more questions to ask, can I call you to talk them through?
Absolutely, either give me a call or drop me an email. Even better, make an appointment to meet up and come see for yourself what we have to offer here, I’d love to meet you and show you around!
Thanks Nicola! That gives us a lot of information and a lot to think about…
Great! If you want to check availability for your date or you’d like to book a viewing – email me.
