Category Archives: News

Brilliant things to do in North Devon

The temperature keeps rising and we’re thinking what could be better than beautiful Devon with it’s wonderful coastline and vast beaches to cool your hot toes!

We are very pleased to have the stunning Berry House in North Devon as a wonderful party house to rent for family gatherings, holidays and corporate events. But why should you stay in North Devon?

The Hartland Coastline

This coastline is brimming with wild scenery and dramatic cliffs. It is world recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty, providing a paradise for walkers and those wishing to explore the coastlines and open moors. Hartland Abbey is perfect for those who wish for a tranquil day out in this pretty valley. Explore its beautiful gardens and the Abbey with it’s fine collection of art and memorabilia (open Sunday to Thursday).

Hartland Village

Unspoilt and charming are the best words to describe this rural village that has been a key part of social and community life for over a thousand years. As with any traditional village you will find local shops, friendly pubs, cafes, restaurants but most of all history and lots of heritage!<

Water Sports

The North Devon coastline is a mecca for superb sandy beaches and rugged coastlines that are fantastic for water sport activities. We can arrange these activities for you during your stay at our country house, if you wish. There are many great fun sports to try in Devon, even at beginner level such as surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, coasteering and more.<

North Devon Family Attractions

Whatever the weather in North Devon there are plenty of activities to entertain the whole family. Explore under the sea at Ilfracombe Aquarium, see the animals and dinosaurs at Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park or get adventurous at The Milky Way Adventure Park in Clovelly. Depending on how long you are staying we’d also recommend Quince Honey Farm, The Big Sheep, Watermouth Castle and lots more besides.<

Clovelly fishing village

Hanging on a 400ft cliff, the cobbled streets of this world famous fishing village were once seen with donkeys transporting people and goods up the steep hill. Dating back to the 14th century, the quay has an abundance of history surrounding it, with tales of smuggling and pirates. The charming village is still traffic free, with boats bobbing in the harbour, stunning views and a fantastic maritime atmosphere.<

Exmoor National Park

Exmoor National Park is a remarkable area to explore with breath taking scenery. Discover streams, rivers, woodland, farmland and steep cliffs on your journey through this beautiful part of North Devon. It’s wonderful for horse riding, mountain biking, hiking or for a gentle picnic.<

Whatever you decide to do, Devon won’t disappoint you and the upside is, you’ll miss all the airport queues. So if this sounds like your sort of holiday, take a look at our large house for rent, Berry House, in North Devon.

Reflection – Why slowing down will help you to go faster

Corporate Away Days

Organisational life often feels as though we are on an incessantly running hamster wheel. Deliver to this months targets, get the reports out, have team meetings, react to a problem, fire fight and then – it all starts again. You don’t have time to stop – right?

Well – not necessarily. Because when we’re stuck in the constant ‘do,do,do’, it means we neglect our ability to reflect and review. When we do this there’s a risk that we will just keep on doing what we’ve always done, which may eventually lead to poor results.

Reflection develops our understanding – of what’s working, what’s not and what we could do differently. It builds our resources to innovate, create, collaborate and improve.

The actions we then take are more considered, focussed, specific – we speed up. Less firefighting – more problem solving.

In a competitive world it’s essential that organisational teams are agile in the face of change. This stems from their ability to learn. Learning happens in both the doing and the understanding. To understand, you must reflect. John Dewey (psychologist) said, “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”

Reflection isn’t just about understanding what went wrong and how you could do better, it’s about understanding what went well, so you can do more of what works. It’s honestly and non-judgmentally examining our contributions.

When we’re contained within our work environment and the pressures it presents we’re not always in the right frame of mind to pause, step back and examine with an open mind.

The work environment demands (sometimes covertly) that we demonstrate our competence, our ability to be in control and deliver. This is what is recognised and rewarded, however, this doesn’t facilitate openness.

The most effective reflection happens in a safe environment. One where judgement and criticism are suspended and it’s possible to examine a situation openly and honestly. James Zull (author, the Art of Changing the Brain) said, “Even if we experience something that has happened to us before, it is hard to make meaning of it unless it engages our emotions.” He also points out that reflection is a search for connections and suggests that we have to seriously consider the role of emotion if we want to foster deep learning.

The Big House Co. have the ideal settings for a corporate away day where you step away from the hamster wheel and take a productive pause. With big comfortable spaces, plenty of equipment and spacious dining areas, The Big House will take care of the practicalities, so you can concentrate on spending time together.

Some reflective conversations may get intense (in a good way), so take some time to have fun together too – reinforcing trust and positive relationships to take back into the workplace. Every large house has onsite fun, ranging from games rooms, cinema rooms, to hot-tubs & pools, we can even put you in touch with excellent local chefs if you want a helping hand with some cooking!

Setting the boundaries around open and honest review is very important to productive conversations. Lyn Bayley-Paxman has over 20 years experience of facilitation, working with corporate leaders and teams. Her mission is to help teams to work in an environment where they thrive not strive. If you have a specific objective for your corporate away day she will design a bespoke day with you, facilitate a specific meeting, or use her proven process for a ‘Team Pause’ day, where teams reflect and understand, before considering their future shared vision.

Contact her on 07950 914328, lyn@evolveyou.co.uk . Alternatively, get in touch with us at the Big House Co about your corporate away day and we’ll organise for Lyn to be part of your experience.

Our new party house in Somerset

A year ago, we had a phone call from a prospective homeowner with an interesting local property. That lead to us to be chosen as exclusive agent for Tatham House in Somerset.

Between then and now the house had a complete renovation and is welcoming its first guests in a few weeks time.

Party House for rent

This will be a great property for anyone looking for a large house for hire in Somerset, with lots of facilities to make your stay very enjoyable. There is a large choice of party houses to rent these days, but we feel this one is outstanding. For starters, it has 10 beautiful bedrooms all with excellent quality en-suite facilities – no bathroom queues here! The entertaining spaces, on the ground floor, flow well for a big group and the kitchen is stylish and kitted out with all the mod cons. The indoor pool, hot tub and tennis court are certainly going to provide your group with a lot of entertainment too.

Downstairs, the cellar is a place for fun! The cinema room provides a cosy, relaxing space; imagine – large screen, comfy seating, popcorn, big match or movie, some beers? Through the rest of the arched cellar is the pool table, bar billiards and table tennis.

Corporate Party Venues

We imagine that corporate away days in Somerset would be a big hit here. Particularly as all 10 bedrooms have exquisite en-suite facilities and flat screen TVs, for enjoying a little down time between meetings. The gardens would also be a superb location for corporate events in Somerset, with large terraces and delightful views towards the Quantocks. We can put you in contact with local chefs, who can provide delicious catering to make your event go with a swing. This region also has plenty to offer if you are looking for a location for unusual team building days in Somerset.

Hen party in Somerset

Hen party houses are a fabulous way to spend that special last weekend away with your girlfriends. Tatham House would be a brilliant memory to have, one to talk about for years to come. We can add to the pampering by organising all sorts of special treats (massage, manicure, cocktail bar – to name but a few), but with so much at the house to enjoy, maybe you’d better stay for longer!

For the stags too

If you are thinking of a Stag Do in Somerset, this house could provide you with an action-packed weekend. Kick off your stay at the house with 5 a-side football, basketball or tennis and then if you want to explore the nearby Quantock hills, the mountain biking is excellent – stop off at a few of the charming local pubs too. A celebration dinner can be a focal point of your evening and maybe, beforehand you’ll have time for a few lengths of the pool or a relaxing chill out in the hot tub.

A dream party house to rent

We think Tatham House is going to be fantastic for groups, families, friends, or anyone just wanting to have a great time together with lovely accommodation and lots of on site entertainment. It really is a house that has got the lot!

We would thoroughly recommend you book up now and be one of the first to stay at this new Big House in Somerset. Contact us, if you would like to know more.

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How to have a wonderful hen party weekend

Are you in charge of organising the hen party weekend? It’s a privilege to be asked and you’re sure to have fun looking at all the options of great things to do.

The world is literally your oyster…it’s a responsibility too and we hope some of our ideas may guide you through the task.

Hen party houses to rent

We certainly would suggest that you hire your own BIG house. Yes, we are biased, but, hear us out, there are plenty of great reasons for it. Flexibility to do whatever you want, whenever you want to, is a big plus point, no hotel schedule to stick to. The cost can be much less than a couple of nights in a hotel for a group. Hen party houses can range from the truly glamorous to the authentic country house experience and can reflect the personality of your bride to a tee. It’s also wonderful to have the privacy of your own hen do house for an unforgettable weekend and sets the stage in the run up to the big day.

If that sounds your sort of weekend, there are hen party venues for hire in different areas around the country. With friends scattered far and wide these days, a central location might be the best idea. Or, perhaps, there is a location that has particularly special significance for the bride that could make it an especially memorable event for her.

Hen party activities

Maybe location isn’t so important to your hens, but you have definite ideas about what you want to do during the weekend. Are you adventurous hens wanting plenty of activities and excitement arranged for you? Is it more of a pampering break that fits the bill. Are you looking for a house with cosy sofas, for snuggling on, chatting and drinking coffee after a long leisurely breakfast? Walks in the country? Or is it a hen party venue with hot tub for a relaxing afternoon with glasses of champagne and plenty of laughter. Chances are, it’s a mixture, particularly with a large group, some who may be meeting each other for the first time.

If you looking for hen party houses to rent we’d recommend you consider the bedroom configuration too, before making a final choice. Does it work for your group, who do you envisage sharing with who? Are there enough bathrooms? Perhaps you’ve decided to go for a luxury hen party house and really push the boat out to make it a weekend you’ll never want to end.

Hen party food

A hen party is a special occasion and we think some grand catering is appropriate. Hopefully someone in your group is a budding Masterchef contestant and can guide the preparation of a sumptuous feast one evening. It’s always a good idea to get the shopping delivered in advance and to have a good idea of who will do what in the kitchen over the weekend. But perhaps you’d rather someone else take the strain? A local chef could be a great idea and leaves you more time for fun, for dancing or more champagne maybe?

If this sounds like the sort of hen party weekend you have in mind, we have big houses around the country and we can give you our unbiased opinion of which we think will suit you best.

Take a look at our BIG hen party houses or get in touch about booking your hen do here.

Corporate away days

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If that’s the shout that’s going out where you work, you might like to read our ideas…..

Get away from the day to day

When you’re stuck in the everyday, hectic world of your job it’s very hard to get time with your team for anything other than routine meetings and normal workload. Corporate away days are a popular way of breaking out of the daily “noise” to focus on yourselves – be it for corporate parties, as a reward or celebration, or a structured event to manage change.

Creativity thrives

When you’re looking for corporate away day venues, optimising creativity can be very important in your choice. A retreat from the distractions of normal working life gives your team the opportunity to be imaginative in their thinking and problem solving skills, to build good working relationships and to appreciate each others talents.

You might want to consider hiring your own BIG house. These gorgeous properties are not hotels and give you the opportunity to focus inwards on your team and conduct your business in complete privacy for a night or so. They provide a creative atmosphere for working together – whether it’s your whole group working as one, or if you’re looking to break out into smaller teams.

Flexibility is key

While staying at your own corporate house rental you can have the best of both worlds. A relaxed environment that’s exclusively yours, but with the benefit of being able to have whatever you want, whenever you want it. A hotel type schedule can be an interruption to your flow, so bear this in mind when you deciding on your corporate away days.

At a BIG house you can also hire on a self catering basis. Everything about having a group staying together in a BIG house requires co-operation, so it can all be a team building exercise, if you want it to be, even making the tea!

Add some fun

We all know that all work and no play makes for an innovation dead-end. So during your corporate away days it’s a great idea to add in a fun element. This could be a team building game or an enjoyable activity arranged exclusively for your group.

Perhaps, something that no one has ever tried before and which will make the event unique and memorable – axe throwing, anyone?

Corporate events in Somerset

For corporate party venues in Somerset, we’d recommend Widcombe Grange, with its great scope for fun elements with the outdoor pool, hot tub, boating lake, games room and 17 acres.

Or, for totally luxurious corporate weekends away we have Tatham House, currently undergoing a high spec renovation, it will be a spacious and light filled 10 bedroom (all en-suite) property available from 1st June 2018. Facilities will include indoor pool, tennis court, cinema room and games room. Perfect for work and play.

Do get in touch for further information.

How to start planning your wedding day

Getting engaged is a wonderful time of life. You’ve met the person of your dreams and you’ve made that commitment to spend the rest of your lives with each other. Congratulations, it’s definitely time to pop the champagne, celebrate and tell all your loved ones the great news. Once the initial joy has settled, you’ll begin to turn your attention to making your plans for your wedding. There are quite a few decisions to make, but if you take it step by step and have fun along the way, it will be part of the great memories you create.

Step 1 Style of wedding

Are you the intimate wedding type or the big is better type of person? It’s such a personal choice and one that’s important to get right from the beginning. Take some time discussing this with your partner before you do anything else. Budget, of course, is a factor in what is affordable – but there are always ways to make your budget stretch a little bit more – call in favours from friends, for example and get them helping out.

Step 2 The Guest List

You’ve both lived a life separately and now you’re together – so your guest list needs to reflect this. It can take a while to write your guest list, so we’d suggest working on it over a few weeks, until it feels right for you. If you need some more tips, click here.

Step 3 Geographic Location

Did you once see a spectacular wedding venue in Norfolk, for example and ever since thought, that’s the place for me? But maybe your family have always thought your wedding venue would be in Dorset, if that’s where you were born and brought up! Add to the mix your partners wishes – perhaps their heart is set on a wedding in Sussex by the sea. We know that many couples opt for a country house wedding venue in Devon because it gives a great west country weekend away feel to your wedding and perhaps can be the launch pad for your honeymoon – a week in trendy Polzeath, maybe?

As you can see there’s a lot to think about in terms of location.

The world is your oyster. Tradition is no longer so strong in terms of being married near the family home and many couples now pay for the wedding themselves, so quite rightly, feel entitled to make the decision themselves and go for a region that feels right for them.

Step 4 Choosing your Venue

Once you’ve chosen the area you want to get married in, you can start to look at all the interesting and varied venues that are available. There are so many possibilities, it’s really exciting. We can’t advise you on all the alternatives, but we are experts in the country house wedding weekend and we have 2 venues for weddings in Somerset! We think this is a great way to get married, if you are looking for a relaxed few days, centred around your wedding day, but with a day either side to enjoy the company of your family and friends.

At Widcombe Grange, a festival style wedding works particularly well. It allows you to make the most of the 22 acres of grounds, lakes and woodlands, while providing your guests with a unique place to stay the night – yards from the party.

Or, at Tone Dale House you have the luxury hot-tub on the terrace, where you could enjoy some chill out time and a bbq the day after your wedding – so much more enjoyable than packing up and leaving the morning after your big day!

Step 5 Wedding day food

Choosing your wedding food is as individual as the rest of your plans. We think the number one priority is to feel relaxed and confident in who you choose, so that on the day, you are enjoying yourself, not worrying about the food or service, our past couples tell us they prize this highly. We can recommend chefs who we know, trust and work closely with, but we also spent some time sharing some more tips about choosing your wedding caterer on this blog too.

Wherever you choose to have your wedding day, have a wonderful time. Enjoy the planning of it and make sure you do it your way!

Stag weekend ideas

So, you’ve had the great news that your best mate’s getting married.

Maybe you’re the best man and now have the responsibility for organising the stag do.

Don’t panic – although it’s a big responsibility there are steps you can take to make life easy for yourself and give yourself more time for writing your best man speech!!

#1 Set a date

No matter how far ahead you are planning – with the busy lives everyone leads today, the sooner you get a date in the diary with your fellow stags, the better!

#2 What’s your strategy?

Is the stag do a surprise for the groom? Is the itinerary going to be decided by consensus? We’d suggest not – why make life more difficult than is has to be? With a single person or a few of the stags organising the schedule it can be done quicker, more effectively and with less frustration.

#3 Time scale

If you really want to push the boat out for a stag party, then make a weekend of it and give yourselves so much more time to have a great few days, to incorporate activities, delicious meals, and a bit of down-time too.

#4 A stag weekend uk based?

A luxury weekend away will be a big hit with your group. Often these days the stag party can be multi-generational and a weekend away fits the bill for different age groups. Younger members of the group can party on, have a shed load of activities organised and the older stags can cheer from the sidelines – Tatham House (fully refurbished from end May 2018) with indoor pool, tennis court and cinema room could work brilliantly, it’s got 10 en-suite bedrooms too!

#5 Stag do accommodation

This is where renting your own manor house for the weekend scores big time, particularly if you are wanting something special and luxurious. Price wise, it will work out a lot cheaper than a luxury hotel and you have the flexibility of having your own big house for the entire weekend. With big group accommodation there is plenty of room for the whole group to stay together with no other guests using the facilities. You can even decide whether you want to share bedrooms or not – just book yourself a big enough house if that’s the case!

Each guest’s particular needs can be taken into account too – maybe the father of the groom and any older stags might want bedrooms away from the late night party – or maybe not! A house with a separate cottage perhaps? We’d suggest Widcombe Grange.

#6 Activities

The stag weekend itinerary, if you choose to have one, can be built around your particular group – what does your group love to do when you are all together. There is such a range of fun things to do now – some can take place at your big house, such as laser clays at Tone Dale House – others we can recommend from local suppliers who we know and trust. Alternatively, tell us your ideas. Maybe you’re looking for a fly fishing stag weekend in Devon? If it’s something we currently don’t offer, we will do our best to provide it.

#7 Stag party food

It’s a stag party, so we know there’ll be a few beers and a few more. We ask you to respect these grand manor houses while you’re having fun and we find that’s exactly what happens. Bring your own booze and you will save yourselves a bundle. Pre-arrange delivery directly to the house and you won’t even have to make space in the car.

If your budget allows, we think it’s a great idea to have some catering. It adds to the sense of occasion to have a splendid dinner cooked by a professional chef and cleared away afterwards. It also gives you more time for the important things like being with your friends, having a laugh, getting competitive over table tennis or relaxing in the hot-tub. It’s a real treat too, waking up to breakfast being cooked for your group, coffee brewing, orange juice freshly squeezed and just sitting down to eat it! No prep, no shopping, no washing up!

So if you are tasked with organising the stag weekend, have a think about the stag party houses option – you’ll leave with a whole bunch of great memories, having had brilliant fun. Get in touch and we will happily put our 20 years of house party planning to good use for you.

Have fun.

New Years Eve – only a few party houses left!

If you’re still undecided about your plans for New Years Eve, we might suggest you think about a house party! Chances are good that your friends haven’t made any plans either and you could all have the most marvelous break in the countryside at a large manor or country house.

One of the best things about this New Years Eve is that it’s over a weekend, so if you aren’t keen to use up your holiday allowance there is no need. However, why not make it a really indulgent long weekend and add a couple of days – it’s a great way to recharge the batteries ready for the start of 2018 and a whole host of other celebrations and parties you’ve probably got lined up.

Berry House

On the wild and windswept North Devon coast, it’s a time of year to fully embrace the idea of walks along the coastal path, lung fulls of fresh air and the prospect of a roaring log fire on your return to the house, perhaps followed by a gorgeous dinner. Berry House is a super party house with a games barn for indoor fun if you don’t fancy venturing out – with a pool table, table football and TV room there is plenty to amuse you and your friends. New Year price £5245.

Berry House, perfect for a New Years Eve party

Devon Farmhouse

Set in the heart of rolling countryside Devon Farmhouse will give you a great venue for a party to remember. The stylish design will be certain to delight your group and all the bedrooms are en-suite too. The main house sleeps 16 and if your group size grows there are separate individual barns to hire that can accommodate extra guests. The house is located in the South Hams so you might want to explore the delightful harbour town of Dartmouth, with it’s excellent pubs and restaurants. New Year price £4500.

Devon Farmhouse, sleeping 16+

Wherever you will be for New Years Eve, we hope you have a wonderful time!

Cream of the Crop. A house with all the toys, fully refurbed, from Easter 2018

High standards of craftmanship have made Tatham House in Somerset a delightful large party house for groups

A taster of Tatham House

It’s always a pleasure to be invited to look around a new large house and this one was a particularly exciting prospect for the team at Big House.

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Proud to be an agent

In the gig economy there’s a growing trend for going direct – supplying products and services straight to each other – you rent my parking space from me, I rent your holiday home from you. Not dealing with a middle man can often feel like a great way to go. Direct contact, maybe the price will be more competitive, or just because that’s what everyone else is doing!

We started the Big House Company with just Tone Dale House – and so, essentially, that was what we offered our guests – direct contact with us, the homeowner.

As our business expanded we felt, and we still do feel, that as a business representing other home owners we add value to the customer experience by being the middleman. We’re proud to be an agent!

So, here’s what we think we add to the whole equation when you book a large house via us rather than going direct to the owner?

Our knowledge

Every house we’ll ever talk to you about, has been visited by at least one member of our team. If you have specific requirements, (accessibility, bedroom layout, secure garden for Fido, location) we will be able to recommend which house is best for you.

There’s no hard sell, because we aren’t just representing one property – we can remain unbiased in our recommendations.

Our relationship with the owners

We’ve met the owner, we work with them regularly, we revisit them and that all builds into a good working relationship that benefits our guests.

Peter makes the initial visit to see a new house, speaks to the owners and then takes a decision as to whether this is a Big House that would be great for our guests. Although that sounds simple, there’s a lot of interaction with an owner before we represent them – any changes that we would like to see have to be discussed and implemented. Currently, we are working with an owner on a 2 year renovation project – the end result will be a splendid 10 bedroom, all en-suite property in Somerset with plenty of fun facilities.

Constantly consistent

There are certain things that we think make a “Big House” experience and we look for those features in any house that joins us. We want you and all your guests, for example, to sit and eat comfortably around the same table, we want you to enjoy a high standard of cleaning and comfort, we think your welcome should be extremely friendly and helpful, with any problems during your stay being attended to promptly. The list is longer, but what we’re saying is that we know our houses will deliver that experience and that although you may choose a different house each time you have a different celebration you know that those fundamentals will still be the same.

Small enough to care big time

We are a small agent and always intend to stay that way, so that we can give our guests the advice they want, because we know all our houses and owners so well. We are passionately committed to ensuring you have a great house that suits your needs. We believe every aspect of your stay (from your first contact with us, to your final farewell) should be an outstanding, memory exploding house party that you never forget.

Our past guests give us the thumbs up!

We’re well established and have already eaten the 20^th birthday cake to prove it! So you can be confident that hundreds of guests before you had a great experience booking through us and partying at the houses we suggest.

Our past guests really recommend us, in fact some don’t leave. Anthony, General Manager and often the first person you speak to, celebrated his wedding here in 2014 and joined the company 18 months later. Peter & Caroline, partners in the business, took a similar route in 2004.

We listen to you

We love to hear what you think and we act on that. We feed back to owners, so they can constantly improve what they offer. We always want you to have a great time celebrating your special occasions – that’s the most important thing to us. If necessary, when a house really isn’t working for our guests, we will take the decision to part company. We don’t believe in keeping a house on our website so that we can keep taking bookings if it isn’t right for your needs.

So yes, we are an agent and proud. Part of the rental charge you pay will be a commission to us, and we think you get a lot of bang for your buck! Price doesn’t vary whether you go direct or via us, but you will get our level of customer service, our impartiality, our expertise from the last 20 years.

Weddings – Widcombe Grange style

Widcombe Grange is great if you’re looking for a relaxed, chilled vibe to your country house party wedding weekend, with your ceremony at the heart of it. Set within 22 acres of private grounds, with heated pool and hot-tub, you have exclusive use for your entire stay.

Festival style house party weekend weddings

Weekend house party weddings at Widcombe Grange

The lakeside gazebo is particularly appealing for an outdoor wedding ceremony. Afterwards choose between a marquee reception, the rural barn or the characterful coach house. Within the beautiful grounds there are several positions that are wonderful for your marquee and you might want to consider a fabulous festival style wedding if you’d like more of your guests staying onsite over the weekend in a tipi village.

When you choose a house party weekend wedding you’ll be able to enjoy so much more than just a one day event. You’ll usually arrive on a Friday afternoon and perhaps crack open a bottle of champagne to kick off your celebrations, or maybe you’ve decided to add a very personal touch by decorating your marquee with the help of some of your friends. By evening, the hot tub will probably be central, giving you a fun, relaxing night before your big day. Don’t forget, if you want a hand with supper, we can put you in touch with a local chef – Michelin star or homely comfort food, the choice is yours.

Channel your Glastonbury at your festival style wedding

Tipi village at a festival style wedding at Widcombe Grange

Saturday, you’ll wake up feeling like you’re getting married in your own home, not a hotel where you follow their timetable. Pad downstairs in your pj’s and have breakfast whenever you want, wherever you want it – perhaps arrange something fun for the morning, like clay shooting, or relax with an indulgent massage. As your ceremony approaches, our team start to discreetly do their thing, making sure you have your dream day just how you want it. During the months leading up to your wedding, you’ll have had several meetings with us and a menu tasting, so you know the only surprises will be good ones!

Part of the beauty of the wedding weekend is that the day after, the fun still isn’t over, you won’t be packing up and saying your good-byes. Sunday allows you to carry on for one more day. Reminiscing, laughing, relaxing by the pool. Maybe a barbecue; get your friends and family to pitch in, or we’ll be happy to arrange help. However you decide to spend your weekend here, you’ll have so many memories to cherish – it won’t feel like it’s over in a flash, it will feel like you’ve had the best weekend of your life and married the love of your life.

House party wedding weekends at Widcombe Grange

Charming views from the marquee towards the tipi village at Widcombe Grange

What’s great about a weekend away?

Take a relaxing short break with friends this autumn

What’s your favourite part about getting away for the weekend? Is it one of these? …..

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6 top tips when choosing your wedding food!

Wedding party food for a fabulous wedding day

Delicious wedding party food by Milkshed Catering at Tone Dale House & Widcombe Grange

Getting married is such an exciting time and planning for your wedding can be a lot of fun for you and your partner to enjoy. Once you’ve chosen your wedding venue, your attention will be turning to your wedding food. We’d like to offer a little advice, based on the hundreds of lovely weddings we’ve had the pleasure to help married couples enjoy at Tone Dale House & Widcombe Grange. So here are some of our top tips…

#01 Choose Your Style

Decide on what style of meal you want. Would you like a formal served meal or something more casual, say shared platters or a “carve your own” at the table? This is very much down to your personal style, there’s no right or wrong about it. But it’s good to think about this in advance of meeting with caterers. You may change your mind as your decision-making progresses, but it will at least give you the basis for a meeting or phone call to start things off with your caterer.

We’d suggest that buffet style (at least for your main course) doesn’t work for wedding numbers – you’ll end up with a queue of people waiting for food, the top table having finished eating, while others won’t have started. This can prolong the meal a lot and speeches can’t start until everyone has finished eating.

#02 Your budget

Be open about your budget with your wedding caterer and they can usually work with you to achieve as much as your budget can allow. It’s surprising what little tweaks to your food choices can do to the overall value for money you’ll achieve.

#03 Special to you

Bride & Grooms, we really think it’s important that you choose at least some food for yourselves that you love or that means something special to you. It’s your special day so don’t just choose what other people would like …..they can have that at their own special event!! What you select will also be part of the personality of your wedding that is uniquely you.

#04 Keep the food coming, as well as the alcohol!

Think about having canapes served with drinks, particularly important if your wedding ceremony time means people won’t have had lunch! Likewise, consider how many hours there will be between your wedding meal and the end of your party and think about whether your guests will need evening food. Particularly important if the alcohol is flowing!

#05 Have a tasty tasting

Arrange a tasting with your wedding caterer. Just you, your partner and the caterer. Don’t be persuaded to attend a group tasting, as that just generically gives you an idea of the caterer’s food. You want to sample the food that you will be eating on your wedding day. It really allows you to know what you’re getting and for the caterer to be able to know what adjustments you would like – no surprises on your big day! Milkshed Catering (a fabulous supplier to Tone Dale House & Widcombe Grange) go the extra mile here and prepare everything for your tasting, exactly as it would be on your wedding day.

#06 And don’t forget…

This is an obvious one, but just a reminder to think about the special dietary requirements of your guests and this needs to cover all elements of the catering – canapes, evening food etc, as well as the main meal. You can also introduce a fun element into the children’s food if you are having a separate menu for them.

Above all, enjoy the process and remember if you put yourself in the hands of a great wedding venue and an excellent caterer you can relax and let their expertise guide you through.

Have a big group weekend away

A big group of friends having fun together at their weekend house party at The Big House Company

Hire a big house and have a great time catching up with friends!

With so many of us living at a distance from friends and family we often don’t see as much of them as we would like. Jobs can take us to distant parts of the world even, where we establish new connections and new lives. It’s great keeping in touch though, via technology and seeing what our loved ones are doing. Sometimes too, the years can fly by and your twenties have suddenly become your forties!

Make a plan

It’s all very well, just thinking about the idea of getting people together and talking about the “if onlys” but the first step really is to get a date in the diary, however far ahead. Get your group of family or friends to commit to the idea of meeting up and put it in the diary. Organising a big group can be very rewarding and with any luck there is probably someone amongst you who just loves that sort of thing, it’ll be worth the effort for the fun times you have.

Think about a big group holiday

Deciding what will suit your group best is really your next step. Maybe it’s just meeting up for the evening! But often, if it’s a milestone event to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or reunion a long weekend or a week’s holiday together makes for a very memorable time away.

Planning an extended break gives you all the chance to truly unwind, have fun and spend a significant amount of time together creating wonderful memories. There’s no rush; meals can be leisurely, activities can be relaxed and even a couple of days away from your normal routine can have a really re-charging effect.

Large group accommodation

There is a whole variety of accommodation to look at. Hiring a big house can work really well for a big group and be quite cost effective. It also gives you the flexibility to make your own schedule and the space to make your own fun. Some of our Big Houses have great party rooms for dancing and wonderful games rooms that can become the hub of the house for competitive after dinner challenges. Each of our houses are unique and we can guide you to which might suit your needs best. But one thing they all have in common is exclusive use – you will not be sharing with another group on site.

Make it a tradition

We usually find with groups that have come to stay in one of our Big Houses there is an overwhelming desire to do it all over again. They’ve had such a great time, they don’t want to leave! So why not make it an annual tradition? It gives everyone something to look forward to and keeps relationships with family and friends strong and those good connections can pass down through the generations. It might make sense for your group to always holiday together at the same time of year or perhaps experiment and try a different season – you might find that low season works for you, in which case accommodation will be less costly too!

At the Big House Company we helped hundreds of guests to arrange their house party events, so do get in touch if you would like to know more.

Stunning large party house in Norfolk joins the Big House Company

We’re excited to welcome Cliff Barns as a new large house at the Big House Co. The owners originally stayed in one of our own houses (Tone Dale House) and loved the concept so much they decided to do the same thing for themselves – albeit a few years later! The idea of having a ‘weekend’ place for big groups of friends and family to stay is no longer new but being able to offer clients a variety of properties with unique features to suit the needs of their group is a big part of what we do. The stylish approach at Cliff Barns is certainly a superb addition to our portfolio.

Nestled next to a strawberry farm in Norfolk the property forms a quadrangle around a central courtyard with all the accommodation cleverly arranged on the ground floor. The owners are interior and set designers to the stars and have put more than the usual ‘barn conversion’ formula into Cliff Barns. The impression you get as you enter is one of rustic hunting lodge meets boutique hotel but with an overall feeling of squishy comfort. The living spaces are generous and open out through folding glazed doors to the central courtyard which contains more seating, alfresco dining, hot tub and games area.

The Cabana bedroom at Cliff Barns, Norfolk, to rent through the Big House Company

Sumptuous Cabana bedroom

Up to 18 people can be accommodated in eight stunning bedrooms and everyone can sit around the dining table. There are great self-catering facilities but you can also let the local caterers take the strain instead. It is possible to hold larger events such as weddings by arrangement and the team can look after all your needs and manage the event for you.

Make an effort to leave the property at some stage and explore the beautiful coast line with miles of sandy beaches, or enjoy some of the many local attractions and fabulous gastro eateries close by. Ideal for families, birthday groups, hen weekends and corporate away days.

Exposed wooden beams and brickwork in the sitting and dining area at Cliff Barns in Norfolk

Stunning open plan living area, perfect for large groups.

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