Tag Archives: hiring a big property for a wedding

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

 

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.

Four Reasons Why Hiring A Big House Is Frankly Brilliant

 

When hiring a big house your entire stay is tailored to fit your exact requirements. Here are four examples that demonstrate how hiring one of our houses can be an unforgettable and frankly brilliant experience!

Hiring A Big House

The Wedding That Everyone Remembers

Time and time again, you will hear people say that they could not believe how quickly their wedding day went by, so what better way to maximise the experience and your memories of your special day than to hire a country house for your wedding and spread the occasion out over a few days?

One of the best things about weddings is the opportunity to have all of your favourite people in the same place at the same time, an opportunity that sadly does not present itself often in life. Hiring a big house for your event allows you to spend quality time with your guests in a luxurious environment where you can reconnect, bond and enjoy each other’s company at your own pace; making your big day even more intimate, enjoyable and memorable.

Widcome Grange, near Taunton in Somerset is a popular choice for country house wedding. Situated in the heart of the Blackdown Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is easy to see what makes this large and spectacular property with its beautiful grounds and lakeside setting the perfect choice for a very special event.

Organise A Large Group Holiday

Families and friends tend to find themselves spread out across the country and abroad these days, as people move and establish new lives for themselves elsewhere due to new relationships, career opportunities or the basic desire for travel. This can make it incredibly difficult to maintain relationships because of the difficulty in getting everybody together in the same place at the same time.

Getting everybody together under the same roof for a group break, far from the stress of your usual busy schedules gives everyone plenty of time to reconnect, whilst enjoying the luxury of extended mealtimes and shared activities.

With a weekend or longer together in a large property of your choice, you have oodles of time to relax and enjoy your own space, as well as the opportunity to catch up with everyone in your group at your own pace during your stay.

Celebration Time

Have you got a milestone celebration like a birthday or anniversary on the calendar or are you simply planning to hold a large party? Either way, entertaining your guests in a large character property is a great way to create a unique event that will be remembered for years to come!

Corporate Events With A Wow Factor

Hiring a big house for your corporate events gives you absolute flexibility to plan your event, your way.

With full exclusive access to one of our properties and grounds, you have the opportunity to create unique experiences for your staff training days, meetings, teambuilding events and conferences, free from any of the typical restrictions that are associated with hiring hotels and conference centres.

So forget about hiring another identikit drab venue and go for something with some personality and originality that’ll reflect well on your company and brand. If you start with an inspiring location then you’re half way to creating a buzzing event that’ll have people lining up to attend next year.