Frequently asked questions

What deposit is required to book a wedding?

The deposit amounts required depends on the type of wedding you are booking:

• Weddings over 30 or weekend weddings £3,500
• Small Intimate Wedding £2,000
• Autumn/Winter Small Intimate Wedding with Accommodation £2,500
• Elopement Wedding £1,500
• Exclusive use Wedding (Hotel & The Venue) £7,500

How do we book a Registrar?

The legal ceremony is not included in your price, you need to contact the local registrar through the following website:  http://www.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/guide/marriages

What time is it best to have the ceremony?

Anytime between 11.30am and 4.30pm.  Our recommendation for the best time would be between 12pm & 1pm.

What is the charge for The Venue & the Ceremony?

Download our wedding brochure to see the hire charges.

What is included with The Venue Hire Charge?

Your fee provides exclusive use of the wedding facility and gardens all day and evening of your wedding. Bar, Wedding Coordinator & dedicated team of catering staff provided by us.   All tables, crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen.

Will The Venue be exclusive to us?

Yes, completely exclusive to you, your venue hire fee provides use of The Venue grounds, function building & bar from 10am on the day of your wedding until midnight.

What time should I ask guests to arrive?

Guests are welcome to arrive 45 minutes before the ceremony time.  The bar in The Venue will be open for coffees & drinks.

If the weather is bad when & how is a decision made where the Ceremony will take place?

We will liaise with you to make this decision with you.  We have a beautiful indoor ceremony room which can be used where a decision can be made within minutes.  If the weather is bad and you want to get married inside The Venue then we will liaise with you to make a decision approximately 2 hours before the ceremony.

Do we need to provide music for the Ceremony?

Yes, you do.  We usually recommend 3 songs: 1 for your arrival, 1 for signing of the register & 1 for after the ceremony.  Please get all the songs together on a device with Bluetooth.   This can then be linked up to our system inside or out.  Our staff will be happy to operate this for you during your ceremony if you wish or you may prefer to ask someone from your wedding party to do this for you.

Can we just have a ceremony with you?

Yes, you can, but they are only available to book up to 2 months in advance of the Wedding date.

Can we stay the night before the wedding?

Yes, please ask us about availability & rates.

Can I have confetti?

Yes, biodegradable confetti can be used around the outside ceremony area.

What time can we access The Venue on our Wedding Day?

You have access from 10am on the morning of your wedding.  We cannot grant access before this time.  This also applies to any supplier you have.

Do you have heating/air conditioning?

Yes, we have heating throughout The Venue & it is also fully air conditioned and ventilated.

Is the bar open all day & what time does it shut?

The bar is open all day and is shut at midnight.  If the ceremony is inside The Venue, the bar will have to be shut 1 hour before the ceremony & during the ceremony, this is a stipulation form the registrars.

Can the Bifold doors stay open all day?

The bi fold doors can stay open until 10pm after this time they will be closed but you will be able to still go out on to the decked area.  The Venue is fully air conditioned.

Can we have just a Wedding Reception?

Yes, you can have a reception/party after your church ceremony, the venue hire charges will still apply.

What happens with the decorations for the wedding?

Our staff will put any table decorations & free-standing decorations around for you.  We will run through with you before your day where you would like everything to go.

Can you store our wedding cake for us?

Unfortunately not, we do not have the appropriate storage space for this.

Can I pin anything to the walls, ceilings, doors or fencing?

No, you cannot pin anything to the walls, ceilings door or fences.

Can I bring in a dance floor?

No, you cannot as it can damage our polished concrete floor.

Can we decorate the tables?

Yes, you can bring in centre pieces, name places, table numbers & favours.  Our staff will lay this all up for you.  We do not allow sprinkles & petals due to damage they can cause to our machines.

Should we create a table plan?

We would like you to have a table plan, it helps in catering for people with special diets etc.  If you have young children attending don’t forget to include highchairs in the table numbers, as they take up a whole space.

Do you have highchairs available?

We do have some highchairs available.  They are at the table highchairs with low backs suitable for children that can sit up confidently on their own.

Do you have a sound system?

We do have a built-in sound system for background music only.

Do you have a microphone we can use for speeches?

Yes, we have microphone integrated into the sound system inside The Venue.

Can we have a band or DJ?

Yes, you can, they must be inside & the bi fold doors will be shut at 10pm.

Can I bring in fairy lights?

No, we have state of the art lighting with fibre optic twinkling lights & colour changing LED’s to match your desired colour.

Is corkage allowed?

No, we do not allow you to supply drinks, even if you are willing to pay corkage.

Can we have alcoholic favours?

No, we do not allow alcoholic favours of any kind.

Can we have table sprinkles

We do not allow any tale sprinkles or petals as they can cause damage to our machines.

Can we supply our own food & drink or have an outside caterer?

We strictly do not allow anyone to bring any food or drink onto the premises (except for the wedding cake only).

Do you offer food tasting?

No, sorry.  All our food is cooked to order using fresh local produce.  The food gets delivered fresh for every wedding and with the wide menu choices, it is simply not feasible to provide food tastings.  Our chefs have a 2 AA Rosette award for our food.

If we have guests with allergies or intolerances, can you cater for these?

If you let us know in advance all your guests with special diets, we will be able to cater for these.

Who runs the Wedding?

The Wedding Coordinator and team of staff run the whole day.

When should guests be seated for the Wedding Breakfast?

It is the responsibility of the Best Man or a member of the wedding party, along with the help of the Wedding Coordinator, to ensure guests are seated 10 minutes before the meal time.

Do you allow dogs?

Yes, you are allowed up to 2 well behaved dogs as The Venue is exclusive to you.  Dogs are not allowed in the inside the public areas of the hotel.  They are allowed in Standard Bedrooms only.

Do you allow paper lanterns?

No, sorry, we don’t due to fire risk.

Do you allow sparklers?

We allow sparklers outside for a photo opportunity for the couple only.

Do you allow fireworks?

Sorry, no.  Due to complaints from local residents, the local council have stopped us doing them.

What time do you close?

Our venue hire is up to midnight on the day of your wedding, this is the time of last orders but does allow your guests to finish their drinks.

What time do our guests need to leave The Venue?

All guests, DJ’s & Bands need to have left the venue by 12.45am at the latest.

What happens to our decorations after the day?

Decorations will need to be collected at the end of the evening.  We suggest you designate some people from your wedding party to collect them.  Our staff will help pack them all up at the end of the evening one of your guests can then put straight into a car in the car park outside.

What will happen to any food left over?

Due to environmental health & safety guidelines we must discard, and food left at the end of the evening.

Do you require a damages deposit?

Yes, a £500 deposit is payable on your final invoice & is refundable a few days after your wedding.

This is in case of any damage, theft, partying in rooms after midnight, extra guests found to be staying not notified to the hotel in advance (if this happens you will also be liable for the cost of accommodation for these people) & people bring their own alcohol into the The Venue, Hotel & Ground.

If guests drop out, would I get a refund?

Your final invoice is due 1 month before your wedding date.  After this time, no refunds are possible.

Will prices rise after I confirm our booking?

We fix your venue hire fee to the ones at the time of your booking.  Food & drink prices may rise due to the increase in stock costs.

Can we have access the day before?

No, unfortunately not.  Access is strictly only allowed from 10am on the day of the wedding.  Decorations can be brought down to The Venue from 10am on the wedding day.  Our team of staff will do all the decorations for you, so you don’t need to worry on your special day.

What is your capacity?

The Venue capacity for a daytime reception is up to a maximum of 170 and in the evening it is up to 200.

Do you have WIFI in The Venue?

Yes, we do have WIFI you can connect to in The Venue.

Do we pay full food price for children?

Children 12 and under are charged £15.95 per child when eating from the children’s menu or 50% of the adult meal charge when having the same menu as adults.  Children over 12 have the same food as the adults and are charged full price.  For any young children not eating there is no charge.

What time would you recommend for speeches?

We recommend speeches are done after the meal, this allows timings of the day to run smoothly as it is the least disruptive to food service due to the length of speeches not always known.

Do you have any recommended suppliers?

Yes we do, please email [email protected] and we can send you our recommended list.

Useful measurements & information:

Gazebo 2.4m Wide & 2.2m High

Round tables: 5ft 6’ seating a maximum of 10 people per table.

Top table:  Trestle tables of 6ft long (2 tables are usually used) for 8 people 3 trestle tables would be used.  The maximum number of people on the top table can be 14 (using more trestle tables)

Is it easy to get a taxi at the end of the evening?

It is not easy to get a taxi at the end of the night.  Please advise your guests to book taxis well in advance, it is very hard to get hold of one in our area when leaving booking until the evening of the wedding

What is your cancellation policy for the wedding?

The deposit paid at the time of booking is strictly non-refundable under any circumstances.  Cancellations must be made in writing.

What is your accommodation cancellation policy?

All deposits are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable in any circumstance.

What is your Payment Schedule?

Weddings over 30/weekend wedding; Small Intimate Wedding or Elopement:

Final numbers are due 6 weeks before your wedding day.  No changes can be made beyond this point.  Final payment is due no later than 4 weeks before your wedding day

Exclusive Use Wedding (Hotel & The Venue):

Final numbers are due 2 months before your wedding day.  No changes can be made beyond this point.  Final payment is due no later than 2 months before your wedding day.

Should we take out Wedding Insurance?

We recommend you take out wedding insurance to protect yourselves.  It is not something that we require, we just recommend it.