Weddings FAQ
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Wedding Frequently Asked Questions Ceremony Which room would we have our Civil Wedding Ceremony in? The Gothic Drawing Room is licensed for Civil Wedding Ceremonies. How many guests can we invite for a Civil Wedding Ceremony? We are licensed to hold Civil Wedding Ceremonies for up to 80 guests. Do we have to pay any extra for the Civil Wedding Ceremony? No, the cost of using the Gothic Drawing Room is including in the exclusive hire fee of the Castle but there will be a fee to pay directly to the registrar in order for her to conduct the ceremony for you. Do we have to book the registrar separately? Yes, you will need to liaise with the registrar separately and ensure they are available to conduct a Civil Wedding Ceremony on the date you have chosen and it is best to do this before you confirm your date with Eastnor Castle. We will give you the contact details of the local registrar when you come for a show-round. How long does a Civil Ceremony take? A Civil Ceremony normally takes around 25 minutes, a little longer if you have readings included. What does a Humanist Ceremony involve? A Humanist Ceremony is a celebration rather than a legal ceremony and can be carried out anywhere within the Castle or the grounds. If you have a humanist ceremony you would then have to arrange to be legally married with the local registrar. Can we use the Church in Eastnor village? Yes, St John the Baptist Church is in the village of Eastnor and can hold up to 150 guests. Couples from all over the country have been married at the church; you would need to contact the vicar to discuss the arrangements and check availability. We will give you the contact details of the Church and vicar when you come for a show-round.
What is the maximum number of guests we can have for the Wedding Breakfast? We can fit 80 in the Dining Room and 150 in the Great Hall for a sit down meal on round tables. What time can we arrive at the Castle on our Wedding Day? Exclusive hire of the Castle starts at 11am. We normally recommend the bride arrives at 11am with whoever she’s getting ready with and then the groom and any other overnight guests can arrive from 12.30am. That way we can ensure the bride is out of sight before anyone else arrives! Can we drop anything off the day before our wedding? Yes, you can drop table plans, name cards, favours etc. the day before your wedding and also your dress and suits if you’d like to. Do you allow children at the Castle? Yes, we welcome children to the Castle but ask that they are supervised at all times. Do you have any high chairs we can use? Yes, we have 4 high chairs which you can use. Can we have lunch at the Castle whilst we are getting ready? Yes, we can provide a sandwich lunch for you while you are getting ready. This would need to be ordered in advance. What time do we need to leave the Castle the next day? We serve breakfast at 9am and all rooms will need to be vacated by 10am. This is so that we have an hour to clean the rooms before the next event starts at 11am. Will I need a microphone for the speeches? If so, do I have to provide my own? A microphone is not needed for speeches in the Dining Room but a microphone and PA system is required for speeches in the Great Hall and we provide this free of charge. Can you provide an easel to hold our table plan? Yes, we provide an easel which can hold your table plan. What time do we have to finish the party? In order to conform with our premises licence and out of consideration for local residents, all wedding parties must finish by 12 midnight. Do we have to use a marquee for the evening reception? If you are using the Dining Room for your wedding breakfast then you don’t need a marquee unless you have a band consisting of 5 band members or more. If you are using the Great Hall for your wedding breakfast then you would need a marquee for over 120 guests and/or if you have a band of any size. Can we decorate the marquee? Yes, we can get a quote from our marquee supplier for you. Can we have a long top table? You can have a long top table in either the Dining Room or the Great Hall but a long top table takes up the space of 3 round tables, reducing the capacity to 66 in the Dining Room and 130 in the Great Hall. Can we decorate our own napkins? You can as long as we know in advance so that we can ensure they are ready for you to collect and decorate the day before your wedding. When do I have to confirm final numbers? We need an idea of your final numbers 6 weeks prior to your wedding date and actual final numbers need to be confirmed at least 5 working days before your wedding. Do you have a cloakroom we can use? We don’t have a cloakroom but we do have a hanging rail which your guests can leave their coats on if required. Do you provide children’s entertainment? No we don’t but we do have an excellent local children’s entertainer listed on our supplier list. Can you recommend any local suppliers? (florist, photographer etc.) When you come for a show-round we will give you a contact list which shows local suppliers such as photographers, florists, cake makers etc. Can my photographer come to the Castle before the wedding to look round? Yes, as long as you make an appointment before hand. Do you recommend having a break between the day and the evening? We recommend that your day rolls into your evening without a big break. Is the Castle lit from the outside at night time? Yes, the Turrets at the back of the Castle are lit and there are lights on the wall overlooking the Lower Terrace. Do I have to lay the name cards etc. out on the morning of our wedding or can you do that for us? We can lay the table with your name places, favours, menus etc. as long as they are given to us in table order. We will lay these out for you on the morning of your wedding.
Can we bring our own caterers in? We do not allow this because it is essential that we consistently offer the highest standard or catering. We therefore use a local caterer called Vine House Catering who offer an exceptionally high level of service and competitive prices. Can we have a menu tasting session with the caterers? Vine House Catering are happy to provide a tasting of your chosen menu. Tastings can be arranged, by prior appointment, on available Wednesdays and a limited number of Saturday mornings between October and the end of April. Please contact Vine House Catering to arrange. Do you cater for special dietary requirements? Yes, as long as we know in advance then we can cater for most dietary needs. What age do you classify a child? Anyone aged 11 and under is classified as a child. Can we bring our own wine in? Yes but we charge a corkage fee if you bring your own wine which is currently £10.00 per bottle for wine and £15.00 per bottle for sparking wine or champagne. Can we taste the wine before we select it? Yes, you can purchase any of the wines from the wine list to taste before choosing. Why can we not have red wine outside of the Wedding Breakfast? Red wine can be consumed throughout your Wedding Breakfast but we then phase it out as we don’t allow it to be served outside the Dining Room. The reason for this is that it can stain our precious flagstone floors and furniture if it gets spilt, causing permanent damage.
Do you have a Bridal Suite? We don’t have a bridal suite; all 12 bedrooms are beautifully and individually appointed so the bride and groom will normally choose their favourite room and then allocate the other rooms to their guests accordingly. Where does the bride normally get ready? Most brides choose to get ready in the Tulip Room as it has lots of natural light, plenty of mirrors, lots of space and its own bathroom. How many people can stay overnight in the Castle? We have 11 double rooms, 1 single room and 7 z-beds so we can accommodate 30 guests overnight. Can we bring our own cots and / or bedding? Children can bring their own cots and / or bedding but there will be a small charge to pay for breakfast the following morning. Can we stay over the night before our wedding? You can choose to hire the Castle the day before your wedding for a pre-wedding party if you’d like to. We offer a competitive Dinner, Bed & Breakfast rate for the night before, based on a minimum of 10 guests. Please enquire for further details. Can my guests call independently to book a bedroom? No, the bride and groom must co-ordinate the booking and payment of all bedrooms that are required. Can we have breakfast in bed? No, breakfast is served in the Dining Room the following morning, normally at around 9am. Do you have other hotels / B&B’s locally? Yes, there are plenty of other hotels and B&B’s locally. We will give you the contact details of all local accommodation when you book.
We welcome your ideas and input into decorations in the Castle but please Can we have candles around the Castle? Candles can be used on the tables as long as they are in a safe candle holder (a maximum of 5 candles per table is permitted). Can we have confetti? No, we don’t allow confetti in the Castle or grounds. Confetti leaves a residue and whilst we make every effort to clear this up, we would hate for any of our brides to arrive and see the remnants of someone else’s confetti. Can we have rose petals? No, as above Can we have table crystals? We don’t allow table crystals as these can sometimes fall onto the floor and cause accidents by getting underneath high heels. They also scratch the stone floors. Can we have helium balloons? No, we don’t allow helium balloons in the Castle as the ceilings are extremely high and it’s therefore almost impossible to retrieve them if they escape up to the ceiling.
Can we come and have a look at the Castle at a weekend? We’re often not able to offer weekend show-rounds because we hire the Castle out for events on an exclusive basis at weekends. We can conduct show-rounds between Monday to Friday, 9.00am until 4.30pm and occasionally evenings by special request. Show-rounds must be booked in advance by calling the Wedding Co-ordinator on 01531 633160. How long can you provisionally hold a date for us? Once you’ve been for a show-round, we can provisionally hold a date for you for 5 working days. If we haven’t had any other interest in that date by the end of the 5 days we can extend the hold for you but if we do have another couple interested in the date then we will ask you whether you would like to book or release the date at the end of the 5 days. What deposit do I have to pay when I confirm a date? Once you have booked a date, we will send out a contract and a deposit invoice for 50% of the facility fee. The balance of payment (to include the remainder of the facility fee, all catering and bedrooms) will be invoiced 6 weeks before your wedding day. Will I have one contact at Eastnor Castle when planning my wedding or will I deal with a number of different people? The Wedding Co-ordinator works full time at the Castle and will work with you right up to your big day. The Wedding Co-ordinator will invite you to come for a meeting approximately 6-9 months before your wedding day to discuss the logistics of your day. The House Manager will be here on your wedding day to ensure that everything runs to plan; the Wedding Co-ordinator and the House Manager work very closely together. |
