It doesn't seem long ago that Chewton Place went into liquidation just before Christmas in 2011 taking the deposits and final payments of many heartbroken couples with them.

I was delighted to help Lauren Lane (now Mrs Welch) have her dream wedding in 2012 despite losing £4500 when the venue closed. Luckily some very kind wedding suppliers pulled together to make the wedding happen. You can read about it here.

Former employee Rebecca Bozeat-Manzi took over running weddings at Chewton Place as Bozeat Palmer Contracts but has been forced to leave by the owners who are thought to be applying for a change of use for the building. A statement on the website reads,


"The directors of Longcap Developments Limited, the owners and Landlords of Chewton Place are forcing us to leave by 10th April 2013 meaning that we will not be able to run your wedding at Chewton Place. We asked Longcap for an extension and even agreed to a higher rent to allow time for you to make other arrangements for your wedding. Yesterday we applied for a postponement on compassionate grounds in the courts but in the face of Longcap’s solicitor’s opposition, the law could not help. Finally last night David Long confirmed to me that Simon Caple would not allow any extension."

                                

This has all come as a great shock to us. We knew that Longcap had abandoned the outstanding works on the property and had refused to grant a lease on the terms we had been lead to believe we had agreed and understood.

However we now are given to believe that Longcap may be applying for planning permission for a change of use of the property, David Long having confirmed to me that they had “given up on Chewton Place in its current use”."

One positive change compared to last time is that current operators are planning to refund any deposits paid allowing couples to move their wedding to a new venue without a large financial loss. They ask couples to email their details to [email protected] to arrange a refund by cheque or bank transfer.

If you are a couple affected by this the following venues currently have availability this Spring/Summer and I will be updating the list regularly. If you are a local venue with availability please get in touch.

Venues with Spring/Summer Availability

Almonry Barn -New wedding venue near Taunton
Berwick Lodge -Bristol

Old Down Manor www.olddownmanor.co.uk

If you need any help searching for a new venue or moving your wedding, please get in touch by emailing

Related Posts

Chewton Place Weddings in Doubt (December 2011)

Chewton Place Weddings Back on Track (January 2012)

Lauren and Daniel: The Wedding Saved by Twitter

These days weddings should all be about fun and individuality. We've all been to weddings that served soup, then chicken and vegetables and a pudding on a plate. These days there's so many more tasty and fun options and the added bonus is that whilst a three course dinner may set you back up to £50 per head, these ideas will save you money too.

I was at a wedding fair with Pizza Monkey recently and their stone fired pizzas went down a storm. They're hot, fresh and delicious and great value for money for either a main course or an evening food idea. They are served outdoors under a gazebo and presented on rustic wooden platters with hand written blackboard signs  and a choice of salads and look as good as they taste. There's even a sweet Banana pizza!

                                         
                                          

                                          

You can visit the Pizza Monkey website for more images and a list of the yummy flavours.

If you like ice cream, how about an ice cream cart. Living the Cream have a vintage ice cream tricycle serving Luxury Somerset ice cream flavours like Chocolate Charisma, Mango Madness and Turkish Delight. At £2.50 per head it's a great cost effective way to serve dessert to your guests.

                                          

                                          

Check out their website for a full list of flavours or to request a quote for your wedding or party. For drinks and snacks for your guests, how about a gorgeous vintage tea van. A Couple of Mugs offers a range of   refreshments in the form of tea, iced-tea, soft drinks and homemade nibbles like brownies and cookies. Or if you prefer, they can be a part of the nighttime festivities providing a plethora of cocktails

                                             

                                             

Visit the website for more information. I think this would make a really refreshing change to traditional canapes, especially for a fun and relaxed wedding. If you need any more fun food ideas, then contact Steph from Sweet & Pretty Weddings to arrange a complimentary wedding planning consultation.

Image Credits: Pizza Monkey, Living The Cream and A Couple of Mugs

Wouldn't it be fantastic to have an unlimited wedding budget to afford everything you dreamt of for your big day? Sadly most if us have to try and keep our budgets on track so here to make life simpler is a way to save you almost five grand in five minutes.

1) Swap day for night and move 10 guests onto the evening guest list. The best way to keep
A budget in check is to keep numbers small. Taking 10 people off your day list could save you £500 in food and drink costs alone plus one less floral centrepiece and 10 less favours and you could add another £100 saving.


  

Total saved £600

2) Swap Denby for Dubai. If you've already lived together for years, you probably have most things you need for your home. Ask your guests to contribute towards your honeymoon instead and you may not have a matching 32 piece dinner service to admire, but you'll have much more cash to play with.

Total Saved £2500

3) Swap a tiered cake for a dessert table. A multi tiered wedding cake may look beautiful but if you want to save some money and offer more choice to your guests go for a fun dessert table instead. Ask your friends and family to bring cakes, cupcakes and desserts and lay them out on pretty plates or cake stands. Serve them as dessert and you save twice as you can knock a whole course off your food budget.


   

Total Saved £1000


5) Swap cars for accommodation. If you are having your ceremony and reception in one venue the chances are that no one except your photogrpher will even see you arrive in your expensive wedding car. You will probably not choose to frame a photo of you and your wedding car as you will have so many beautiful shots to choose from with much prettier backdrops. If your venue has accommodation, stay there the night before or head over in the morning and get ready there instead. Make your big entrance on foot for big savings.

Total saved £400

4) Swap large florals for fun centrepieces. You don't have to pay £50 per table for floral displays. Swap them for hired birdcages, lanterns or candelabras for big savings. You could always add small floral displays around the centrepiece if you want flowers as part of your look or buy realistic foam roses from craft suppliers or floral wholesalers and arrange them in jar jars wrapped in lace or in pretty tea cups for a vintage feel or use hessian and twine wraped jars for a rustic look.



Total Saved £300

6) Swap Champage for Cava. Most guests at your wedding will be enjoying the free wine or buying beers from the bar so they will often only have a few sips of your toast drink. try sparkling wine, prosecco or cava instead or go for something different like a shot or sparkling rose.

Total Saved £200

So there's £5000 saved with just a few simple swaps. If you need any help managing your budget or more great ideas for planning your big day, contact Steph from Sweet and Pretty Weddings for a free consultation.

The icy winds couldn't deter the enthusiastic couples who flocked to Clifton Pavilion at Bristol Zoo Gardens. Many of Bristol's top wedding suppliers were exhibiting at this invitation only event. Downstairs brides and grooms could sample delicious cake from Chocolate Delores or browse stunning stationery by Rachel Goodchild Designs.


Many vintage dresses were on display with the opportunity to try them on along with gorgeous accessories by Hermione Harbutt (below).




Fishee Designs had their fun photo booth complete with props and Beehive Brides were busy transforming the models and brides to be into retro sirens.



A Suit That Fits

Babes in the Woods

Beehive Brides

Britten Weddings

Chocolate Delores

Cox & Baloney
Photographers & Photo Booths

Dawn Wilkins Photography

Fishee Designs Photo Booth

Jo Hansford Photography

Wedding Stationery

Meticulous Ink

Rachel Goodchild Designs

The Marionettes

The Wilde Bunch

Tricia DesignsYour Unique Scrapbook

On Sunday Bakers & Cutlers Halls along with Jo & Co organised a fantastic wedding fair in aid of the Wishing Well Foundation which is an extraordinary charity allowing terminally ill brides and grooms to have the wedding of their dreams.

The Little Wedding Helper had set up a stunning table with flowers by Emma Norton and there was a fabulous ice cream trike from Claire Jayne, plus lots of delicious cake to sample. Photographers Martin Pemberton and Marie Man showed off their portfolios and Piece of Cake and The Slate Boutique had some stunning products on display.


                                                          

                                                          

                                                          

There were loads if top local wedding suppliers exhibiting and even a boudoir full of stunning dresses, jewellery and hairdressers courtesy of amongst others Beehive Brides, Lisa Keating Bridal, A Class Brides and Bridezillas Boutique.

                                                           

                                                           


An amazing £11150 worth of donations and professional services were acquired on the day and 124 wedding dresses were donated. A big mention must go to Nicky from A Class Brides who donated all of the dresses she had brought to exhibit. Theses dresses will be given to brides or sold to help fund weddings.

                                                          

If you would like to learn more about the foundation or donate money or wedding services, you can visit the website here

Last Thursday The Little Wedding Helper organised a fantastic event with At Bristol called Fly Me To The Moon. It brought together many talented local wedding businesses to celebrate the thriving wedding industry in Bristol.



Guests arrived to a star themed reception featuring a yummy bespoke candy buffet from Sweet & Pretty (above) with space themed sweets like milky ways, magic stars, flying saucers and wham bars. There was also a stunning star and moon themed cake by Chocolate Delores, star shaped biscuits by Bellevue Bakery, lollipop favours by Piece of Cake and delicious cupcakes scattered with stars by 180 desgress and rising.




Emma Norton provided some prety floral centrepieces in mercury vases and award winning magician Darren Campbell wowed the guests with some close hand magic. The Marionettes were on hand to perform whilst people mingled, chatted and sampled the delights on offer. Guests also has the chance to strike a pose in the fun photo booth set up by Fishee Designs.






A real highlight of the evening was a visit to the planetarium for the Winter Night Sky show and it is also fully licenced for civil ceremonies, allowing couples to marry under the stars. At Bristol has a great range of spaces available for wedding ceremonies and receptions as well as a large terrace overlooking the city centre.

                                                 

                                                 


Suppliers

The Little Wedding Helper -Venue Styling
At Bristol - Wedding Venue
Sweet & Pretty Weddings -Wedding Planning, Favours & Candy Buffets
Darren Campbell Magician
Emma Norton Flowers
Bellevue Bakery
A Piece of Cake - Wedding Favours
Lizzie May -Wedding Phtography & Graphic Design
CJ Maudsley Prop Hire
Fishee Designs Photo Booth
The Marionettes -Singing Trio
Enlightened Lighting
Chocolate Delores- Wedding cakes
Ruth Garner Photography (the images used here are my snapshots and not Ruth's stunning work)

Just a reminder that Bakers and Cutlers Hall at Brasserie Blanc in association with Jo & Co are hosting a wedding fair on Sunday. It is in aid of the Wishing Well Foundation which helps terminally I'll people have their dream wedding.

It's a fantastic cause and lots of top local suppliers will be there so please pop along and show your support.