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

Lauren Lane finally became Mrs Welch on Saturday when she married her Fiance Daniel in a wedding that she feared may never happen. The couple had originally booked Keynsham wedding venue, Chewton Place for their big day and paid them just under £4500. Just before Christmas they had the devastating news that Aspire Venues had gone into liquidation taking all of their money with them.



Happily for Lauren and Daniel what seemed like a hopeless situation was saved by the kindness of many generous wedding suppliers, who stepped in with some amazing offers. As one of the suppliers who has been helping Lauren, I spoke to her just before the wedding to ask a few questions about this heart warming story to share with readers of Bristol Wedding News.

Thank you to photographer  Sidney Diongzon for sharing these lovely pictures of Lauren and Daniel on their wedding day.



How did you and Daniel feel when you first heard the news about Aspire going into liquidation?






Can you briefly explain how has Twitter helped you save the wedding?

Chewton Place have confirmed that  Weddings can now go ahead at the venue for new bookings and for those who have not already relocated  Weddings previously booked with Aspire Venues.


The venue had previously closed its doors after previous landlord Aspire Venues went into voluntary administration, sadly meaning many engaged couples deposits and payments being used to pay creditors.


Chewton Place have told us "The landlords of Chewton Place are in negotiation with a new company who are looking to take over the business at Chewton Place and with the intention of continuing to run weddings, special events and conferences from Chewton Place and talks at this stage look very promising.  We do understand this has been a very worrying a stressful time for the bride and grooms let down by Aspire Venues, all of whom have been contacted by the new company and are being constantly updated by them".

Happy New Year to all of our readers, especially any couples marrying in 2012. Today we have a great guest post from Amanda Pendry, Function and Banquet Manager at Brasserie Blanc that has two fantastic spaces that can be used for Weddings. They are also offering great packages to anyone having to relocate from Chewton Place.



For bridal parties affected by the closure of Chewton Place  please contact me directly, quoting this website to discuss our relocation package. 


Blanc Events, Bakers & Cutlers Halls, Friary Building, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol. BS1 3DF