Venues, Venues, Venues

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Venues, Venues, Venues
Topic Started: Jan 19 2009, 12:39 PM (653 Views)
Bride_Victoria	Jan 19 2009, 12:39 PM Post #1
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #53 Joined: Jan 19, 2009	Hi all! I'm new to the forum and new to being a B2B, my partner and I got engaged on Christmas day on top of Cearphilly Mountain in S.Wales, and we are planning a Spring 2011 wedding to give us time to save up! I'm hoping you can suggest some venues that we should visit or keep away from!! We are both from South Wales but we now live in London, we come back for the weekend about every 6 weeks and so we want to make the most of our weekends and see the venues that are worth seeing! I appreciate all the feedback that we can get! Many, many thanks! Victoria x
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #53 Joined: Jan 19, 2009


starfish	Mar 15 2009, 07:52 PM Post #2
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #72 Joined: Mar 15, 2009	Hi Vicky, I am also planning a wedding for spring 2011. I have visited some beautiful places this past week like Brynich Barn in Brecon and als Llechwen Hall in Cilfynydd. also the Ty Newydd is beautiful too, my mum got married there a couple of years back!! good luck!!
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #72 Joined: Mar 15, 2009


FoundHerFrog	May 22 2009, 10:00 PM Post #3
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #82 Joined: May 22, 2009	Hello- so glad I found this local forum-I'm hopin to source everything as close to home as possible- should make it easier to keep tabs on everything. I'm also looking around at venues at the mo- not decided yet but here's my thoughts on where I've been so far.... Miskin Manor- the furthest away for me and family to travel, (Cwmbran,) Lovely grounds and nice sales staff etc but will be difficult to get everyone up for our evening do-its a long way to expect people to travel. Cwrt Bleddyn- I used to work here many years ago so was the first place I went... the ballroom is lovely. All looks good but its at the top end of the prices in the area and I've read some horror stories on trip advisor- but then you very rarely hear the good on these types of sites. Parkway- was most difficult to get hold of info, felt a bit of an inconvenience- also would rather pick a venue that only holds one wedding per day- what a nightmare if someone else rocked up in your frock! Commodore- doesn't look alot from the outside but inside is gorgeous, perfect size for my numbers,(thinking about 80 in the day and 140 in the night,) and the wedding co-ordinator showed me some beautiful shots of the grounds outside-surprising considerin' the front. Pricing was same as Parkway but gave more choice in menus. The Hill (abergavenny)- Went for their open day last month...but its shutting after aug 09- such a shame cos its lovely.... could possibly have married in that beautiful church in toen too as h2b lives there. :-( Gonna go look at The Greenmeadow in the next couple of days see how I get on....
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #82 Joined: May 22, 2009


Rhian_C	Jul 14 2009, 09:24 PM Post #4
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009	Hi, I just got engaged two weeks ago, and haven't really made any arrangements yet, but when I came across this I thought I'd introduce myself and see if I could pick up or contribute any tips to this chat. Like Victoria, I also live in London and don't make it 'home' very often. We're getting married in Neath, but prepared to look about an hour beyond for the best venue. Have found some wonderfully different things on-line, such as Swansea Museum (which has that wonderfully old feeling, the gorgeous columns, close to the sea, and guests can also look at the exhibitions in between dances etc, which sounded fab!). Sadly, they only cater for 60 seated (although up to 120 standing), so that was ruled out for us. Currently looking at Caerphilly Castle, so if anyone's heard anything about that, then I'd love to hear from you. Hoping to visit a few in about a month's time, so will feed back about that. FoundHerFrog - what is The Greenmeadow and how did your visit go? Rhian
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009


sassyols	Jul 15 2009, 08:14 PM Post #5
Posts: 11 Group: Members Member #3 Joined: Apr 14, 2008	FoundHerFrog May 22 2009, 10:00 PM Parkway- was most difficult to get hold of info, felt a bit of an inconvenience- also would rather pick a venue that only holds one wedding per day- what a nightmare if someone else rocked up in your frock! Hi I recently held my reception at the Parkway (6th June) and all I can say it was absolutely fantastic, the food was amazing and the whole day ran smooth. I was worried about the other wedding that was taking place but we didnt meet at all. The staff and wedding co-ordinators were brilliant. I devised my own menu from there extensive choice and after being to quite a few weddings I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the food was the best I had ever tasted. We had the Wentwood Suite for 55 guests in the day with a further 30 in the evening which was excellent for that room. We had a taste testing 2 months before which was a god send and instead of having canapes we had chocolate dipped strawberries served with the welcome drink of white or rose wine. The only criticism I can furnish them is I wasnt allowed a chocolate fountain due to health and safety grounds - thats why we had the compromise of the strawberries, which were much better and went down a treat.
Posts: 11 Group: Members Member #3 Joined: Apr 14, 2008


damaqum	Jul 20 2009, 03:59 PM Post #6
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #93 Joined: Jul 20, 2009	Hello, This is a great forum. I wanted to introduce myself, my name is Damaqu and I am getting married next year August 2010 in Wales, however, I currently live in the United States and my fiance lives in Pontypridd. So when it comes to planning it can get tricky. I just got back from Wales yesterday. My fiance and I have spent all last week finding a venue, photographer, florist and all sort. We managed to find a beautiful venue but everything is undecided. We attended a wedding fayre at Craig-y-Nos in Powys last week which was great and we are definitely going to be shopping around for deals. Thank goodness for this forum because I will have loads and loads of questions. We are actually looking into Craig-y-Nos for the wedding if anyone heard anything about them or had good or bad experience please share. Damaqu
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #93 Joined: Jul 20, 2009


Rhian_C	Aug 9 2009, 08:51 PM Post #7
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009	Damaqum - Craig Y Nos is interesting - I've been looking at them for a while, and the number of special offers they have on seems to be rising, which is great news for those getting married! The reason I haven't committed to them though is that they seem keen on charging you for every other little thing, and charging separately - so you think you're getting a great offer to begin with, but then even basics like napkins are added on top, so just be careful with what you agree with them. The grounds are amazng though, and the castle is fab, so I'm sure you'd have a great time there. Let us know what you decide! Good luck!
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009


FoundHerFrog	Aug 25 2009, 09:17 AM Post #8
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #82 Joined: May 22, 2009	Wow! nice to see more posts- Olwyn I hope you had a lovely day, I'm sure The Parkway is very good, maybe I just caught them on an off day- did you have a honeymoon? Greenmeadow had a pretty view but I've got people coming from far away who'll need bedrooms. I've heard mixed views on the food though- only way to find out is try i guess. We've got the date set in now and we're going with the Commodore- we went to a friend's wedding in June and were really impressed by the food and service- didn't seem to be any 'hanging around' like you get at some weddings... though could've been the company we were in. I like that the package price is all inclusive... so no hidden extras Rhian- they even gave us a voucher to come and try the food, so we'll be going along for Sunday lunch in a week or so. The ballroom is so lovely- I can't wait to get all my other bits 'n' pieces booked now... lovin the idea of a choc fountain in the night- think i'm gonna go with Funky Fountains, I saw them at The Commodore's last Wedding Fayre, its massive!- Commodore says its fine.... just need to find someway of shielding my dress from the inevitable choc spill! So excited YEY!
Posts: 2 Group: Members Member #82 Joined: May 22, 2009


Kirsti89	Sep 1 2009, 08:03 PM Post #9
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #102 Joined: Sep 1, 2009	I live in pontypridd but getting married 14 may 2010 in orlando. But as there is only going to be 20 people over there with us we have decided to have a big reception when we get home but at the moment struggling to find somewhere within budget and available. Any ideas would be really appreciated.
Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #102 Joined: Sep 1, 2009


Rhian_C	Oct 18 2009, 03:23 PM Post #10
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009	Hello all again, As promised, I'm feeding back on some of the venues that my fiancee and I went to see a few weeks ago. I'm a bit of a geek so excuse the fact that I'm going to write this as a list. 1. First up was Caerphilly Castle, which was absolutely beautiful. Pros: Gorgeous setting, would make for lovely photos, and enough room for up to 100 guests Cons: As it's a public grounds there was nowhere else to go, so if your gran didn't feel like dancing, then it would be tough - she'd be stuck in that room. Also, random people would be coming past and you'd have to have someone on the door to make sure they didn't come in. Conclusion: Seemed a great place to hold a Civil Ceremony, but not a reception, and there would be nowhere to go between a sit down dinner and prepping the room for an evening disco anyway, so that ruled it out for us sadly. If only it had had one more room! 2. The Plough Inn, Llandeilo: (about 45 mins west from Neath) Pros: Wonderful food (won awards!) and a boutique hotel attached with 14 rooms, so enough for immediate families, including a nice bridal suite (free for bride and groom) and an accessible room on ground floor for wheelchair users to stay over. Decent sized bar area, and very large restaurant area which becomes the sit down reception room, with beautiful wooden beams. The staff there are so lovely and helpful and are prepared to discuss prices and requests, which seemed very fair. Cons: Doesn't look like a 'traditional' wedding venue from the outside - is a good restaurant and hotel, but not a country manor or anything like that. But it does back onto some fields for pretty photos. Depends what you're into. Conclusion: Still in the running! (largely due to the food aspect - a priority for us!) 3. Coed-Y-Mwstwr, near Bridgend Pros: Looks impressive driving up to it and has the impression of an old manor. Has rooms available for wedding party at reduced rate and can cater for up to 130 ish people. Cons: Personally, I hated it. I found it extremely money-grabbing, and not at all personal. Every last detail seemed designed to gain as much out of you as they can without allowing you the freedom of making your own choices. E.g. you're not even allowed to have certain types of favours, if they contain alcohol, because they want all money to go through the bar instead, and no chocolate fountains unless they order them and charge a premium. Not that I was going to have a fountain anyway (would love one but can imagine the mess on the dress!), but it was the principle of it. I found the experience rather degrading and patronising, and although the premises were lovely, I wouldn't hold my wedding there, due to the unhelpful and haughty manner. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but both my fiance and I left feeling very disheartened. Conclusion: Nope. 4. Canada Lodge Unfortunately, we couldn't get here early enough to see inside before the wedding had started, so we parked above the lake in the public area (it also has a fishing area for the lake where public can go), and looked down at the wedding taking place. It looked a great setting, plenty of room and activities out on the lawn / lake area too. But didn't have chance to speak to the staff or see inside sadly. Maybe next time! 5. St Donat's Art Centre: Atlantic College, Nr Llantwit Major. Pros: Where do I start? The amazing view over the sea? The castle backdrop and rose gardens making for the best photos ever? The large room with glass windows to appreciate the view and the separate barn for the disco? Or the fact that as it's an art centre attached to the College it has a stage and all lighting to make a live band be an amazing option for an evening do. No in-house catering, and I liked the freedom that gave you to find what you wanted. The lady seemed really helpful too. Cons: As they're attached to the College, they can only do weddings out of school term - so May to August, and they're all taken for 2010, when we're hoping to have our wedding, so it had to be automatically ruled out, which was a HUGE shame as was the forerunner! Conclusion: Sob, wail. It wasn't meant to be. Next Actions! We're coming home again in a fortnight's time to visit the Pen Y Cae pub in the Neath Valley (not far from Craig Y Nos, actually), Llanerch Vineyard and the Swansea Maritime Museum, so will let you know how these go too. Hope I've not offended anyone with my comments on the venues above - of course, people's tastes differ and so I'm sure that others may well like what I don't or will have different priorities. Thanks for your thoughts on the Commodore, FoundHerFrog - will look into it! Glad you've found somewhere you love!
Posts: 5 Group: Members Member #92 Joined: Jul 14, 2009


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