Your wedding is potentially the most memorable day of your life, so we think you should milk it as much as possible! This isn’t the kind of venue that churns out wedding after wedding and turfs you out as soon as it’s over. When you set foot at Elmbridge Farm we want you to make yourselves at home, and hope you’ll enjoy a full and fabulous weekend with us all the way from your wedding prep to those all-important hangover cures the next day! Here’s how we’d suggest you make the most of your time here with our ultimate Elmbridge wedding weekend agenda…
The day before:
Arrive at Elmbridge Farm the day before your wedding, in the afternoon. Our weddings team will be on hand during this time to do all the last-minute checks and run through your day plan with you. It’s a good idea to grab your bridesmaids and practice walking down the aisle too. Making sure you all know the plan for your ceremony means you’ll feel much more relaxed before the real thing.
Aim to finish all the wedding admin by teatime if you can, so that you’re not still fretting late into the night and you have time to relax before the big day! Head to the lodges or to the glamp site to unwind when you’re done (check in is from 3pm). Everything is comfortably furnished with all your bedding, towels and necessities; guests will only need to bring their weekend bags. Glamping tents do have lighting and there’s access to plug sockets up in the washrooms, so you have everything you’ll need!
The night before:
In the evening, why not go out and enjoy a meal with your family and friends? The Chequers at Cutnall Green is handily situated just at the end of the lane and it serves some great food. There’s a beer garden out back and private huts you can hire so it’s a lovely place to enjoy your final meal before tying the knot. There are lots of other great places nearby too which we’re always happy to recommend!
Our brides most often spend the night before the wedding in our suite called ‘The Swallows’. The largest of our lodges, it’s a great place to get a comfy night’s sleep but also means you can have your tribe on hand and jump straight into prep on the big day!
We have three other lodges to choose from, so our grooms often take these with other family members and their groomsmen. It means you can all be in one place and enjoy an evening together if you’d like to before splitting off and staying separately if you plan to meet at the aisle on your wedding day.
The day itself:
It’s bridesmaid central in The Swallows this morning! It’s a lovely open space with lots of natural light so it’s ideal for doing your hair and makeup. You’ll have the bride’s room with en-suite as well as a second bedroom and bathroom to get ready in plus there’s space to chill, have breakfast and maybe even enjoy a little tipple to get you going.
It’s really handy having everyone close by to help you prepare in the morning, but it’s super easy to keep your distance if you’re trying not to see one another ahead of the wedding. Grooms tend to get dressed down at the lodges too before they make their way to the tipis for last minute prep and sometimes a cheeky beer or two! As guests arrive, the groom and his best men will be there to welcome everyone and they’ll be ready and waiting at the end of the aisle when they get the nod to say the bride is coming!
When it’s time for the ceremony, brides might choose to walk along the lane – it takes around five minutes (maybe a few more in your heels!), or you can drive up to the venue in just one minute. We suggest you get dropped off just out of sight and walk the last little bit of the way as it gives you a moment to compose yourself before you make your entrance. The scenery here is lovely so soak it all in, and it’s another chance for you to grab some precious photos too. If someone will be walking down the aisle with you, take a moment here with them and your bridesmaids. This is where it starts to feel real, so embrace it!
It’s up to you what timings you choose for the day. A ceremony time of around 2pm should give yourself ample time to get ready without rushing. Your wedding will finish around midnight, and we find that ten hours is the sweet spot where you can have a full day and still go out with a bang! Try to soak up every moment as it’s true what they say, it really does go by in the blink of an eye.
The day after:
We’ll take care of the clean-up for you, so at the end of the night you can wander back to the accommodation and revel in your wedding! Keepsakes and decorations will be put aside for you to come and collect the next day when you’re ready.
But you may want to begin the day with a proper, hearty breakfast! You might have had a few cocktails last night and your glamping friends will want a full stomach before they make the drive home. Try Lord Morton’s Tea Room down in the village – they do a brilliant breakfast (they can seat 36 inside) and also have butties available to collect or deliver which are ideal for those who are glamping. Give them a call in advance of your wedding weekend to make arrangements.
If you’re staying in the lodges you have the whole day to unwind. No doubt you’ll all want to be together and talk about the main event. Our guests tend to love to brunch together, and barbeques are popular. There’s a BBQ set in each lodge so you can all get stuck in! It’s great to take the weight off, and after a hectic wedding you don’t want to rush home for it all to be over. Spending the weekend here gives you chance to stretch it out as long as possible! If you’re looking for something to do there are lots of lovely walks around here which will blow the cobwebs away, or you can hire bikes from us and head out on a little adventure. For weddings on a Saturday, check-out from the lodges is 10am on Monday morning.
Hopefully that gives you some food for thought and helps you plan not just your dream day but an entire weekend of wedding wonderfulness! We may be biased, but we honestly think Elmbridge Farm is the perfect place to celebrate – as you drive down the lanes you can leave the rest of the world behind and spend a day or two in your own little perfect wedding bubble. What could be better than that?!