11 Questions with... Emma Caddis of Treseren, Cornwall

Emma Caddis and her husband Paul are the founders of the beautiful Treseren wedding venue right in the heart of the stunning Cornish countryside. They specialise in intimate weddings for up to 22 guests and are licensed for civil ceremonies in their beautiful Wedding Room. We asked Emma to share her journey of opening a wedding venue, as well as her plans for the future. 

How Did You Get Started in the Wedding Industry?

With the launch of our venue! We had a long held dream to open a small and beautiful wedding venue and when we were looking for the right property, we came across Treseren and we knew it was the place.

We previously ran a five star bed and breakfast in Padstow, which was Michelin-listed and named among The Times Travel 'Top 10 Hotels in the UK', so we wanted to apply the same high standards to our offer for weddings. Prior to our hospitality experience, we worked in film and television - I was the live studio director on the Blue Peter programme for a number of years! We have taken the experience of curating images and setting the scene for cameras and applied our skills to the work we now do creating wonderful ceremony and celebration spaces for our couples and their guests to enjoy.

What Does Your Typical Working Day Involve?

No two days are the same, and that is what I love about my job.

If it is a wedding day, it begins with greeting our guests at breakfast with a surprise gift and bespoke card and wishing them a wonderful wedding day, before greeting the suppliers arriving, working with our team to set up and create the chosen ceremony space, and co-ordinating the day for our couples.

On an office day, I am answering couples’ enquiries or meeting them on our guided virtual tour with video call, or in person for show rounds. I work closely with Izzy, our Marketing and Events Manager, liaising on the details of upcoming weddings and curating interesting blog posts and content for newly-engaged couples to read and watch about what we do at Treseren. And then there are the periods we are closed in winter (and during lockdowns) when we are renovating. I love designing and working on creating new spaces.

What Is It That You Love about Working in Weddings? 

You cannot help but be caught up in the romance and excitement of the planning and the day! No two weddings at Treseren are the same – we have such a choice of spaces and each couple brings a unique feel that reflects their personalities. We feel utterly privileged to help couples achieve their dream wedding and because our venue only hosts small and intimate weddings, the atmosphere where closest family and friends come together is so warm and happy.

It is wonderful to see our couples enjoying such special and precious time with those that mean the most in the world to them. We take huge pride in what we do at Treseren, from welcoming our couples and their guests with homemade cake to running all the elements of their day. We regularly get told we have made a couples’ dreams come true. What can be more worthwhile and better job satisfaction than that?

What Do You Find Most Challenging in Your Work?

It has to be Covid and the inevitable postponements we have had to make. Although we have worked to achieve a good outcome for each and every one of our couples, it has been a strain on our time and hard on our couples. But on the flipside this has meant we have built a very strong bond with our couples and, when they have finally had their special day, it has meant so much to us as well as obviously to them.

What Did the Coronavirus Pandemic Teach You about Your Business?

Resilience. Flexibility. Positivity. That there is always a solution to a problem… that in the end love wins!

What's Your Advice for Someone Who Wants to Work in Your Field in the Wedding Industry? 

Imagine it is you who is getting married. What would you want, what would your guests want? What would be important? Undoubtedly, this will be important to your couples and their guests. For me, beautiful spaces with quality accommodation for guests, great food and service with a wonderful atmosphere would be top of the list.

We got married in Cornwall 21 years ago, returning to my family home from where we were living and working in London. Our wedding was run over a three day weekend, we escaped London, invited those who meant most in the world, hosted welcome drinks when everybody arrived on the Friday, had a wonderful wedding and beach and barbecue time the next day. This was the starting point for creating our offer with a very special ‘day three’ to enjoy our beautiful setting at Treseren and the Cornish coast on our doorstep. We are a destination venue in the UK and the fact that our couples can escape and have a mini holiday combined with their wedding is something that makes Treseren unique.

Which Wedding Professionals Inspire You?

Kelly Chandler – she has inspired us with her brilliant consultancy and support during Covid with our small group of venues. I also admire Anna Winkworth, the Manager of Thicket Priory. She is so positive, upbeat and fun. We have only met on industry zooms, but she is very easy to get to know. And I love her Instagram lives!   

Which Current Wedding Trend Do You Want to See More of?

Micro weddings! I may be biased, but having witnessed the joy and intimacy of a small wedding I truly believe they are here to stay. The day does not have to evaporate in a whirlwind of hellos and couples get to spend meaningful time with their guests. It is widely reported Covid and lockdowns have made people re-evaluate what is important, and actually the real essence of a wedding is about the couple, their commitment to each other and their love. Small weddings are a true celebration of this.

What’s Your Favourite Wedding from a Film or TV Programme?

I’m torn. One favourite is Juliet and Peter’s wedding in Love Actually – from Keira Knightley’s fabulous entrance to the whole musical surprise, with friends popping up in the pews to play along. It’s so joyful.

The other is Donna and Sam’s surprise wedding in Mamma Mia… the pure emotion of the narrative flipping from Sky and Sophie happily not marrying to Donna and Sam taking the opportunity to take the wedding spot. The impetuous sense of love and the whirlwind that it can bring gets me every time! And I love all the beautiful white washed styling with all the very Greek island turquoise bolts of colour shot through the set ups.

What’s the One Wedding Tradition You Would Ditch and Why?

Any that don’t feel right for our couple of the day. I don’t think there are rules. If you don’t like speeches, don’t have them. If you don’t want to cut your cake until the next day, or would prefer not to bother with a cake at all and instead have a delicious dessert; that is absolutely a couples’ personal decision. But if you want it all, go for it. Bouquet toss and all. Yes, even at a small wedding!!

What’s Your Next Ambition for Your Business?

We felt so happy to win two gold awards for wedding venue of the year for Cornwall and the whole South West in 2021. So where do we go from here?

The main thing is to invest time and energy in to our brilliant team; for it is our welcome  that makes the home from home atmosphere. Combined with fabulous attention to detail, this is what helps create special memories. So for me as the Founder, the ambition is: To stay true to our principles. To keep our standards high and to never stop investing our ideas and energy in to being a venue that creates magical weddings for each and every Treseren couple.

You can find out more about Treseren on their website.