Down Hall was our chosen venue for our wedding day in August - we had a wonderful day and the team did a great job looking after us and our guests.
We worked with Zoe as our wedding coordinator who was fantastic and responsive to our requests and communication as we planned the wedding in a short space of time in 5 months!
The chef was great and modified the menu to suit our special fusion wedding. The results were amazing with all our guests commenting on how wonderful the food was (my worst nightmare averted of guests feeling hungry or having a poor food experience!).
The whole experience with Down Hall was great. The hotel was very busy for the weekend over the summer which did not affect our wedding day itself as had a team dedicated to us. We also had a family afternoon tea arranged the day before instead of a rehearsal dinner which was also amazing with great service in our private room.
We hope to return for our first anniversary!

The summary I would give our wedding is that the venue is stunning however the wedding coordinators and bar staff failed on several occasions to deliver the wedding we had planned or paid for.

I really did not want to micro-mange my own wedding but this meant things didn’t go to plan. Luckily as we had evidence in writing we did receive compensation for this however that doesn’t change what happened on the day.


Here’s what happened …


Planning Issues

We emailed our final planning information 2 days prior to our final wedding planning meeting. We then had our final planning meeting with Tracy who said everything was okay and on-track. 10 days later she then admitted she had not read the documents at the time of the final planning meeting and had now found a problem. There was a problem, which was my misunderstanding, and we resolved this however this is a great example of the level of service that we received.

We had asked (thankfully via email) if we could have a musician outside during reception drinks and were told we were so we booked one. When we then visited Down Hall we were told we were not allowed a musician. As we could provide the email from them saying we could have a musician they allowed us to have one but I would recommend to any potential couples to get all communication in writing as you may need to provide what you have been told!

These are just two of several fustrating interactions we had during planning!


Time Management

The time management of the wedding coordinators is terrible. We were left waiting on every occasion that we met with them, sometimes up to 45minutes with no idea what was going on. On our wedding day we were left waiting in the reception room for 20minutes wondering again how long we would be waiting with many things to do!


Wedding Ceremony Music

We provided a detailed run-though of the wedding ceremony and when music was meant to be played (nothing complicated, pre-wedding, entrance, signing and exit songs).

- The pre-wedding ceremony music was not setup by the wedding coordinator as promised and was playing through the ipad and not speakers when the Groom arrived.
- Tracy then proceeded mid-way through the ceremony to randomly start playing the second signing music song before realising she was drowning out proceedings and switching it off.
- The Ceremony came to an end and everyone was asked to stand and out their hands together (this took quite a while as my Grandpa is disabled) despite this delay and being given a script in advance Tracy then totally missed starting the exit music until we were 3/4 of the way down the aisle.

The team did offer us compensation for this.


Horsebox Bar

We had paid £500 to reserve the terrace and horsebox bar. When we asked the Food & Beverage team to open the horsebox bar back up after the meal they had to apologise and say that there was a mix up and no staff had been booked and this was not possible.

After the wedding we then complained to the Revenue Manager who claimed that this was agreed with us and this was reflected on the function sheet which we received prior to the wedding … this was a totally untrue!

We then (rather embarrassingly for them) sent them their own function sheet and highlighted the line which said “horsebox bar and terrace after meal service”. After agreeing that both the contract and function sheet said this should be open they offered us compensation. Once again showing the importance of getting everything confirmed in writing.


Prosecco

We brought our own drink and did corkage. During the post wedding drinks I went to the horsebox bar to get a Prosecco to then be told that was the last glass. I was surprised given how much we had brought. I found two bottles in the dining room and took them to the horsebox bar. These were drunk and then guests started buying their own drinks as a result of being told this was finished.

I was then very disappointed to be handed back 8 bottles of Prosecco when we checked out. When I complained about this the Revenue Manger said the guests were drinking G&T which does not answer the complaint at all and again reflects the level of service we received.


Summary

In summary, the venue is stunning however from reading previous reviews it appears that a completely new wedding team are at Down Hall. I would only recommend this as a place to get married if you are going to micro-manage your wedding coordinator, get everything in writing, and don’t trust the function sheet as this is not guarantee things will happen.

Wow what an amazing wedding we had at downhall, the venue was absolutely stunning and the team were amazing and always there for you along the whole journey. I could ask for more the whole day was an absolute dream and that wouldn't have been possible if not for the amazing team. Thank you so so much xxx

Down hall were amazing for mine & my new husbands wedding day! The whole day went so well and it was so so organised I couldn’t of felt in safer hands! Our wedding was cancelled twice due to the pandemic, and down hall were so accommodating in moving us we couldn’t complain! The only thing that went wrong was the music when I walked down the aisle temporarily stopped twice, I was so nervous for the day, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. But it wasn’t anyones fault it was just a technical glitch! But otherwise Becky, Imran & Julie especially we’re SO AMAZING I couldn’t of wished for a better wedding team! Loved it so much I’d do it all over again! And everyone commented on how accommodating & beautiful the venue was and how delicious the food was 😍 Even down the the Easter egg hunt the hotel had on the next morning for the children! It was absolutely perfect! You can tell they have all the experience! Loved it! We can’t wait to come back to stay for afternoon tea, some lush dinner & a spa day 😍

My husband and I got married at Down Hall in December 21. Covid cases just started to get bad again and even though Stu and I were a panicked mess in the days leading up to it, Becky, Imran and their dedicated team calmed every concern and we had the most incredible day. They are flexible, accommodating and the most reliable people I have ever met. No request was too much and they did absolutely everything they could to ensure that everything went ahead without fault. We met with the organisers the day before to discuss final details and they had everything written down and ready before we opened our mouths, even down the sticking down the sign on our post box. The smallest touches made the day magical and their attention to detail is unmatched. Because of them, we have the most fantastic memories of our day. Thank you so so much xx

We had the most magical wedding day! Would recommend this venue to everyone

The Down Hall wedding team worked wonders for us when planning our special day. They’re caring, efficient and clearly have years of experience in organising weddings - the value of which cannot be underestimated. Organising a wedding in 2020 has at times felt like trying to pitch a tent in a storm only for it to be blown away given lockdown and a series of changes to wedding regulations. The team helped us to navigate the various covid regulations without letting them dominate our special day and did so with the utmost sensitivity.

The grounds and function rooms are stunning and offer a gorgeous backdrop for your ceremony, pictures and celebrations. The rooms are spacious and the Liddel suite in particular is a treasure trove of a room with all sorts of surprises including a romantic bathtub with views across the grounds. The food was delicious and the day was a success despite such difficult circumstances. Thank you Down Hall. We would not hesitate to recommend you for anyone planning a wedding in the future!

We got engaged in January then went to down hall on valentine a day I had been there before to stay and just knew I’d love to get married there so booked a meeting with a Julie and booked straight away the whole experience was perfect so professional and easy Julie was the reason for that she made it stress free . Our wedding day was perfect everything ran smoothly and just how I’d imagined we stayed from sat till Monday. Toast master Simon was amazing run the day brilliantly .
I would encourage anyone to get Married at Down hall perfect venue.

Right from the start we was not even sure if we could have this fantastic venue, due to our small and intimate wedding. But to our delight, Down Hall tailored and accommodated our needs every step of the way. We must say all of the staff were brilliant in every way possible.
The food was perfect, and presented beautifully, and our guests loved it.
My husband and I had the most magical day. Once again we would like to give a massive thank you to all of the staff at Down Hall, for giving us a day that we will never forget.

We couldn't have asked for a better day. All our friends and family are still talking about what an amazing day it was. Venue looked amazing, service was excellent and as for the beef it was exquisite.
From the moment we stepped into the venue it felt special and the wedding team made everything so easy building up to the day and on the day.
It was so good we want to do it again every year!

Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!

Couldn’t have asked for anything better.... the venue is beautiful and still going through renovations to keep it looking so. The staff were amazing, very welcoming, very attentive to detail, very accommodating. Everyone contributed to making our day the best day ever!

My husband and I would just like to thank everyone at the Downhall once again for making our
wedding day the best day we could have ever hoped for. The day was well
planned and executed perfectly by all staff involved. We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day, or venue or service from all your staff involved and
even by those who were not. Massive thank you to Marie and Julie and Martyn; you guys made us feel like royalty!

Compliments to the chef! Everyone loved the food and we appreciate you going the extra mile on our personal requests.

My husband and I got married at Downhall in August 2018 we viewed over 6 different venues and Downhall is by far the superior! it is a stunning and beautiful venue in and out!
The staff are friendly and helpful. Food is delicious and the rooms are spacious and excellent. We received lots of wonderful comments on our wedding day about the venue and the day itself. We had a lovely day! cannot recommend Downhall enough. If your looking to get married then Downhall is the place! you will not be disappointed. Check it out

Down Hall is faultless. Amazing venue, guest rooms, staff, facilities and food – everything was perfect on our special day. So many photo opportunities if the weather isn’t great on your big day as the grounds and interior are stunning. From the moment we drove up the main entrance we knew we had to get married here and that was before we’d even stepped through the door! The area getting ready in the morning was so beautiful, as is everything about this venue. The staff worked so hard to ensure our big day went without a glitch and the wedding planners are incredible and so accommodating – and clearly have the patience of a saint as we all know how stressful wedding planning can be! Nothing was ever too much trouble and the food was exceptional and the party in the evening was packed all night on the dancefloor, right through to closing at 1am and then the party afterwards in the hotel bar – our guests were thoroughly entertained. I only have great things to say about this venue – it was the most magical day and will always be very special to us. Thank you so much – I wish we could do it all again! #WhitenSmithWedding

My husband and I got married here on 26/11/17 and we had the most perfect day!
The wedding team were fantastic and our wedding co-ordinator, Marie was always on hand to answer my questions and was so helpful in providing ideas for my wedding.
The grounds are fantastic and are beautiful! All the staff, chefs, waiters and bar staff and everyone else behind the scenes really made the day go smoothly and if there were any hiccups I certainly didn’t know about them!
Down hall has everything you want for your wedding - comfortable rooms for guests, amazing food, helpful staff and an amazing wedding team who make planning a wedding so much easier!

We got married on the 10th November 2017 and it was truly the most perfect day, no hiccups all went to plan.

From the moment we went to the open day we loved how welcoming team down hall was and that nothing was a trouble and no question was a silly quesion.

Marie our wedding co-ordinator is just fantastic (as are all the co-ordinators) she was professional but friendly and had a fantastic sense of humour which instantly puts you at ease. From the first initial planning meeting through to the big day it was pretty much very relaxed.

The venue and grounds are stunning, the facilities are great, the food was delicious and overall we had the best time as did our guests. We certainly will keep going back to stay.

Thank you Team Down Hall.