It’s hard to believe the last time we blogged about Covid was in March 2020 (it’s now November 2021) – back in the old days when we still called it ‘the Coronavirus’.
Now we’re used to rona (as in “he’s off work with the rona”), the vid (“they’ve all got the vid”) or the Coronas (“I’ve had a touch of the Coronas…”) and have learnt lots of other less fun things about the virus too.
So we thought it was time for a little update to let you know how things are working wedding wise our end.
The first thing to say is that we’ve been open all season for glorious outdoor weddings; smaller ones up until late June and then once permission was given it was the return of the big wedding – and we had some beauties this year!
There’s no doubt these wedding days felt a little extra special for couples, guests and venue staff alike – some had been a long time coming! We had couples that were on their 3rd and 4th dates with us…delayed, postponed, altered in some way – but you couldn’t beat the buzz when the day finally arrived.
Because lots of weddings decided to downsize rather than cancel or delay yet again we’ve definitely hosted more smaller weddings this year – especially before the rules changed and it was up to 30 guests only. So we’ve adapted and evolved and looked at smaller wedding receptions that want a bit more of a party vibe…
Result? In Spring 2021 we bought our lovely new star tent – perfect for wedding receptions of 20-50 with detachable sides for gallons of fresh Cornish air blowing any nasty germs away.
So if couples couldn’t have or didn’t want a big bash in our main marquee (where we’ve usually got 75-200+ guests partying on a timber deck in the meadow) we suddenly had an alternative that was a notch up from our traditional gazebos.
When it comes to Covid security for larger weddings we now do things like take off the big marquee sides when appropriate and we can socially distance dining tables – although as marquee receptions were classified by the Government as outdoor gatherings the rules have been more flexible here than at most venues.
If you’re looking for a legally binding wedding ceremony at our woodland pavilion or even beside our shimmering lake (outside weddings by water are pretty hard to beat!) with all those incredible wedding photo opportunities there’s really no need to mug inside anymore 😊
Luckily for us and all our fantastic wedding couples, most of what we do here is outside anyway so we’ve been really well placed to ride out the pandemic storm without changing our core values – that a wildly romantic outdoor wedding full of your personality is always a top choice!
We’ve tried to keep up with NHS guidelines and Government advice on everything from hand sanitizer to masks at venue visits – some of our couples have gone further with lateral flow tests required for all guests or decorative sanitizer bottles on every table.
Other couples have suggested Zoom weddings so older or vulnerable guests or friends and family from abroad could join – but that’s proved too tricky for us to achieve with the limitations of rural broadband so a wedding film is probably the best answer although obviously not in real time. Something wonderful to look back on though!
We’re up for doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and happy so just let us know if you’ve got any suggestions going forward.
Something else we’ve done is to re-jig our Terms & Conditions – not the most exciting side of wedding planning, but something everyone needs to get right.
The main change is that you now pay a smaller deposit when you book us as your wedding venue, and then go on to pay the balance in 2 payments not 1. We think it makes it easier for you with the budget and means you don’t have to pay so much so far ahead. If you’d like to see our full terms just give us a shout.
Looking ahead to next season we think 2022 is going to be a corker, and 2023 is looking busy too.
So kick back with a cuppa or a cocktail (Quarantini anyone?) and start planning for an outdoor Cornish wedding – whatever happens next we know we can make it awesome!
Photo Credits: appleB images; Stephanie & Nicole; Checkered Photography
Other super suppliers: Flowers by Bruallen; The Woodland Atelier; The Paddock Bar;
