Orchardleigh House, Frome, Somerset Review

My husband and I were married at St. Mary's Orchardleigh in September 2009 & I have already recommended this venue to several friends based on our experiences. The house and grounds are beautiful, yes to echo previous reviews some rooms are bigger & better decorated than others but this is reflected in their individual cost, which personally worked well for us as some of our guests could not afford £110 etc but were happy to stay in a cheaper room. What really made this the place for us was the number of bedrooms it had without the formality of a hotel setting - it really felt like we had borrowed a friend's country house for 24 hours! Another big plus was the flexibility of the venue - we could combine and plan in advance for any combination of guest plans: those staying all day, arriving for the evening only, staying the night, leaving before breakfast etc. We opted for a pre paid bar which was brilliant (and extremely worth it when so many guests can stay overnight in the venue and therefore let their hair down!) and I would advise going to the food taster sessions they provide as we changed our menu choices completely after seeing and trying what they had.



Being completely honest there were points in the run up to our wedding when we found it hard to get replies/contact etc with Orchardleigh, but having experienced the level of care they provided for our day I believe this is because they are so hands on (and were therefore busy dealing with someone else's wedding taking place that day!), and our organiser Karl was fantastic from start to finish in the helpful & friendly service he provided from Orchardleigh, which is clearly a very busy place. If you do choose this as your venue, keep an eye on the details yourself (or choose a bridesmaid to do it on the day) and go through the final costs with your organiser carefully - there is usually a meeting to do this a month or so in advance. Then relax and have a wonderful day - Orchardleigh's staff certainly did their utmost to help us enjoy ours.



PS - I'd recommend Tilly Tomlinson Flowers in Bristol too - they were much more personal and helpful than the two florists I met in Frome who clearly expect to do every Orchardleigh wedding.