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.

We recently married at Orchardleigh House & St. Marys Church in August 2010 and wanted to share an honest review of our experience.
In the final month to our wedding our wedding co-ordinator was impossible to get hold of. Leaving voicemails, texts, emails and even letters we had to keep chasing to get any response we needed to plan our day. Even to the point we had no invoice for the total cost til a week before the wedding. I would say be very patient and persistent as the end result is so so worth it. The team on the day were outstanding and every little detail was completed with ease. Even when we arrived back to the venue 30mins late after the church ceremony, they took it in their stride with the help of our toastmaster. Enjoy your planning and good luck!

EVEN THE RAIN COUNDN T SPOIL A LOVELY DAY .THE HOUSE WAS EVERY THING MADE IN FILMS WONDERFUL .STACY AND ALISTAR CRAWFORDS WEDDING WAS BRILLIANT AND THE STAFF OF THE HOUSE WERE GREAT ,MANY THANKS FOR A GREAT DAY KATH AND PHIL

Orchardleigh was a perfect wedding venue in every respect. Extremely helpful staff, beautiful setting, delicious food and incredible touches everywhere such as real candles in the dining rooms, wonderfully restored carvings, etc. The venue supplies a wedding coordinator who really does everything to make your day run smoothly, meaning that you don't have to even think about timings etc on the day and can just relax and enjoy. All our guests commented on what a wonderful venue it was and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone.

My son and his fiance were married in the Orchardleigh church and had their reception at the house. The wedding service was quite beautiful and very relaxed. The reception was exceptional with the food lovely and the service extremely good and efficient. The staff were happy and helpful. The evening was also excellent and there was no rush to finish. Also no rush the next morning, even though another wedding was about to happen.

We fell in love with Orchardleigh House when we first saw it and booked soon after. There were a few concerns such as difficulty getting hold of anyone on the phone to confirm the booking and little communication in the run up to the big day, but I have to say that it was an absolutely wonderful wedding!

The staff were brilliant, nothing was too much trouble and they really know how to make your day go well. The location is beautiful and we received many compliments from our guests on how fab it all looked. The food is great and the atmosphere was wonderful - laid back but fabulous!

My advice is go and see it, if it suits you book it and don't worry too much about communication until a few weeks before the day. Rest assured that the team are professionals and you will have the perfect day you hope for!

I got married recently at Orchardleigh and all i can say is WOW. The day was perfect, i had a coordinator throughout the day and she helped out with everything. The food service was faultless and the next morning they had boxed our wine and cake for us to take away. Even helped me pack the car with all the flowers we had which were also maginficent. I found all the staff very help and even met an owner who drank and danced with us. It was my dream come true.

We just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Orchardleigh House for everything they did to make our wedding truly the most PERFECT day. We couldn't have hoped or dreamed of anything better. All the staff were so kind and helpful; working so hard to please all of our guests. Orchardleigh really is the most fantastic venue, and it was so warm and inviting on the day with all of the beautiful fireplaces lit. The catering was fantastic; we are still thinking about that dessert, it was amazing! We cannot thank Orchardleigh enough, it was the perfect wedding.