Photography by Carla Whittingham
In the words of the Yorkshire born poet Edith Sitwell, “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for a home.” We could not agree more, Thicket Priory can be that home!
When considering which season to host your wedding in there is a long list of things to consider, and we are here to help to tackle that list. Each Season instantly provoked a certain feeling; Summer brings warmer weather, Autumn has the colour in the grounds, Spring is the season of flowers…and when it comes to Winter, I don’t know about you, but I think about cozy nights, romantic candlelight, frosty mornings, intimacy, family time…the list goes on. Let us walk you through a few specifics which we hope will give you some Winter Wedding inspiration!
1. Winter Décor, and the Cosiness it brings!
The Gryffin Bar offers a super cosy area for you and your guests to relax together, sipping a few of your favourite tipples. With an open fire, tealights, dimmed chandeliers and the view of the gardens at night, it really is a beautifully romantic setting for your wedding celebrations. Staying with us for a two day wedding, with exclusive use for you and your friends and family means you can have the home comforts of a night prior get together, making introductions and getting some of the formalities out of the way, ensuring that by the morning of the wedding your guests are all taking care of themselves…bliss! We believe you shouldn’t need to have heavy ‘hosting duties’ during your celebrations, the home from home feeling of Thicket Priory offers a winter haven from the cold outside!
Photography By Carla Whittingham
Photography By Dan McCourt
Photography By Tom Scott
From warm hues of mustard and deep reds, to whites, greens and silvery décor winter can offer a range of options, every one as beautiful as the next. Winter does not necessarily mean Christmas! This is something I think some couples fear; whilst on the other hand some couples love the idea of a Christmas themed wedding. Whether you’d like to have bright colours, keeping the spaces light and airy, or, turn to richer colours, offering romance and warmth at every turn, Thicket Priory can accommodate both.
Photography By Carla Whittingham
2. Brave the cold…the photos will be worth it!
For all the couples who have celebrated their weddings with us so far this Winter they have been brave, and the results show just how incredibly worth it that was! Brides have taken a deep breath and embraced the outdoors like true champions…some of the grooms took a little more persuading!
From photographs walking up the driveway on a magically misty day, to having no need for a wind machine with the ‘floating veil’ shots, we’ve seen it all! There are so many memorable moments from every wedding; from the confetti that looked like snow, to the classic ‘bride in a pair of welly boots’ shot, and we cannot wait to see what else our wonderful couples will throw at us!
If I had a pound for every time a couple, or their parents said to me ‘booking Thicket Priory needs to be a Spring or Summer wedding to take full advantage of the gardens’, I would possibly be living at Thicket Priory by now; however, I challenge that statement and the photographs below are my back-up for this! I personally have worked weddings in the middle of Summer where we haven’t stepped a foot outside because of the weather, so if there is one piece of advice, I’d like to give you it is this:
Seasons do not guarantee the weather, especially inline with the world of climate change!
Photography By Carla Whittingham
Photography By Dan McCourt
In the words of Mr & Mrs Minshall, est. 18th December 2021, as featured above:
“Simply magical. No better way to describe this place. They made the entire Priory feel like it was ours for the weekend. And they were so amazing to work with. The staff are friendly and hospitable, and the management is welcoming and personable but also professional. This place will always feel like a slice of home to us now. If you want the most amazing, impressive, and unforgettable experience, stop looking anywhere else and book this place!”
Photography By Stephen Wignall
Photography By Carla Whittingham
In the words of Mr & Mrs Pilcher est. 5th February 2022, as featured above:
“Joe and I just wanted to say a huge HUGE thank you to you and the whole team for making our day as magical and perfect as we hoped. Hands down the best day of our lives (even beats Arsenal winning the FA cup apparently). Right from the start when Joe arrived, he said the team were welcoming and made his day so stress free. Throughout the day you ensuring everything went to plan, great bar service and helpful staff at dinner. Right until the end of having magic fairies tidying everything up for us and an incredible gift from you all.
Every single guest commented on how unbelievably stunning Thicket and the grounds are as well as how nice the staff and drinks were which confirmed we made the best choice with not only a venue but a home for the weekend. After the wedding being moved we were so worried all our expectations would be too high to reach however you and the team smashed them in every way possible.
So thank you once again for everything, you, the team and Thicket have a very special place in all our families hearts. “
Photography By Carla Whittingham
The morning after the wedding you have extra time to spend with your friends and family because 70 people have slept under one roof! This is such an added bonus for your wedding celebrations when they can disappear in the blink of an eye. Anything we can do to prolong the time you have creating memories and we will do it. Grab some of our in-house welly boots and head for a walk around the garden, discovering the beauty of our grounds, whilst also resolving the bad head you may have from a few two many cocktails the night before!
3. The Food in Winter…yum!
When it comes to choosing the dishes for your wedding breakfast, or in the case of Thicket Priory your entire wedding stay; from night prior food, to your breakfasts and your wedding meal; Winter offers an array of heart-warming comfort foods, to fine dining hot dishes.
Our talented catering teams will guide you through the seasonal recommendations, helping creating your very own culinary delight to indulge everyone during your first meal as a married couple.
From hearty canapés such as mini Yorkshire puddings, with beef and horseradish, to starters of wensleydale croquets and mains course of locally sourced meats and vegetables, you’ll be spoilt for choice! The teams at Baba Ganoush Catering and Purple Chilli Event Catering will have you in safe hands with an event coordinator and access to the culinary ideas of their expert chefs!
Here’s a useful blog to check out ‘Every single question to ask your wedding caterer in 2022’, click HERE.
Food By Baba Ganoush Catering
Kind words from Diana & Sam married at Thicket Priory – 16th October 2021
“Where do we even start! We can’t thank you and the Baba team enough for everything! What fantastic food and what great service! We really can’t fault a single thing! Us and our guests couldn’t get over the yummy food! So many compliments! And lots of people also commented about the great service!
Your calmness and can do attitude really put us at ease. Also thank you for all the support throughout the journey to the wedding, you were absolutely fantastic. We’ll look back at our interactions with such fond memories and will always remembers the key role which baba Ganoush played in making our wedding the best day ever!”
Food By Purple Chilli Event Catering
5 * Review from Claire & Paul married at Thicket Priory – 24th October 2021
“Hi Mark and everyone at the Purple Chilli Team,
We can’t thank you enough for your sensational food and service. The entire weekend ran seamlessly.
Everyone we spoke to said how stunning the cuisine was and how kind and amenable the front of house team were towards our guests.
We would fully recommend your team to future couples.
Thank you so much again!”
Wedding Food Inspiration: Why not have a s’more cart for guests to enjoy some sweet treats the night prior to the wedding or as part of your evening reception. We have some great recommendations for this!
4. The drinks…both hot and cold!
Whether your guests are enjoying some beverages in the Gryffin Bar or in one of our in-house pantries, they have a great choice. We have an array of gins, whiskeys, rums, wines and soft drinks, as well as a great choice of cocktails for you and your guests to enjoy. The most asked question when it comes to a bar for upcoming weddings is… ‘do you serve espresso martinis?… and you’ll be happy to discover that we do!
Our Pantries are part of our mission to ensure you feel at home when you’re staying at Thicket Priory. Instead of guests disappearing to their rooms for a cuppa, they may find themselves meeting other family members, or mingling in some different friends circles, so when it comes to meeting them on the dancefloor later to shake their tail feathers, they have already made introductions! The pantries are stocked with tea, coffee, hippy teas, hot chocolate (and marshmallows of course), and various nostalgic chocolate treats to ensure everyone is taken care of. I mean who doesn’t love a Tunnocks teacake!!
“Each bedroom is gorgeous with the guest’s comfort in mind at every point, the cutest little pantries are the best!!”
Wedding Beverage Inspiration: Hot drinks with some oomph! Why not opt for mulled wine in the winter months, or a hot chocolate stand! Again we have some fabulous recommendation for this! Just ask!
5. Winter Budgets
Like everything in life there are ways to make savings if you are happy to explore your options and maybe be flexible to a slightly different plan. As a team we are here to work with you as coordinators with experience and a wealth of knowledge to educate on ways to fit your wedding budget around your dream wedding.
It’s common knowledge that peak summer weekends, such as a bank holiday is majorly popular and often the dates which are snapped up quickly, so naturally there is a premium attached to these with a price tag. Something we must point out is that although we work with winter rates being lower, you will receive no alternations in experience, service and dream making than couples visiting during a different season.
Thicket Priory offers everything you need all under one roof, and we know that there are no compromises made for dates where you may be inside the venue for more time than you are outside, and this is why we love winter weddings just as much as summer weddings.
A fact I must point out about budgets and weighing up potential venues is that you do get what you pay for and we really do feel so strongly that every penny you pay for a wedding at Thicket Priory has incredible value and we are so proud to see each and every couple leave here as a married couple with unparalleled memories for life!
5* Review from The Longatto’s married at Thicket Priory October 2021
“Honestly, it comes with a price tag but just do it, the attention to detail is worth it! You won’t fully realise and appreciate that you made the right decision, until you wake up in the bridal suite the morning before and the morning after.”
“Something about winter, just makes you want to fall in Love”, this line for me sums it all it.
For winter inspiration do dive into our ‘Winter Weddings’ Seasonal Blog, HERE.
Love Anna
xXx
Bonus Reason we Love Winter Weddings…Christmas Songs! (A very ‘Marmite’ subject, love or hate them!?)
Photography By Carla Whittingham, Singer Emily Ramsden, Undercovered Band
