Combermere Abbey

I booked this wedding venue due to the grounds it holds, they are absolutely incredible and was ideal for the Alice in wonderland wedding I was hoping for. We were so excited to get married here until 1 week before our wedding date we get an invoice that is over £2000 more than we owed. The wedding team were very rude and forceful of us paying this. We declined and managed to speak with their management who resolved the issue for us. Because of this we were aware their wedding team would still be running our wedding so we were quite nervous with how we would be dealt with on the day due to the staffs attitude previously. We booked to stay in the stone lodge the night before my wedding so it would be easier to transfer over in the morning as we live in Manchester. The stone lodge is cold, dark , outdated and bad odour smells. Not worth £400 to stay in! The morning of the wedding I was waiting for myself and family to be picked up by the buggy to help us get into keepers cottage where we could get ready. No communication from staff whether the cottage was open for us nor did they come to collect us to take us there. We drove down ourselves at half 9 which took time away from us getting ready as the ceremony was at 12pm. There was absolute chaos in the keepers cottage, the staff were letting guests wander into the cottage, even the groomsmen were entering while I was getting ready. I do not understand why this area was not closed off and guests were to use the separate entrance. There was no guidance for guests. I did not meet my wedding co ordinator until my bridesmaids were ready to walk down the isle. They were nervous I was nervous as none of us had been told what to do or how it was suppose to be. My flower girls ended walking down the isle with no music playing, my groomsmen and bridesmaids were told to sit on seats when I wanted them stood up for the ceremony. I walked down the isle and stood side by side my husband and was never advised where to stand. After the ceremony the wedding co ordinator went missing for 20 minutes so the registrar offered to take me outside for the confetti shot as she couldn’t wait any longer. Things just got way worse from there. Wedding breakfast was suppose to start at 2.30pm and I was still stood outside at 3.30pm with my guests all over the gardens. I went to find the wedding coordinator to ask why my wedding breakfast wine was being served to guests when we haven’t been called into the room and seated yet. She became very rude and replied I will go and do that now shall I. My family was shocked to see the behaviour from the lady who was suppose to be making sure my day ran smoothly. After this happens I get several guests coming up to me to tell me the toilets are disgusting, there is urine, poo and sick everywhere and the toilets won’t flush. I go to speak to the wedding co ordinator and she tells me there has been a burst water pipe and there has been no water all day and they are due a water tank to be delivered in half an hour. I was outraged that I was only finding out about such a major issue now. We were told we can cancel the wedding there and then or to ring the water board company. I tried to just get past this issue however after being seated for the wedding breakfast we were served food that was dry, reheated and not edible to eat. The childrens pizzas were burnt and reheated and they were served the thick cut chips from the canopies earlier. My maid of honour complained and said the kids could not eat this food and the staff said we have no extra food so we can not offer a replacement. After 5 minutes of begging the staff eventually came with 1 plate of thin cut chips for my Children to share. The dried lasagne was left by most guests and staff failed to take plates off tables for over an hour which left my guests to get up and walk around. I looked at my wedding falling to pieces and I just started to cry. I was rushed away by my maid of honour to fix myself up. We came back after half an our and was to by the co ordinates we need to do speeches while dessert is being served. I had no other option as time was getting late. People like the dessert however before they could finish as they were watching the speeches the staff came around collecting their plates off the table. This happened again when my evening pizzas was served. Staff were taking full pizzas that were untouched off the table back to the kitchen. We had our first dance at 9.30pm and it was husbands boss who had to call us to the dance floor as the wedding co ordinator was nowhere to be seen. We were given a butter knife to cut the cake which had all our guests laughing at us. Totally embarrassing that my pictures and video will show me cutting my cake with a butter knife! My son urinated in his underpants because the toilets could not be used by anyone. No water still running in the venue. We opened a bar tab over £3000 to try and lighten the mood of our guests however every time guests bought a drink and placed it on the table the staff would come and remove the drink. Why would you remove a full drink off a table. My sister in law caught the staff doing this and told them to leave the drinks where they are which then the lady knocked the table and all the drinks went over my sister In laws dress. The end of the night approaches and still no sign of the wedding co ordinated. I wanted to do my sparkler shot however all my guests had scattered off back to their cottages. Finally the bar tender came to myself and husband and informed us we can not stay In the north wing as there is no running water there. I was so upset but had no other choice than to spend the night in the cottages with my guests. We shared a cottage with husbands twin brother. What a great way to spend your honeymoon night. The next morning comes and we received a Phone call at 9.30am to say if we want breakfast we need to make our way to the north wing. They did not offer the option to come and serve our breakfast in bed where we were or even to come and pick us up to take us to the north wing. We declined as we had to be out by 10 am so we didn’t have enough time. The staff the next morning were very rude and had no compassion or sympathy towards the ordeal that we had been through. 3 days after the wedding guests started to become sick. Over half my guests have now tested positive for covid 19. We have vulnerable people in our family who are really ill right now and we believe this is due to no water running at the venue on our wedding day so staff and guest could not satanise properly and it’s caused us all to become sick. How can you prepare food in a kitchen with no water. How can you have guests use toilets with no running water? We contacted the venue by email to share our disappointment with what happened to us on our wedding day and how we were treated by staff. We are still waiting on a sincere apology from the wedding team and for this issue to be resolved appropriately. Our special day, our wedding we can never get back and totally ruined by combermere abbey. The amount of time and money spent to make our wedding day amazing and we just now feel deflated and let down massively when we had such high expectations from the venue. I would recommend anyone to stay clear from booking as you are guaranteed to have the wedding day you dream of with this wedding venue and team!!!

Michael & Fatima Murray

We were married at Combermere Abbey in April of this year, and from the minute we first stepped in the venue, we knew that it was everything we wanted for our wedding day.

It is a beautiful venue, with a true English country garden feel. A little off the beaten track, but close enough to everything you need to plan a perfect wedding day. The courtyard cottages are absolutely ideal for having guests stay on site - great accommodation, and excellent value considering the quality.

Diane, Ashleigh and the rest of the wedding team were absolutely amazing, and went above and beyond to ensure everything went smoothly. The accommodation team - both at the cottages and in the North Wing - made sure our guests had everything they needed throughout the stay. The estate team work so hard all year round to keep the gardens looking immaculate. We also have to give a special mention to Sarah and her family, who have put so much time, love and money into the Abbey and the whole estate, to create a true gem of the English countryside.

Whether you're looking to plan your wedding, or just somewhere to stay for the weekend, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend Combermere Abbey.

We had our wedding there on Friday and it was the most perfect day! Amazing venue all of our guests were so impressed! Thank you to all the staff you were fabulous!

Son and daughter in law's wedding. Beautiful setting for a wedding. Everything went perfectly. The cottages are so homely and comfortable. The glass house and pavilion so unique for the ceremony and reception. I would love to come back for a long weekend. I have nothing negative to say. Combermere surpasses all expectation.

My sons wedding yesterday and it was amazing and perfect! The staff and facilities are second to none and the cottages just as wonderful. The atmosphere was so relaxed and fun and the staff just made sure everything we wanted or needed was catered for and ensured the late arrivals were ok. Food was delicious and catered for all diets ! Can not say one bad word ! I would love to use Combermere for every wedding ! Thank you again for helping to make an amazing day:

Absolutely wonderful wedding venue. The team was so helpful making the whole planning process easy, and the day ran seamless. And the surroundings, completely stunning!! Thank you Combermere

Just had my wedding here and all I can say is that it was perfect. All the staff at the abbey work exceptionally hard to give you the wedding day you want. Nothing is too much and the facilities are fantastic.
Many thanks Comberemere Abbey.

Such a beautiful venue and fantastic staff from the very first enquiry to the end of the wedding day. Every little thing was thought of and felt like all the staff had a genuine interest in our day. This is high praise as I am an event coordinator myself so expectations were high but Combermere surpassed them! An unforgettable wedding and memories to last a life time. Huge thanks from Mr & Mrs Senior xox

We got married here on 1st September and cannot speak highly enough of the venue and staff. From day 1 the team were so helpful, very prompt in answering queries and seemed as though nothing was too much trouble. The venue is a real gem, it has so much character and is beautifully maintained. We came across it by chance but couldn't have found a more perfect place - our whole wedding party stayed for 2 nights in the cottages and had a fantastic time! Thanks Combermere!

We got married at Combermere on the 26/08/17 and we honestly couldn't recommend the venue and all the lovely staff enough. From all the help with preparations, to the support throughout the day it was fantastic and we had the most amazing day. Special mentions to Bev, Rachel, Ashleigh and of course Stefan who went out of their way to make sure everything was stress free and perfect! Emily X

I couldn't recommend this venue enough. It was beautiful and a dream for us to get married somewhere so lovely. Every member of staff is helpful and attentive and make your day feel extra special. Thank you a million times over! We'll 100% be back to stay in the cottages in the future. Love Mr and Mrs Blythe xx

We got married on Sunday 6th August and booked all the facilities including the glasshouse, pavilion, stone lodge, the north wing and the cottages for two nights. From start to finish everything was coordinated and organised to perfection. We had a great welcome with breakfast hampers and wine for ourselves and all the guests, the staff were on hand the entire day to guide us from our arrival to the day and then upon leaving. The guests absolutely loved having partying to the early hours of the morning at the cottages both before and after the wedding whilst taking lovely bike rides through the grounds before the ceremony began. The venue speaks for itself absolutely gorgeous! Stunning! We can honestly say we had the best day of our lives and in no small part thanks to everyone at Combermere. They were worth every penny and then some.

We had the most amazing and special wedding day at Combermere. We wouldn't have changed a think. Thank you for giving us a lifetime of wonderful memories of our wedding day. Diane was fantastic through the whole process. She was calm and reassuring and nothing was too much trouble. She gave many useful suggestions in the run up and on the day was brilliant, professional and unobtrusive. Thank you.

This place was literally my dream wedding venue, it is a magical place and a complete fairytale. I’m sad that I don’t have an excuse to keep popping in although I’m sure we’ll be back to stay in the beautiful cottages and I might have to pretend I’m getting married again and sneak to the wedding open days. I want to say a HUGE thank you to all the staff here for their help in making our day perfect. We didn’t have to worry about a thing. A special thank you to Rachel who was there with me every step of the way with my million questions.

A huge thank you to you all for making our wedding day back in September so perfect. A special thank you to Diane, Charles and Ashleigh too. Everything went so smoothly from the lead up and up until the day itself and that was down to the fantastic organisation and support provided from you all! Thank you again.