We had our wedding at Elmhay Park on the Orchardleigh Estate on 21st June 2024. From the time of our very first speculative visit, to nearly forgetting our cake the day after and one of the staff coming to find us - the venue could not have done more for us.
Firstly to a few staff. Heather, our incredible coordinator, made our day so stress-free and smooth that we could just enjoy ourselves. She also kept on top of our planning in the run up (prompting us when we needed it!). Karl, who did our menu tasting and food, was incredibly supportive and flexible. We had a number of tricky dietary requirements and nothing was too much trouble. Finally, to Abigail and the rest of the lovely waiting and bar staff - who (despite a very late night!) were so incredibly friendly and lovely to all our friends and family, it really made the day.
What a lot of wedding reviews won't tell you is all the tiny touches that really make you feel special - from the R & R in chocolate on our puddings, the 5 minute break after the ceremony we got to spend together with some champagne (and eating personal canapes!), the hamper for our lodge the next morning, to being followed round with a personal prosecco pourer (thank you!), Elmhay really go out of their way to make sure that the couple have EVERYTHING they could need.
Massive thanks from us - it was perfect.
Robyn and Robin

David and I got married on the 18th February 2025 and our venue was the Elmhay Park. We had the most incredible and perfect day and would like to leave a review of our experience that will hopefully provide people reading this with the confidence to go ahead and book their wedding at this venue.
We would firstly like to comment on how welcoming kind and professional the team were at Elmhay Park. From the moment we read about the venue, we were put in touch with Heather who owns the venue and she met with myself and David and gave us a personal tour of the venue. Heather took the time to go through all of the possible options we could have and we were so impressed by the range of possibilities that would ensure our wedding day was perfectly matched to what we wanted. We knew as soon as we were shown around on the beautiful estate that this was the perfect place to hold our wedding. It is clear that so much love and attention goes into the running and maintenance of the venue and its grounds and as we walked around the estate and took in the beauty we were always greeted by the friendly staff. It makes such a difference to feel so welcomed and we were delighted that we had come across this venue and went ahead without hesitation and booked it. After we had made the booking, the communication was absolutely fantastic from beginning to the end of our stay. We were informed of timelines and when to expect to speak to our wedding co-ordinator who would help guide us through the planning. We were also invited along to the open day which was great for inspiration and speaking to suppliers and we were also given a food and wine tasting day which was excellent as it allowed us to try the delicious food from the wide range available. Everything is catered for, we had guests who were vegan and vegetarian and some had allergies but that was no problem at all, it was all taken care of.
We met Rachel Penny at the food and wine tasting day and after that, we then had an initial planning chat about the day. Rachel is one of the most kind and professional people we have ever met and it is largely because of Rachel that our day was the most perfect day of our lives. From the very start of our planning meeting Rachel went through everything with us to make sure we had exactly what we wanted on the day. Rachel was always there if we had any questions, her communication was exceptional, and it never felt like anything that I had asked was too much trouble. She was so accommodating whenever we had a query, and I had complete trust in her and any advice or recommendations she had. This makes such a difference planning a wedding as it can be a stressful experience, but this was not the case as we knew our wedding day would be everything we wanted it to be. As we were bringing our own decorations and setting up the venue (which was our choice) a few days before the wedding Rachel kindly let us have a run through set up just so we could see how we would want to lay the table out on the day. Rachel was there to make sure we had everything we needed and answered any questions. The day before the wedding Rachel was there to give us our keys and again make sure we had everything we needed. She was so attentive and on hand if we needed anything. On the day of the wedding, Rachel was absolutely fantastic. She was there from the early morning to check in and make sure we had everything we needed and brought in some bubbly and orange juice. She made sure I knew how to get in touch with her if we needed anything at all. She made sure all the guests were warmly welcomed and knew where to go. When we arrived back from the ceremony, Rachel was there straight away to greet us with some bubbly, she was so kind and attentive and made sure David and I were eating and had a drink, and were kept warm when outside (at one point I (the bride) had been outside for a while taking phots and she very kindly wrapped a blanket around me). I honestly felt that Rachel was like one of my bridesmaids and we both felt so taken care of- it can be quite fast paced with the photos and seeing everyone, so you forget to have a drink, or have some food, but Rachel made sure David and I had everything we needed. She also made a lovely and touching announcement as she introduced us as husband and wife when we entered for our wedding breakfast which we will always remember and cherish. We really do feel that Rachel is exceptional and deserves a special mention, thank you so much for everything, Rachel.
We would also like to mention how fantastic the team were during the reception drinks, wedding breakfast and in the evening. So many of our guests have commented on how the staff were so attentive and made sure everyone had drinks, made sure the food was perfect and so well presented. The barman on the night (sorry I didn’t catch his name) was so professional and everyone commented on how lovely the drinks were that he made (also thank you so much for making sure there was plenty of Guinness on hand)! We would also like to thank Chris (who also owns the estate with Heather) for driving myself (the bride) and my father to the wedding ceremony and then back with my new husband in his beautiful Rolls Royce. It was such an incredible experience sitting in the car on the way to Bath and back and Chris was so nice and friendly it was such a wonderful experience.

The food was incredible, we had two choices of starters, mains and desserts we went for the mushroom soup, baby camembert, roast beef and lamb, pecan pie and lemon cheesecake. They also provided vegan options and a children’s menu. The food was cooked to perfection and so well presented, we had so many comments about how delicious the food was and how quickly it was all served up to our guests. The team worked so hard to make sure it was all co-ordinated so that all of our guests received their courses in a timely manner. We chose the curry and burgers for the buffet options and these went down very well with our guests – it was great to have food at a later stage of the evening and also when our evening guests had arrived and could enjoy the food. Rachel also kindly cut up some of our wedding cake and put that out when the buffet came out so that guests could enjoy some cake too (we also provided take away boxes in case anyone wanted to take some away).
We would also just like to leave a review on the venue itself. Our reception was at the Elmhay park which is a stunning orangery with accommodation behind for all of your guests. This was perfect for us as we wanted somewhere where we could dance the night way without disturbing other guests but also somewhere where our guests could stay for the night that close by. The orangery itself is so beautiful so well decorated and plenty of space for everyone. We had drinks in the Italian garden which was also beautiful and great to have two different areas where guests could enjoy drinks and take in the gorgeous scenery.
We also organised coaches to take guests from the accommodation to the church in Bath and back and this was no problem at all to organise and meant the wedding party could check in, go to the ceremony and not worry about parking etc so if you are getting married off of the estate (although you can get married on the estate in the Italian garden or the beautiful church on the grounds) this could be a good option for you.
Golf was also included in the package we chose so my partner and wedding party guests enjoyed a day of golf on the Sunday before our wedding. The golf club was very accommodating in booking tee times in advance, the golf course was really high quality especially given we were married in the winter. The course wasn’t very busy as this managed well by the staff to ensure that we were never pushed or rushed and we could take time to enjoy ourselves. This was a great experience to share with the groomsmen ahead of the wedding.
Also included in the package was the castle and Lewis lodge the night before for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. David stayed in Lewis lodge which was cosy and had everything the groomsmen needed the night before and it was great to have separate accommodation that was also on site where they could get ready together. The castle was incredible, it was immaculate and we were we amazed by how big it was (although I had seen it when Heather had shown us around I’d forgotten how big it was ) but it has a large sitting area with a log fire, a large kitchen, plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms and a hot tub. We organised for a beauty therapist to come the night before who was also amazing (thank you Ally) to give us facials and massages- this was so relaxing and then we enjoyed bubbly in the hot tub!! This was such a lovely way to spend the evening before the wedding.
The guest accommodation was just behind the orangery which meant that we had 70 guests who could stay right until the end and then walk back to their cottage. The cottages were all so clean and tidy and all the essentials were included which was so helpful for when people are travelling from far away. As they were self-catered it also meant that the guests could bring any food they wanted for the day and morning after.
David and I stayed in the church lodge the day after the wedding, and we were given a lovely hamper by the team to take with us. This was such a nice touch and the lodge was beautiful, so cosy- we had a log fire and we decided to order a takeaway in but it was so nice to have this extra night just to reflect on the day and rest.

Thank you to everyone at Elmhay for giving us our dream wedding- we cannot recommend booking your wedding here enough!

We got married at Elmhay park and what a perfect day it was! Thank you so much to Rachel and the rest of the team at orchardleigh estate. Throughout the whole process they were on hand and made sure the day ran perfectly. Rachel is a fantastic wedding coordinator who made me feel at ease on their big day. Making sure not only the Bride and Groom had everything they needed but also going above and beyond for our 100 guests. The venue, packages, food and accommodation is unbelievable, we still can’t believe how lucky we were to find such a beautiful place, it was everything and more we could have wished for.

We got married on the 1st June 2024, at Elmhay Park. Our friends, family and ourselves had the best day ever! It was beautiful and they’d got everything down to the fine details! Rachel, our wedding coordinator put in so much effort, not only on the day but MONTHS leading up to the wedding, we cannot thank her enough! The venue offers everything in one big package, which is the one thing we wanted when looking for a venue !! The food was to die for, and their menu choices were extraordinary! The staff were amazing, one lady made sure she came to see myself and my groom to make sure we’d eaten some canapés at the drinks reception! All these little touches made the day that extra little bit special! The cars were fantastic, and the helicopter ! That made it! They got all the guests outside waiting for us to arrive! Our guests all loved being in the same place to stay the night of! There is so many touches that makes the day run so smoothly!! There is so much I could write, but I’ll save you a novel!
What a venue ! Look no further!!

Where do I start...
It was the best day of our lives. We spent a lot of time picking a venue for our wedding that suited both of us, we wanted something exclusive and beautiful, Elmhay Park was exactly that. We originally had a tour before booking, and it was best we had (and we saw a lot) it was very relaxed but really informative.
We loved the fact our guest could stay with us, ideal as we live 2 hours away.
The three day package sold it for us, we wanted to relax the night before, then having a cottage for us relax the night after was amazing and well needed. Owner said to us on our tour that why would you want to rush after breakfast when you can relax and enjoy it even longer. It was perfect to spend time just us.
It was also ideal for us that there was no wedding on the night before, meaning they let us set everything up night before.
Annamarie our wedding coordinator was amazing- she literally couldn't do enough for us. Even for a bride who was very picky and wanted our napkins folded a different way, she was there on her day off making sure they were exactly what I wanted. She made the day run so smooth that I didn't have to do anything. She accommodated everything, even when a family member had an accident the night before.
She kept me updated, and was quick to reply to any questions I had.
We highly recommend going for a food tasting before the wedding, we had such a lovely afternoon tasting samples of the chefs options. Even with a set menu they where willing to alter and accommodate both our tastes, especially for myself who is gluten and dairy free. The food on the day was even better than expected, all our guests were very pleased.
I highly recommend this excellent venue if you want something exclusive, beautiful and private.
Thank you Annamarie and Team

We had the most amazing wedding at Elmhay Park at Orchardleigh Estate on 05/08/24 .. everything from start to finish was absolutely perfect! We were there for 3 days and couldn't fault 1 thing. We were taken care of every step of the way. A huge shout out to the BEST wedding coordinator Rachel Penny. She guided me every step of the way & has genuinely became such a good friend. She is the best of the best!! Thank you everyone at Elmhay Park for giving us the best day of our lives.

We had our wedding reception at Elmhay Park in May 2024. From start to finish the team were brilliant and so helpful. We had many silly questions but they were always happy to answer. The venue is beautiful and we would recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors and is looking for a picturesque venue with both indoor and outdoor spaces. The food was fantastic and the staff were even better, with particular thanks to Rachel for going the extra mile in making our day so special. Thank you Elmhay Park team!

This was the perfect place to host our wedding. An amazing and generous space. It was perfect for our young family, plenty of space for the children to run around safely.
The facilities were well kempt and just so beautiful in the photos and in real life. The Italian garden and the orangery was such a romantic setting. The castle and the stables were great spaces to get together and entertain before the big day.
Rachel our wedding planner was the best! She and the staff really catered to our needs, and kept in touch with us from the time we booked and put our deposit, right through the morning of the wedding. She told us where to go and what was happening, most of all she kept us topped up with drinks while we were running around greeting guests and taking photos.
We cannot thank you enough for helping us make the day run so smoothly. Such an amazing venue.

Attended my cousins wedding at Elmhay Park just fabulous the setting is out of this world. We had the ceremony in the Italian Garden so intimate and romantic. The reception was in the Orangery with fabulous food it was outstanding as was the service, nothing too much trouble. We stayed the night in one of the beautiful cottages only a stones throw from the reception. Well done Elmhay and staff just brilliant.

My daughter was married at Elmhay Park it was fantastic the setting is wonderful and easily accommodated our 250 guests the food was superb and quick, the service and great nothing too much trouble and the accommodation was a few steps away and very comfortable. A big thank you to Heather and her team.

Overall it is stunning venue, it poured with rain at our wedding but the Italian Garden is a great bad weather option and the gardens still look stunning in the pictures. The bar staff were great in the evening and our guests had a lot of fun talking to them. Elmhay were very flexible and our wedding coordinator was great on the day.
Elmhay offers the 3 day package which for us wasn’t practical. It adds stress to the day as we were trying to get ready for the wedding/in your gown while moving location. We were lucky that we didn't have a wedding the day before so were able to get into the Castle and Lewis Lodge from 12 on the day before which was a huge help but I still believe my personal preference would be to have not moved as much. I would recommend finding out when Elmhay would stop taking bookings for the day before/after. We also had a 3 day wedding, drinks night before at the Flying Flome, wedding day and drinks at a local pub day after (The Royal Oak Corsley) therefore our guests did not want to stay on the village due to the one day accommodation rule. It is also a 10am check out the day after the wedding, which is early when it’s been a late one!
Other practicalities of the accommodation is Castle West only has one shower, it also doesn't have a large bedroom which can be used for bride dressing shots. There is very little phone signal at both Lewis Lodge and Castle West and Castle West has Wi-Fi but it is not great - this makes bride and groom conversations very hard on the day/day before. We had an issue in that Castle West didn't have heating and when I text the emergency contact we did not get a response, the Garden House also didn't have working heating and the Church Lodge didn't have a working hot tub. I would recommend asking for instructions to these and an emergency contact.
Our main feedback is regarding communication as it was not as you would like in the lead up to a wedding. We got our wedding coordinator 3 months before our date but due to annual leave didn't get to speak to her and spoke to the wedding coordinator of Orchardleigh House only 2 months before the wedding - this added to the stress of a wedding as we then had to update all suppliers. In the end we ended up having the Orchardleigh wedding coordinator and she was great but again this was not confirmed to us by Elmhay and we had to ask for confirmation ourselves. Overall they know how to run weddings which probably results in the relaxed timings/organisation/communication but as the bride and groom it can be stressful, e.g. we were sorting out dietary requirements the week of the wedding which I believe should have been sorted long before then. We also had an issue following the wedding in which we had to send a large number of email/ phone call to get any form of response from Elmhay, which was frustrating and poor service.
On a separate note, it is very hard to get taxi's in Frome which we were unaware of. They need to be prebooked before 9pm which defeats the perk of being able to carry on as long as you would like if guests are not staying on site. We ordered a return coach as most of our guest stayed at the Premier Inn which was great but was an added expense and guest could not leave as they wish.

Our wedding day was better than I could've imagined. Our guests were happy, everything ran to time, the sun shone despite every single day around our wedding being torrential rain!!! The hospitality staff on the day were brilliant - attentive and polite. I wouldn't change a thing, as it really was the best day of my life.

However, I do want to share some of my less positive experiences so other couples are fully aware. Communication from the office team wasn't great, both in terms of speediness as well as attitude. I often felt as though I was making their job difficult (even when asking simple questions) with the tone I got on the other end of the phone. The lady who ran the cottage accommodation booking, I believe her name was Sarah, was great. I mostly communicated with her via email, and she was always quite quick at replying and very polite.

Our assigned wedding coordinator, AnnaMarie, did not impress me. On our first planning meeting, she was late. No forewarning, we had to ring the office to be told (quite bluntly) "She's on her way". When she did arrive, it was all taken as a bit of a joke and no apology was given. However, the meeting went well otherwise and she seemed on it which eased my initial concerns. She told us multiple times during the meeting we would receive our typed up itinerary that evening - two weeks later we still hadn't received it. Our wedding was still a couple of months away, so I avoided chasing but after two weeks I felt it was appropriate to check-in, to which I was told I'd receive it the next day. Two days later, I still didn't have it.

When we finally did get the document, there was no apology for the delay. At this point, I'm starting to stress about how she would be on our wedding day, but lots of other reviews priased her highly so I used that to ease my worries. We were told by AnnaMarie that she would come and see my first thing on the wedding day, and then be around for whatever we needed throughout the morning prep, and of course during the wedding itself. I, the bride, did not see her until 1pm (an hour before the ceremony). My now husband went to the reception room in the morning with his best man, as they wanted to check some things out ahead of the speeches. AnnaMarie was nowhere to be seen, and even when they rang the office and were told she would be there soon, she did not appear.

During the wedding reception, our MC tried to find her multiple times for various things, including to ask the canapes to speed up (only negative on the hospitality, the canapes came out on one tray every 15 minutes - not quick enough to feed 90 hungry guests!! We asked the kitchen to speed this up and were told "this is how we do weddings, don't worry"). She was rarely anywhere to be seen during this time, and then at around 8.30pm she came to me and said she was leaving and the bar staff would look after us for the rest of the evening.

Long story short, I was not very impressed with her throughout our planning or on the day itself. I am borderline OCD when it comes to planning, and so had thought of EVERYTHING when it came to how I wanted our day to go. Our day was perfect, no thanks to AnnaMarie. If you are a big planner, and are confident you could "run" your wedding without a coordinator, go with Elmhay. The venue is stunning, the food is to die for and you will look back at memories fondly.

If you want to rely on a wedding coordinator, that you have paid for might I add... don't book here. Your wedding day should be stress free and someone else should be responsible for running around making sure everything is perfect - other venues will ensure you get just that!!

Our day was just perfect, everyone complimented the venue, food and service Elmhay provided on the day. They came to us as soon as we went into the garden after the ceremony ensuring we had drinks and canapes before the guests had entered the gardens which was great, asked us throughout the wedding breakfast if we needed more drinks, if the food was ok and were generally just lovely. I couldn't thank Clare and Lena enough.
Unfortunately though, the lead up to the day was made extremely stressful with no thanks to the managers at Elmhay, communication was poor and there was details about our day that we didn't actually find out until the morning when Clare told us (even though I had called Orchardleigh and emailed our original coordinator multiple times asking the same questions). The coordinator made me cry from being so unhelpful at our itinerary meeting 6 weeks before with a lot of comments like "don't worry we have done this before"... Yeah well guess what, I haven't so tell us what's going on!
They also straight up lied to us in the itinerary meeting, saying we were unable to have banquet tables and that we had to redo all our table plans unless we were hiring the tables and then the week before our wedding, posted on Facebook "look at our beautiful banquet tables for the wedding yesterday". I left a comment asking if the tables were hired or supplied by them and my comment was deleted! Contacted the venue stylist who confirmed these were Elmhay's tables!
On the day, during our ceremony, the couple in the House hired a helicopter, which is fine but the communication between the house and Elmhay Park are obviously lacking as the helicopter took off next to our ceremony DURING our ceremony so now our video is spoilt by the sound of a helicopter and our guests shouldn't hear what the registrar was saying! They literally just needed to wait 5-10 minutes and we would have been fine 🤦🏼‍♀️
Overall, the venue is beautiful but points to take into consideration, if you are getting a venue stylist you are probably fine but if you are doing the coordinating of suppliers etc yourself, Elmhay are not easy to get answers out of, you won't hear from them regularly enough in my opinion and little things like the Facebook comment deletion, helicopter take off next to the ceremony, wasps EVERYWHERE, really did stop our day being as perfect as hoped, especially for the huge amount of money this venue cost.

We held our wedding reception at Elmhay Park in March 2022 and were able to spend a lovely weekend with our nearest and dearest.

We were initially drawn to Elmhay due to the whole 3 day package that was on offer. This fitted perfectly with our plans to have a wedding where we could make the most of every moment with our friends and family, whilst minimising the stress and travel for them as much as possible. The idea of having accommodation onsite for all 3 nights of the package was extremely appealing, and the thought of the bride staying in a castle the night before probably helped us to visualise the start of our fairytale wedding. It meant that for the Bridal Party, the occasion could be an entire weekend rather than just a single day.

Due to booking the wedding through lockdown, we initially viewed the venue via a virtual tour with Heather. This was helpful enough for us to view the key parts of the venue in challenging times and gave us enough of a flavour to make our decision. Once the lockdown had lifted, we were then able to view the venue in all of it’s glory and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision.

A couple of months before our day, we were able to visit Elmhay again to try the different options for our wedding breakfast meal. This was a fantastic opportunity to see the venue with tables set up, and also sample all of the possible menu options. Finding options that will be great for all guests is never easy, but the tasting experience allowed us to be confident in our choices as well as have many of our questions answered.

The tasting day also gave us the opportunity to meet Karl, the fantastic General Manager. Karl is extremely knowledgeable of the venue and eventually ended up being our Master of Ceremony. And what a fantastic job he did over our wedding weekend. Nothing was too much trouble and he was always contactable to help us with anything we required (even helping with turning on the heating in the castle in the middle of the night).

The decoration of the venue on the day was fantastic, meaning that all we had to do was deal with arranging our own table centres. This was supported by delicious food and fantastic service throughout the day.

The opportunity for the 3 day package made the occasion even more special. After a wonderful day with all of our guests, it was amazing to be able to stay on site and spend some time together, relaxing and reminiscing about the day. I think that this addition is a really wonderful idea and helps you to get everything out of the occasion that you can.

We were very struck by the flexibility showed by Heather and the team at Elmhay. They really are able to adapt to however you want your day to run, giving you access and freedom across the locations to arrange them and utilise them as you wish. This is really helpful as so often we had a vision for the day and their flexibility allowed us to bring that to life.

The only negative that we could point to is that it was sometimes difficult to contact the team. We put this down to being busy with all of the rearranged weddings after COVID, however, when it came to the main event, we cannot fault the team at all. They were constantly accessible and charming throughout.

Without a shadow of a doubt, our special day was made more special by the experience put on at Elmhay. Our guests have commented on how fantastic the venue and food was and that is also the lasting impression that we will take from it.

What an amazing venue! Our magical adventure began the night before the wedding at Orchardleigh Castle. Relaxing in the hot tub and enjoying the beautiful views prepared us all for the big day. On the day of the wedding our fabulous co-ordinator Karl ensured that everything ran smoothly and helped calm any nerves. All the staff were amazing and every-one commented on how good the food was. As a mother of the bride I could not have asked for a more perfect day for my daughter and her new husband. A special thank you to Nic for all her help organising the wedding, Jacqui for being so amazing with the accommodation and Karl and Lena for all their help on the day. A huge thank you also goes to Chris the owner for making their dreams come true.