Fennes

Nice looking venue - shame about the management.

Failed to disclose a number of charges (like for the lights which are built into the ceiling in the disco - apparently you have to pay to turn the lights on!) when quoting. Trumped up a £250 charge for mopping sick in one toilet cubicle and unblocking a sink in a bedroom (refused to detail how you spend 20 man hours on a 5 minute job); got caught twice in inconsistencies in their stories to justify the charges; 'so sue me' was the tone of response on the phone.

So the staff tried hard on the day, the venue looks nice but the management are so far out for every penny they will make things up to charge more. Could have been a good experience but manager went out of her way to gain a bad reputation it would seem - would have been 5 stars without her intervention.

Also - venue co-ordinator got changed twice through process of marrying (which was only 4 months) with no handovers; and tap in the wedding cottage was so corroded it wouldn't turn off - leading to a midnight maintenance visit. Little of this was taken into account though of course with their made up, non-contracted charges.

Avoid.

Venue was lovely but was not amazing - you have to dress the venue up to get more of an impact.
Hidden costs - they attract customers with their cheap packages and then smack on the costs of every little item, even their chairs cost £7.00 each to hire. Be warned, it is not a package deal you're getting by the time you add everything up!
Customer service - absolutely below acceptable standards.
From the beginning, my initial planning meeting I had to chase the venue to find out who my wedding planner was. They do contact you to chase you for money but when it is the other way round, they are no where to be seen.
During the planning process there was a list of things I was promised by a previous wedding planner only to be told they would not be willing to offer what was promised to me.
Then the wedding planner left meaning I had no argument at all. The wedding planning process, was so stressful with The Fennes that my hair was falling out. We were back and forth for weeks, if not months, to try and get the invoices straightened out with everything included.
I was embarrassingly told by friends and family that staff were miserable on the wedding day, none of which were smiling, which I'd caught in some of my wedding photos and videos.
My 5 year old had to sleep on a broken bed and had a bad back for 4 days.
In the mornings you have to be off the premises by 09:30. Whilst I was still trying to leave at 08:35, the next bridal party were already onsite and making a racket up the stairs to get into their rooms.
My mum who had paid the £600 refundable deposit ended up being refunded not 21 days after the wedding as stated in the contract but 8 days more than the 21 days. Might I add, they did not refund us - we had to chase them.

And finally, the worst part about this whole experience was asking the 'senior' manager to simply apologise for all of the stress and problems that have happened throughout (yes - I actually had to ask!!!) and the response I received was unprofessional, extremely rude and degrading. She basically was calling me an idiot in her own words and belittling me as though I was something on the bottom of her shoe.

Go by the previous reviews, my wedding planner changed twice throughout and they pride themselves on customer service but there was 0 service. They NEED new management.

So, would I recommend friends or family to use The Fennes? Absolutely not. However, if they had a change of staff and made their hidden costs known then the venue is okay for the average wedding.

AVOID!!

Used Fennes on a dry hire basis. Everything ran as planned and was Fennes staff were helpful and accommodating of our suppliers. I don’t think they went above and beyond but then again it was only dry hire so not expected.

Hi Sue,

We just wanted to say a HUGE thank you, for making our day perfect for us. Everything was just as we wanted and the day ran so smoothly and we have no doubt, that that was absolutely because of you! You were so calm and collected on the day that it put us both at ease! You were brilliant both before and on the day and we can't thank you enough!

We've had so many comments from our guests on how lovely the day was, from the venue, to the staff and of course the food. A few people even said that the food was the best wedding food they'd ever had and we would agree. It was delicious! Please can you pass on our thanks and compliments to the chefs!

We would also like to thank everyone involved, from the point of viewing the venue and booking it, to those working on the Planning Nights, up to and including those working on Tuesday. It's been a stress free process and a pleasure to organise our wedding with you all. We didn't feel stressed at any point and that was down to the fantastic team at Fennes - so thank you!!

We literally cannot thank you all enough for giving us the best day ever! We just can't believe that it's already been a week - we wish we could do it all again!!

Wishing you all the best and we hope one day, we can visit Fennes, again as someone else guests!

Kind Regards,

Mr and Mrs Graham

Xxx

Thank you so much for everything you did for us on Friday! All of our guests have commented on how fantastic and professional the whole team were and that the service was amazing! The food was outstanding, and everyone is amazed that every dish was piping hot from start to finish. Nothing was too much trouble and we really appreciate how special you made our day.

Thanks once again,
Kirsty and Peter

We had an absolutely perfect day. Full credit to all staff both front and back of house for helping to make our dream wedding a reality and for treating our guests so well.
A special thanks to our Wedding and Events Manager who kept our day flowing so seamlessly. We will forever sing your praises and hope to visit as a wedding guest in the future.

We had our dream wedding at Fennes and felt completely looked after and comfortable in the care and safe hands of our friendly team we had on the day. Our Wedding and Events Manager was very helpful with all of the planning and was happy to talk through any queries or worries that we wanted to ask along to way!
Thank you!

You made it all very easy for us and relaxing on the day. We did not need to worry about anything.
So helpful, lovely place and lovely staff!

Our Wedding and Events Manager was amazing! She was very helpful and understanding which made us both so relaxed. The venue was amazing and loved every moment.
All staff were polite and kind. The Fennes DJ was great and again very helpful!
Thank you for everything and making our special day even better.

Our Planner and Wedding and Events Manager were excellent! They could not have been anymore helpful!
Our Wedding and Events Manger was excellent on the day, a clam support to both of us.
You are both a true credit to Fennes.

We had a beautiful day!
Thank you to all the staff who made our day very special!

We have an amazing day and couldn't have asked for anything more!
The staff at Fennes are amazing and do everything to ensure you wedding day is perfect!

It was a beautiful and stunning venue.
Very friendly and organised staff.
Thank you very much for everything!

The venue was magnificent, the staff superb and we would especially like to mention the chef and his team. The food was not only delicious but was served hot which is an achievement when serving almost 280 people.

I don't know how you controlled the weather - thank you - it too helped to make a fantastic day!

Our guests were very impressed with the smooth running of the day and we have received many compliments which we can attribute your organisation and management.

Once again we cannot thank you enough and shall have no hesitation in recommending The Fennes.

We got married here. In the run up to the wedding they changed our wedding co-ordinator twice in 3 months. The second time they notified us we responded to an out of office.
On the day the wedding went well. Venue was beautiful.
Unfortunately in the wedding cottage their tap was so corroded it wouldn't turn off leading to a maintenance call at 2 in the morning and no sleep. They wake you up at 8.30 and want you out of rooms by 9.
Then, they decided they wanted £250 (with no detailing of how you get such a high charge) for cleaning up sick in one toilet cubicle and sick in one sink. Vomit is gross, sure - but £250! Refused to acknowledge mistakes they had made throughout the booking and tried to hold up the charge.
Also throughout the process they sold an inclusive dry hire - then kept thinking of new charges they had never declared - like for use of the built-in speakers in the first pavilion; use of the disco lights that are built-in and which they said were included initially! Also a charge for a skip; a charge for your own caterer. All announced after the deposit in their hands. Could be a 5-star venue with new management. Don't trust them right now is my advice