Orchardleigh Estate Reviews
Reviews
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![Ariana]()
Ariana Sent on 27/09/2025Gorgeous Venue
Orchardleigh was the perfect balance of elegance and beauty. We loved our venue, the grounds were stunning and the rooms were palatial - really amazing value for money.
The staff were friendly and so helpful and everything ran smoothly with the help of our coordinator. Our wedding package was exactly what we needed with the boat house following the big day to relax and unwind.
So so happy to have had this as our wedding venue! -
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![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 25/09/2025Absolutely Perfect Wedding Day!
Well, where do I start! We had the most perfect wedding at Orchardleigh House on 1st September.
We chose the three day wedding package and it was all wonderful.
The day before, the groom (my now husband) and some of our guests did clay pigeon shooting, archery and golf in the grounds whilst I and some other guests decorated the ballroom ready for our wedding. Then 20 of us had a lovely meal together in the Peacock restaurant with great service and very helpful and friendly staff.
The bridal party, groom and some of the groomsmen then had drinks back at our Castle Room before the men were sent away (they didn't want to go 😂).
On the day of the wedding, myself and the bridesmaids were allowed into the house early to start our hair and make-up, as there was no wedding the day before.
We had planned to have our ceremony by the lake but our lovely wedding coordinator, Rachel, came to see me early to discuss the weather and we agreed the ceremony would need to be inside (She had also met with us the day before, and discussed the possibility then). I was disappointed and also worried that we had decorated the ballroom and now everything would need to be moved for the ceremony but Rachel calmly reassured me that the indoor ceremony would be beautiful and the decor would go back exactly the same. She was not wrong - everything was perfect!
After the ceremony we were lucky that the sun came out and we were able to have some photos and video in the beautiful grounds.
When it came to the wedding breakfast, we could not fault a single thing. The food was excellent and the waiting staff were very friendly, even dancing along to our music as they brought in the dishes 😍. They coped well with all the different choices - we didn't make it easy for them by giving our 80+ guests several options to choose from! Thank you Karl and staff!
In the evening, the various rooms made it great for all our 140+ guests. Lots were dancing in the main ballroom/library whilst others enjoyed sitting in the Morning Room, playing snooker or propping up the bar 😄.
Nick and I were still too full from the Wedding Breakfast to eat from the hot evening buffet but our guests who did eat said it was delicious.
We partied until 3am and the bar staff were honestly the nicest we have ever met, so friendly, and went above and beyond, even making sure an elderly relative found his room.
The next day we had breakfast around 10am in the Peacock restaurant with 40+ of our guests then stayed with a few for coffee before retreating to the beautiful boathouse for our overnight stay. What an absolute treat that was, so tranquil and relaxing - we wished we could have stayed longer.
The next morning we went up to the house and bumped into the owner, Chris. He asked about our wedding and we gave him our positive views. We did also give him some feedback regarding the house room bookings process and he was very receptive to our comments.
To sum up, we could not have picked a better
venue for our wedding. Rachel, Karl, other coordinators, catering and bar staff were all exceptional and we really appreciated their friendliness, flexibility and organisation. Everything went like clockwork.
Many of our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to and for us it was the best day ever! 💕. We even got a double rainbow!! 🌈🌈
Rachel and Nick - Wedding at Orchardleigh House 1st September 2025 -
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![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 27/07/2025A wow factor venue that will impress your guests.
We had a wonderful weekend at Orchardleigh it what was probably the hottest weekend of the year (July 12th). We were fortunate that there wasn't another wedding on the Friday night so our guests were able to stay in the house the night before the wedding. It's a brilliant venue if you are looking to spend a little more time with your guests over a weekend.
Peacock & Stag restaurant - We booked here for dinner from 7pm for around 50 of us. This is a lovely setting where people could sit outside and catch up before the wedding. The service and staff were wonderful and the food was great (we opted for a buffet of the chicken tikka and lasagna which came with salads, naan bread, and garlic bread). Abi's mum was attentive and checked in with me throughout the night. Our guests came back to the Peacock the next morning for breakfast .
The bridal party stayed at Castle East the night before. I appreciate it's a very old building but we encountered several issues there. We noticed lots of ants in the kitchen but the estate manager, Karl, came over very quickly with some ant powder that evening. The downstairs bathroom was quite honestly grim. We had woodlouse on the shower tray as the wood was rotting behind and generally needed a deep clean all over. I think all of the windows at Orchardleigh had dead flies, wasps, cobwebs in the windows. I appreciate it's a big house but it just shows that it's constantly overlooked by the cleaning team as they're quickly working to get the next party in.
Mervyn was our wedding coordinator (it would have been nice to have been introduced a little earlier) as we only spoke a few days before the wedding. He was brilliant on the day as we had a drama with the photographer not showing. Once that was sorted and he helped sourced a local couple, he worked his magic behind the scenes and ensured that the guests were sat outside as late as possible (due to the intense heat).
Like other couples have mentioned the communication overall isn't perfect. The team are very flexible which is great, any request you have is fine, if you want to bring in your own drinks they're happy, but getting hold of them - is a challenge! I wouldn't waste your time emailing, call or even better get their mobile number and send a text.
The food service was spot on, everything came out on time and my husband and I both felt the food was better than we had at the tasting.
Staying at the Boathouse on the Sunday was exactly what we needed after the wedding. We were both exhausted but were able to recharge here. You couldn't see or hear anyone else there and it provided a wonderful opportunity to relax, open our wedding cards and catch up about the day. We went out to Frome in the evening for dinner and then came back to enjoy the hot tub.
Our guests loved the venue, we had quite a large group from overseas who had never been to an English wedding so they were blown away by the grandeur of the house and grounds. With the outdoor setting it didn't even feel like we were in Somerset but somewhere abroad. A real plus with this venue is to have guests stay overnight in the house with you. I would happily recommend this venue to others. -
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![Peter]()
Peter Sent on 10/04/2025An absolutely wonderful day
Firstly, our marriage ceremony at St Mary's Church within the Orchardleigh Estate was magical, everything went exactly as planned.
A special thank you to Rachel Penny our coordinator who put up with a lot of toing and froing with our arrangements.
On the day, Rachel was amazing, she made announcements with the upmost professionalism and respect.
We could not fault anything, the weather was amazing, the wedding breakfast was delicious (thank you Carl & Claire), the layout of all the tables was perfect and all the waiters and waitresses did a great job.
Our bridal suite was beautiful and so was the boathouse which we stayed in on the night after our wedding.
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![Frank]()
Frank Sent on 02/10/2024Our Disappointing Experience with Orchard Leigh Estate – Beware Before Booking!
At first, my partner and I were impressed by Orchard Leigh Estate during our initial visit. However, this quickly changed once we paid our deposit. From that point on, the service completely deteriorated. We were handed a mountain of paperwork with minimal guidance, leaving us to navigate the process alone. While we understand that planning a wedding involves details, we felt as if our role had shifted from clients to mere numbers.
Communication was extremely poor. Despite numerous emails, they consistently addressed me by the wrong name—calling me Richard instead. Aside from payment requests, it was near impossible to get a response or any meaningful engagement from their team. This lack of professionalism led us to cancel our wedding. As a result, we lost around £2,000, despite our efforts to request a partial refund through a polite, well-worded complaint, which was entirely ignored.
Since canceling, we’ve visited other venues and spoken with experienced wedding coordinators. To our surprise, several of them openly frowned upon hearing that we had considered Orchard Leigh, with some even stating that they refuse to assist clients who choose to get married there due to the venue’s reputation. That alone speaks volumes about their standing in the industry.
In summary, we feel we were sold a dream during our initial consultation, but once the deposit was paid, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Losing £2,000 is not just frustrating; it’s a lesson we hope other couples won’t have to learn.
Please do your research thoroughly before booking with Orchard Leigh Estate. We sincerely hope others avoid the disappointment and financial loss we experienced. -
![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 13/08/2024The dream wedding venue
If you’re looking for the dream wedding venue, look no further.
We will be forever grateful to Annamarie our coordinator, Chris and everyone at Orchardleigh for ensuring that our wedding was everything we dreamed of, and more.
From the initial itinerary meetings, to answering questions throughout the planning process and then on our big day, nothing was too much to ask, and the team really ensured that the whole day was smooth running and exactly as we wanted it to be.
The drive up to Orchardleigh, the house and the gardens are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Our guests even mentioned on the day just how spectacular it was ‘It’s like Bridgerton!’ The 3 day package was absolutely incredible and really helped us to make the most of celebrating our wedding with our family and friends. Orchardleigh’s team go above and beyond and there really is no more beautiful setting to get married than here. There was no stress in the planning process and everything went perfectly to plan on the day, and that’s all thanks to the wonderful people behind the scenes. Thank you, our wedding day was truely the most incredible day of our lives. -
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Sarah Sent on 09/08/2024
Stunning venue
We married at the Orchardleigh House part of the estate and what a wedding it was.
Truly amazing day. We were well looked after.
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