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Weddings

About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2020

Last update: June 2023

The Secret Garden is a wedding venue located in Ashford, in the Kent region of England. As a family-owned and operated business, this establishment is committed to ensuring that your big day is unforgettable. Nestled in the Mersham Le Hatch Estate, the venue offers a picturesque, romantic, and tranquil backdrop for celebrations of love.

Facilities and Capacity

The Secret Garden is available for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Licensed for ceremonies of up to 90 guests, the chapel boasts stunning courtyard views. Meanwhile, The Glass House can accommodate ceremonies of up to 50 guests and seated dining for 24 people. This vintage glass greenhouse offers an intimate ambience for weddings and a private herb garden for an alfresco meal. The venue’s other outdoor ceremony spaces include the gazebo and terrace, located in the walled gardens. You and up to 90 guests can enjoy a three-course meal in the Main Coach House for your wedding breakfast. Once home to the estate’s carriages and horses, this structure was restored in 2006 to provide a warm and whimsical ambience. Through its double doors, you and your guests will find a terrace overlooking the walled Victorian gardens. This space is also suitable for evening receptions of 150 people.

Cuisine

The culinary team at this venue works hard to create a wedding meal that leaves a lasting impression. Their wedding packages include your choice of a three-course A la Carte menu, Kentish BBQ, Feasting Menu or Afternoon Tea. With evening food that truly offers something for everyone, including wood fired pizzas, gas pan paella, grazing tables and many more.

Services Offered

The event staff at this venue are dedicated to producing memorable wedding occasions. Their all-inclusive packages provide a wide range of event rental items and services. Before your big day, their team will provide you with planning advice to ensure a stress-free and smooth event. They are happy to manage table decoration and room set up for your convenience on the big day. The Secret Garden provides many event rental items, such as linens, tables, Chivari chairs, cake stands, easels, and vintage garden games. They also include the necessary dining equipment such as crockery, cutlery, glasses, and china. As a special touch, you and your guests can even play an assortment of vintage garden games during your event.

  • Woman-owned
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Frequently asked questions

Venue Type:

In the Country
Pub or Restaurant
Historic
Woodland and Festival
Outdoor License
Unique Weddings

Ceremony Options:

Chapel or Temple on site
Civil Ceremony Licence

Dining Options:

Seated Meal Facilities
Corkage Option
Allows Private Catering
Alcohol Licence
Buffet Meal Facilities
In House Catering

Evening Entertainment:

Dance Floor
Entertainment Licence
Live Band Facilities
Evening Reception Facilities
DJ Facilities

Venue Staff Assistance:

Wedding Coordinator

Venue Leisure Facilities:

Hairdresser
Beautician

Other Features:

Exclusive Use
Disabled Facilities
Car Parking
Confetti Permitted
Changing Room for Wedding Guests
Pet Friendly
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Do you have any questions?

Request pricing
5.0 out of 5 rating
Hitched Wedding Awards 2023 Winner
59 reviews
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples

84 User photos

59 reviews
Michelle
Michelle Married on 19/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding venue for us

When searching for our wedding venue, the Secret Garden was the first venue we visited and it immediately felt like us! We absolutely loved the beautiful garden and how natural and relaxed everything felt. It was also important to us to have our two little puppies with us on our special day, which was absolutely no problem for the team at the Secret Garden.

We got married there in August and had the most amazing day. Alisha and the team were outstanding and so organised. We did not have to worry about anything at all on the day and the team always made sure that we had everything we needed.

We were so happy with the food - we went for the feasting menu and it was not only delicious, there was also so much of it! We got a lot of great feedback from our guests, so thanks again to the chefs.

We had the best day and would highly recommend the Secret Garden to anyone! Thank you to Alisha and the team once again for the amazing day!
Andrea
Andrea Married on 28/10/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Venue & Team

The Secret Garden is such a beautiful venue and the team were so accommodating! Our day was truly incredible and that is all thanks to the team, their flexibility and professionalism. My vision was completely understood and I was so pleased when I got to see it all put together. The food was also incredible!! I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better day - highly recommend!
Peaches
Peaches A. Married on 29/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect venue

I had the most perfect wedding day at this venue. The staff went above and beyond throughout the whole wedding planning process and the day. The venue itself is beautiful and our guest couldn’t stop talking about how good the food was. Thank you so much for making our wedding day super special ❤️
Louise
Louise P. Married on 22/03/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Wedding Venue

We got married at the wonderful Secret Garden last week. Even though the weather was against us, we had the most perfect day. Josie and the team were outstanding with their attention to detail and ensuring that our vision for the day was delivered.

The venue speaks for itself, as it is stunning and is very special to us anyway, as it is the last place we had afternoon tea before my mum passed away in 2017.

The staff are very attentive and organised. They ensured that we had everything we needed and nothing was too much effort on the day. They went over and above for all of us.

The food was amazing and the feedback from our guests about the menus on offer was great, the best wedding food they've had! So, compliments to the chefs!

All in all we didn't want it to end. The glasshouse was very cosy and intimate once the sun had gone down and the perfect romantic setting for the evening.

We had the best day and would highly recommend the Secret Garden for a wedding!! Thank you to Josie and the team once again! ❤️ 💛
Alex
Alex Married on 08/11/2022
5 out of 5 rating

A Magical Venue

When searching for our wedding venue we stumbled upon the Secret Garden and knew straight away this was the one! We planned for an early November wedding with the idea to hold our ceremony in the Glass House and only our families attending. This meant that we only had 2 months to plan our special day, which turned out to be a breeze due to the venue taking care of all official procedures as well as catering, music and the setup.

Upon learning that the Glass House was not available for November, our plans and numbers have started evolving. Throughout this period of making and changing decisions almost every day, the team had always been very kind and patient. We ended up holding our ceremony in the Chapel at twilight and the reception in the Coach House during the evening. All the spaces were already so beautiful that we had minimal decoration, mostly candles and fairy lights, and it turned out truly magical!

A big hurrah to our coordinator Alisha, and all the staff who made us feel so special from the moment we walked through the beautiful orchard to the last moments of our night. We must also mention how great the food was, but especially the care given to accommodating our dietary requirements, which made us feel very safe.

Thank you to everyone at the Secret Garden for making this all possible!
Lauren
Lauren Married on 01/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The Secret Garden Dream Team

We just had the most wonderful winter wedding & it’s thanks to this incredible team of people that made it all possible. They put my worries to rest leading up to it with top notch organising and answering any burning question I had. From the small details of having my favourite drink of mulled wine ready for me as we finished the ceremony (I mean can it get better than that?!) To making sure everything ran smoothly throughout the day. We are both amazed by how everything turned out and saw how hard this team works. Thank you so much!! Xxx
Frances
Frances C. Married on 29/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Excellent professional and caring experience

Fantastic venue and staff. Absolutely magical wedding day. Highly recommend
Lily
Lily T. Married on 16/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The most stunning venue

We got engaged and wanted to book our venue straight away. I knew The Secret Garden was on our list, but we didn’t even bother viewing others. The first viewing, the venue was gorgeous, relaxed, pretty details, stunning gardens, pizza oven - what more could you want. Josie and Harry were both involved in the planning and they were both great, so friendly, quick at responding and plenty of patience when asking silly questions.
The day was incredible and we are so glad we booked here. Our guests commented that it was the best wedding food they had ever had! And having a gorgeous backdrop definitely helps for gorgeous photos. 100% recommended!
Lily and Charlie xx
Tracy
Tracy B. Married on 16/06/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Most amazing day

Really couldn’t fault the secret garden beautiful gardens
Absolutely amazing day
Great food
Would 100% recommend
J
Jasmine S. Married on 12/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Most amazing day ever !

We had our wedding here on the 12th august 2023 and what can I say it was the most special day I could ever of asked for . From them moment my partner arrived and then I arrived amy and alisha were on hand to talk us through what was going to hand and nothing was to much to ask. The bar and food staff were absolutely incredible so happy and provisional .
We choose to have the 3 course meal were guest had the choices between starters - Lamb kofta , pork belly and Cheddar Croquettes
Mains- beef , chicken and salmon
Desserts biscoff Cheesecake, brownie or creme burlee.
Then me had the evening bbq
And every single dish was incredible all my guest were absolutely raving about the food and are still talking about it .
The day ran so smoothly thankyou to amy , alisha and the team and made mine and my partners day one to truly remember and treasure for the rest of our lives.
D
Donna W. Married on 22/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect from start to end

where do I begin?
We have just returned from our honeymoon in Yorkshire and would like to say thank you to everyone involved in making our day so special.
Mike at boombox for getting everyone on the floor and dancing, the bar staff and waitresses for not only serving the guest but actually being part of the celebrations and being so warm and friendly.
The food was out of this world and we had some great comments regarding the food from our guest.

All in all everybody had a great time and this was down to everyone at the Secret Garden.
Thank you so much x
L
Lindsay S. Married on 16/08/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Lovely intimate wedding at the Secret Garden

We had a lovely day for our intimate (15 in total) wedding at the Secret Garden in August. The staff were helpful and friendly and went out of their way to accommodate our requests and make things special for us. We are so glad we chose to have our day there and would highly recommend it.
D
Danielle F. Married on 24/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

The most magical day!

Our wedding at The Secret Garden was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The team were brilliant, organised, so friendly and incredibly professional on the day. The venue itself is stunning, it really was the most perfect backdrop to our special day. We had a lot of guests saying how the food was the best wedding food they'd ever eaten. The events team were brilliant at supporting us with our vision and made for a totally stress free, magical experience for myself, my husband and our family and friends. Thank you to all involved!
C
Connor W. Married on 10/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The most precious day

We honestly had the time of our lives, the staff were on it all day, no complaints! They were always telling us what was going on, what was happening next, the food was absolutely amazing. We had some guests that didn’t normally like weddings who said it was the best wedding they’ve attended! The gardens and the florist was amazing. Harry and Josie were always so lovely and attentive, I could go on and on about our day but it was just up to standards, we still come for afternoon tea as we wouldn’t want to lose the memory of this place and beautiful location.
K
Kimberley S. Married on 26/10/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Wedding Venue

The Secret Garden was the perfect venue for our wedding. Harry and Josie were fantastic from start to finish. They helped us plan everything and were so relaxed and made us feel at ease. On the day the staff were incredible! They worked so hard and moved us through the day effortlessly, it never felt like us or the guests were being herded from one thing to the next. The food was delicious and the portion sizes were huge, I am a really fussy eater so was a bit nervous about the food but ended up loving every mouthful. Overall we had an amazing day and were so glad that we chose The Secret Garden.
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Badges

Hitched Wedding Awards 2023 Winner
Hitched Wedding Awards 2022 Winner

The Secret Garden Real Weddings

Kealiegh & Lauren
15 photos · 07/10/2023
Eylül & Alex
23 photos · 08/11/2022
Martine & Troy
15 photos · 30/08/2022
Chrissie & Nick
30 photos · 11/07/2022

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5.0 out of 5 rating , 17 reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating , 11 reviews
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Map

The Court yard TN25 6NH Ashford (Kent)
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