Where do I begin?

What a bunch of absolute legends.

Katherine and I got married in December of last year. After only getting engaged in August, we knew the next few months were going to be pretty intense. So we needed all the help we could get.

Enter, The Willows at the Woodmans. After viewing the venue for probably less than an hour, we knew this was the one.

Yes, the venue itself is absolutely gorgeous, rustic and intimate - the trio we were looking for from the outset. But what really sold it was the fantastic Ruth - our wonderful wedding planner. She was outstanding, welcoming and accommodating from the moment we walked through those doors.

Ruth actually encouraged us to look at other venues to compare and was extremely kind. We politely told her no, this is absolutely the one.

Over the next few months, Ruth was there to answer every question, as in-depth as possible and to relieve any excess stress from us. Her partner in crime, Fiona - the Batman to her Robin (or the other way round), was also there to help when Ruth wasn't around and was just as brilliant.

We had a bit of a nightmare with COVID related drop outs the week of, but Ruth and The Willows were unbelievably supportive through all of it and made the lead up to the day as easy as it could be, given the circumstances.

On the day, they were just as excellent. Of course, everything ran smoothly, looked stunning and the venue showed the highest standards of professionalism EVER.

But what really stood out on the day is the way Ruth and the team really, truly cared for me, Katherine and our guests.

Okay, the venue is a stunning running rustic gem. Yes, the food and drink is amazing. The views from the venue are incredible. However, the real standouts are Ruth, Fiona and the team at The Willows. They just have that something else.

If you're looking for a nice wedding venue with good food and nice interiors - go anywhere. But if you're looking for all of that, genuineness, excellence and that something more - you'll struggle to find many like The Willows.

PS:

If you're disabled. Book The Willows.

I have Spina Bifida and I don't use a wheelchair but my legs, back and the rest of my frame can get weary after a while. I also self-catheterise. Ruth made sure I was looked after and that my catheters were stored away safe, secure and accessible.

My nephew is also autistic and has sensory needs when it comes to food. She liaised with the kitchen to make sure his needs were met and was so so flexible.

Aside from The Willows being genuinely people focused and therefore, disabled-people focused, they have:

- A large disabled toilet (which is right near both the ceremony room and evening reception room), fitted with grab rails near the toilet and sink.
- level access to all areas of the venue.
- ramp access into the venue via the main entrance (into their Aviary Lounge) and leve access into the venue via the side door into the main reception room (2 disability friendly entrances - YES!)
- they allow guide / service dogs and are used to dealing with furry assistants!
- they're looking at getting specific disabled parking but they WILL reserve parking next to the venue for those that need it.

Anything else re. accessibility, whether it's needing chairs for those that can't stand long periods (sometimes me) or needing a quiet space for those with sensory issues - talk to them. They're class.

Also - Ruth and Fiona, you need to put your access info on your website / Facebook! Other disabled people need to know how brilliant you are.

We love you guys!
Drew and K. xxx

The Willows is truly outstanding! Great value for money, with the best team you could wish for. Beautiful venue/setting with the best food you'll ever have at a wedding! So many guests commented that it was the best wedding they had been to! Big shout out to Kayleigh, Kirsty and the rest of the team for giving us our dream wedding! BOOK NOW you won't regret it!

We booked the Willows at the very last minute with only 7 weeks until the big day due to having so many issues with our previous venue. The willows wasn’t built when we were initially looking at venues the year earlier but we would have booked in a heart beat had it have been! From that very first phone call with Fiona where I was panicking and extremely upset, she completely changed my whole experience. I very quickly realised how special this experience should have been all along and that was all thanks to Fiona’s fantastic work. The venue absolutely blew us away on the day and we literally had the most perfect day! All of the staff were beyond helpful and kind and even my suppliers commented that this was the best venue they had been to as the organisation and helpfulness was something they hadn’t seen before. The day ran without a single glitch and you would have never known that it was only organised 7 weeks prior. The food was incredible (so many people complimented it including one of our friends who is a chef himself and hard to please!!) and I felt completely safe and comfortable in the willows care. I honestly cannot thank Fiona and the team enough, no amount of words will ever be enough to describe to you how grateful we are for our special day! I would (and have) recommend this venue to anyone and everyone! It’s a compete hidden gem and the staff just make it all that more special! Thank you again!

We can’t thank Fiona and the girls enough for our fabulous day.
We had a small number of guests but we were made to feel just as important as any large wedding.
From start to end the process was brilliant, no fuss and no worries.
Venue is amazing, food is outstanding, staff are superb, we honestly couldn’t have asked for more.
Massive thank you to Kirsty who did a fantastic job with keeping the day going and just being a wonderful person in general.
We highly recommend choosing The Willows for your big day if you are in the North East, you will fall in love with the venue and make memories that will last a lifetime and have people talking about your big day for years to come.

Thank you so much for making our day!

Just Wow! We got married the The Willows on 18/11/23. The Willows is the most beautiful venue and flows so well on the day. Kayleigh and her team were totally amazing and went above and beyond throughout our wedding day, I cant thank her enough for keeping me calm when I arrived late and the bottom of my dress was filthy, Kayleigh was on her hands and knees, along with a couple of amazing members of staff scrubbing away. Everything about our day was just magical and that is down to the beautiful venue and all the amazing staff at The Willows. If we could do our wedding day all over again, we would do it in an instant and without question, we would pick The Willows as our venue of choice. We have had so many positive comments on our wedding day and venue. We highly recommend The Willows.
Kayleigh and team, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our special day was all we dreamed of and more. Kika and Trev xxx

We had the most amazing day from start to finish. The venue is absolutely stunning, the food is amazing and the staff are fantastic. We had so many positive comments from our guests. I would like to say a huge thank you to our wedding planners who made the whole process so easy (and for fixing my wedding dress when the strap snapped!).
If we could choose any venue in the country to redo our wedding, we'd still choose this one!

100% honest, 100% experts and 100% would use again. Great communication and nothing was too much trouble. Huge thank you for making our wedding day extra special ✨

We can’t thank the Woodmans enough for their service, organisation and support as we planned our big day here. The staff are SO friendly and kind and could not do enough for us! As expected, the food was absolutely amazing and the menu choices are great, lots to choose from and all equally as nice! The venue itself is absolutely beautiful and we were over the moon that our dog could join us for photos on the day too. Thank you to Fiona, Kayleigh and Kirsty and the staff who worked our wedding - you’re all amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On 31st March we had out wedding day, and wow what an amazing day it was! Our wedding co-ordinators were fabulous from the very start to the very end. We couldn't of asked for any more! The staff went above and beyond. The venue was clean, tidy, well managed, very organised. I'd 100percent recommend the Willows as a Wedding Venue.

My husband and I got married abroad and wanted a celebration party back home with all of our family and friends, so we held it at The Willows. Fiona and Ruth were amazing and an absolute pleasure to deal with from start to finish! They were so helpful and accommodating and nothing was a bother for them. I couldn’t recommend this venue highly enough. Not only is the place stunning but all of the staff are so attentive, friendly, helpful and go above and beyond. They genuinely care and want you to have the best day and experience. The venue, food, and standard of service far exceeded my expectations and we received compliments from all of our guests too. I would highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We booked had our wedding at the Willows, when it was nothing more than a shell. We had complete faith in Fiona and the team from the start. Nothing was too much trouble (despite many non-conventional requests)! All the guests loved the venue, and the food! We would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone, it will no doubt be very popular going forward. Thank you for the most wonderful day x

There are no words to explain how amazing the team are- nothing is too much trouble and every single person went above and beyond to make sure the day ran so smoothly. Thank you Kayleigh and Fiona for everything on the day. The venue is beautiful!! We had many compliments about the food and the venue! We couldn’t have imagined our day anywhere else it was perfect from start to finish.