Venue Showcase: Saltcote Place

Thinking about the wedding of your dreams? This magical venue has far reaching views, formal gardens, and exclusive use.

We talked to Paul, the Owner at Saltcote Place, to find out more about this unique venue.

Tell us about yourself!

We have over 10 years experience of planning both exceptional and intimate Celebrations. Weddings are an indulgent hobby we really enjoy. We choose to host enough Celebrations to keep the building well maintained and not so many that it loses the magic. We never do back to back and rarely do a wedding a week preferring to enjoy the engagement with our couples. It takes on average 18 months from initial enquiry to the big day, this gives us all time to enjoy pizzas and a few glasses of wine as we get to know each other as well as the inlaws and outlaws. The end result we often hear is “it’s like getting married at our mates place” that’s the objective, as a result we have made some wonderful friendships. In our private lives have other interests in property, commerce and software.

Bride and Groom stand in front of a big door filled with intricate details.

What drew you to the wedding world?

It’s amazing that anyone can have this much fun at your own home.

An archway that is part of the building serves as a place for the ceremony.

What do you think makes Saltcote Place unique?

It’s personal, we don’t pay sales people to be nice to our Guests, we take that pleasure ourselves.

How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

Pizza, Pasta, meals out and the occasional glass of wine. It’s not a conference or a works party – a Wedding is a Celebration of two families seeing the ones they love step out on a magical journey. We make sure in-laws and out-laws also come and see the venue so they feel as comfortable as the couple. This approach ensures everyone feels comfortable, these feelings end up with all of the guests knowing they are not attending a faceless hotel, the owners are engaged and it’s personal with nothing too much trouble. This personal approach is reflected in our TripAdvisor reviews where we have been Number 1 in the UK, No3 in the World and Number 1 locally for 11 years.

What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

Respect, great communications, a detailed plan that’s shared and understood by all parties including suppliers with regard to setup and exit times.

What is your #1 wedding planning tip for couples?

Relax – if you write down your plan in a shared space it will be perfect.

What do you love about Bridebook?

We recommend all of our couples use the app to simplify the planning process.

What’s the most memorable wedding you’ve had at Leez Priory?

A Princess from Ghana, the cultural differences, the colours and music and two wonderful families focussed on a magical celebration. Another equally magical celebration involved Aunty Vera who corralled the bridesmaids for a few days before the big day using prosecco and music to get the party started, from the after party brunch the day after and a few days staying locally made these Weddings memorable for the best possible reasons.

Why should a couple book Saltcote Place?

Bespoke Celebrations without a package in sight. Packages belong to the post office.

What’s the best photo spot at Saltcote Place?

At the end of the garden you can see the curve of the earth and see for about 30 unobstructed miles.

What part of your business are you most proud of?

The friendships we have as a result of Weddings.

How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Collaboration tools ensure there is only one Hymn sheet lead by the Couple guided by a partner and involving all suppliers.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to couples that are currently struggling amidst the COVID-19 crisis?

Never lose sight of what brought you together, be prepared to be flexible and to roll over if needed. We have rolled one couple over since 2018 and hope to see them get married in 2021. We have not increased their price.