Venue Showcase: The Ferry House

If you are looking for a spot with a relaxed and rustic atmosphere, homegrown menu, beautiful views and local drinks, then this might just be the one!

The Head of Sales at The Ferry House, Natasha, tells us more about this stunning barn venue.

Tell us about yourself!

Natasha accompanied by the rest of the staff at the Ferry House.

At the Ferry House we work really closely as a wedding team and there are 6 of us! We all love weddings and being a part of each and every couples’ special days. Four of us have young children and Emily’s dogs are like her children so it’s always busy! Another thing we all have in common is, of course, loving a good gin!

What drew you to the wedding world?

Most of the wedding team started off at the Ferry House in other positions and moved over to weddings. I worked Front of House for four years before I moved over to the office. Morgan has recently joined us from another venue but feels like she has been with us forever! We all love weddings and all get as excited as each other for a good one!

What part of your business are you most proud of?

The team 100%. Everyone is so passionate about everything they do, from front of house, to the kitchen team, garden team, housekeeping and without all of us we would not be able to pull off the amazing weddings that we do!

What do you think makes The Ferry House unique?

We are unique as we are not just a venue for your special day but somewhere you can come back to as a special place. We invite all couples back to our restaurant for a complimentary first-anniversary meal. We are all a real family at the Ferry House so it is really important to us that our couples feel that too. And it’s so lovely to see them come back and visit us, see how they are getting on and sometimes there are even some new arrivals!

What’s the most memorable wedding you’ve had at The Ferry House?

Bride and Groom stand with 4 dogs smiling.

One that does stand out was Vanessa and Robert’s day. They had four of their gorgeous dogs as the ring bearers with floral collars matching Vanessa’s flowers. They also arrived at the venue on a red London bus and Vanessa had three wedding dress changes. She looked fabulous in every single one. It was just a lovely, intimate family wedding, with outdoor ceremony and reception in the barn. Beautiful day!

Why should a couple book The Ferry House?

I think the couple needs to love the space and get that ‘the one’ feeling when they view, but we do offer something a bit different. We have accommodation for 70+ in luxury rooms and self catering barn cottages. We also have an extensive kitchen garden where we grow as much of our fresh produce as possible and on your drive in you will pass our family farm and Elmley nature reserve where our cows graze. We are situated right on the edge of the Thames Estuary surrounded by countryside with the perfect views.

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

Bride and Bride holding hands and walking.

The initial viewing is really important to get a feel for what sort of day our couples would like and what is important to them. We then have planning meetings to keep up to date with current wedding plans and we are always in contact via email and phone. We do also invite couples for a wedding tasting evening where they can try the food and wine for their wedding and this is a great opportunity again to hear about updated wedding ideas and plans.

What’s the best photo spot at The Ferry House?

The Brown Gazebo in the garden surrounded by chairs filled with people waiting.

This is a hard one, we have so many lovely photo spots! I think our sunsets by the water would have to be one of my favourites!

What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

The interior of the venue shows brick walls with an oak ceiling.

I think when the couple decide what is important to them and stick with that throughout their planning. I think also relaxing on the day and just enjoying everything they have spent so long thinking and dreaming about.

What is your #1 wedding planning tip for couples?

The bride and groom embracing outside under the wooden gazebo.

Enjoy it!! The day will go really fast so enjoy the whole experience of planning!

How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

We have been offering meetings via Skype/Zoom, calling all our couples to sort postponements and offering virtual tours for new couples. We rely a lot on technology normally, too. Lots of our couples are usually from further afield so if they can not get here for meetings etc, we do all this over phone or video calling. I think for inspiration and ideas for the couple, technology is great! With venues’ social media channels but also for general creative ideas from Pinterest.

Check out Bridebook’s Pinterest!

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

Inside shot of the reception room filled with wooden tables and chairs with lights adorning the beams.

Do your best to try not to stress about something you can not control. We have postponed a lot of weddings and suppliers have been amazing. We all want to work together to make sure we can hold your wedding day so we will do our very best for you. Your date might change but nothing else will.