Broadoaks Country House

In November 2023 we got married at Broadoaks. During the time frame between signing the contracts and having the wedding the venue changed hands and are allegedly 'A different business in all but name' and 'none of the staff involved in the wedding are still employed' which is concerning only 10 months after the event if this is true please keep this in mind when reading reviews of the venue that mention staff members going above and beyond, but also take it with a pinch of salt as staff members who were involved in our wedding are mentioned by name in reviews posted on Google a few weeks prior to me writing this. Also, please be aware that the venue has asked me to delete my negative reviews. It had taken 10 months to post my review as a combination of waiting for a formal response from Broadoaks and reaching a point where the sadness and dissapointment from my wedding day had healed enough to allow me to write a factual review. I do not want to take away from the fact that Broadoaks is a truly beautiful venue, in a beautiful location. Which is what drew us to book it originally, however whilst management have assured us that these issues 'will not happen again' I would urge any future couples booking Broadoaks to be aware of the following so that they can plan their own wedding according to avoid the same dissapointment we felt. I will write out the complete list of issues below but the main 4 to consider (the first of which Broadoaks is yet to admit to or apologise for despite extensive evidence) are; - Despite multiple meeting regarding my concerns with food safety with a guest having a severe hazelnut allergy, Broadoaks served Nutella with the breakfast. Causing the bride and groom to miss out on their own breakfast as they rushed around to collect it. - Bleach left on the floors caused damage to the Bride's dress and shoes pre ceremony and the Bride's veil was damaged by staff handling it carelessly. - Despite the contact and multiple reassuring meetings, the venue was not exclusive use. - Multiple changes and incorrect prices put on contracts. We got married at Broadoaks in November and had problems almost from the time of booking. When we reached out to the venue to come to a resolution we were offered a free of charge one night stay which when compared to the list of problems we experienced does not match up. When we highlighted that we had not received multiple things that were in the contract we were told that this wasn't their problem as the contract was with the previous owners and not themselves, although the contract states 'Broadoaks' and no specific owners. Please see below for the list of problems. - When we were sent the contract the price was £750 more than what was agreed, Broadoaks stated this was an 'error' and corrected it. - After booking and confirming everything Broakoaks stated that the times they had advised for the ceremony and the evening were not compatible. - We sought clarification from Broadoaks that we would have exclusive use and allow for set up time, this didn't happen and subsequently we struggled to set up due to stragglers from the day before. - We were advised that there was on site parking for 100 cars, this isn't true and includes local lanes. - 9 months before the wedding we received an email stating that the price of food packages would be increasing, despite us having in writing that this wouldn't be happening. - there was often delays in confirming that deposits have been received. - When we added the garden suites onto the booking, once again the price was incorrect on the contract. - 2 days before the wedding we received several phone calls from the venue confirming things that we had submitted on paperwork weeks prior that we had been rushed to submit because of the coordinator going on holiday. * Day of wedding Problems * - When the groom arrived the member of staff was rude to the groom when he queried why there was still the wedding party from the previous day on site. - The retreat had been booked for the bride to get ready, it was not ready and the Bride had to wait on the drive for 30 minutes with guests arriving, despite the plan for getting the key being discussed at length in the planning meetings. The staff never brought the key down. - The floors of the retreat were covered in bleach water which discoloured both the bride's dress and the wedding shoes. - The groom's getting ready room was also not ready for 1300 despite being one of the 'guaranteed' rooms. - Halfway through the day the wedding coordinator changed to someone the bride and groom had never met, this caused multiple problems, including not enough cake being served. Several Guests questioned if this was the first wedding this coordinator had ever done. - Staff were stretched over multiple areas, leaving the guests having to ring a bell to summon bar staff and waiting for a while to check in. - When the staff cleared up the Brides veil got stuffed into a box with the cake knife and dirty cake decor, damaging it and staining it. - One of our guests had severe hazelnut allergy, this was highlighted in EVERY planning meeting we were assured that there would be no hazelnuts on site. There was Nutella served at breakfast. This caused the bride and the groom having to rush to collect it before anyone opened it. - the personalised news of the day and order of the day was not provided at all despite being in the contract. - The roof of the orangery was leaking on guests throughout the ceremony, meal and evening. - The vegetarian food served was poor.

From viewing the venue right up to the day itself the whole experience was just so much more than we could have ever wished for - no gesture to small no question to silly every need and detail was attended to right up to the moment we left. The staff are just amazing throughout the whole process and make the whole process pretty much stress free!!! We honestly never wanted our weekend to end and would do it all again in heartbeat xxx

To all the Broadoaks team, Thank you so much for making our wedding weekend absolutely amazing, you all excelled and exceeded our expectations. From the minute we arrived on Friday afternoon right up to when the last car left Broadoaks on the Sunday morning, you were there for every minute and nothing was too much to ask. Special thanks to little Jo and Stellion for looking after us and our guests, without you both we would have been running around like headless chickens not knowing when and where we had to be. Right from our first meeting with Jo she made us feel so calm and stress free by ensuring we had everything planned and in place, even though we thought we had nothing ready. Stellion took charge in the evenings when Jo went home and what an amazing host he is and a credit to the Broadoaks team, he was there for anything we needed, nothing was too much to ask. Thank you Broadoaks, we will be back to celebrate our anniversary and see you all again, Mr & Mrs Fenton ❤️ 28/01/23

Despite getting married in covid times, Broadoaks made our day simply amazing. From the decor, the food, the surroundings, the amazing rooms and to the staff. Everything was perfect. Communication with the team when planning the wedding was fantastic and they kept me on track. Thank you for everything you did.

Our 2 day wedding at Broadoaks was better than anything we'd ever hoped or imagined it would be. From the moment we stepped through the door it was magical. Sitting with our family and friends in the piano room the night before our wedding, watching the World cup and playing a quiz was fantastic. Little Jo couldn't do enough to help make it special and we loved every minute of it. Our guests still talk about Broadoaks and our wedding and we will be returning near to our first anniversary to enjoy the place again. Who can believe a Google search for gay friendly wedding venues would lead to a wedding of a lifetime. Thank you Little Jo and all at Broadoaks xx

The venue is perfect for a truly memorable wedding, all of our guests loved the food, attention to detail and surroundings. Just wish I could go back and do it all again. The staff were super attentive in the run up and made the day go smoothly. Gay owned and inclusive.

We had our wedding here 9 years ago everything was perfect from start to finish. Our family still talk about it being one of the best days ever. If you’re thinking of getting married this is the place it’s perfect.

We got married on April 1st, and little Jo was our coordinator. The setting in itself is absolutely divine! Beautiful, quaint, tucked away, quiet, private and intimate. The hotel just so oldy worldy and quirky, with modern twists here and there, and in room jacuzzi bathing. The orangery where all our wedding was held with its full floor to ceiling window wall over looking the stream is perfectly picturesque! Added to that we wanted a no frills, non formal super comfortable chilled out wedding and that's exactly what was provided! The staff are amazing, the food was delicious and just overall the most perfect day!

From the moment we walked into Broadoaks we knew we wanted to get married here. The day was perfect in every way possible the Broadoaks team were brilliant especially Ava our coordinator nothing was too much trouble even with a couple of last minute tweaks. Every time we visit it just feels personal like we have not been forgotten couldn’t recommend them enough

Just had our Dream Wedding here. There are no words that do this place and it’s team justice. Amazing, luxurious, fairytale, stuff of dreams. These are a few that touch on the experience we had here. If you are looking for a large dose of olde world charm with a pampered indulgent side order look no further. I can not recommend it higher. It’s five star but in our book it’s ten.