On the Day

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The normal run of the day will be that you will arrive here around one hour after the ceremony start time, have a drink on arrival and possibly some nibbles. This will usually take around 1 to 1.5 hours depending mostly on how many photographs are planned and whether or not you wish to have a formal receiving line.

The wedding breakfast will take around 2.5 hours to serve at a steady pace giving each guest time to relax and enjoy the supper and whole event. At this time you may wish to include some wine with the meal.

Time is always factored in for speeches although there are not set rules as to when these will be many people now choose to have the speeches before supper or even in-between courses! The traditional time remains after dinner as most guests will be ready for some entertainment by then. This may be a time you wish to serve a drink for the toast. As the Abbey does not conform to a regular shape we tend to gather the guests in to one area for the speeches although the use of our surround sound, radio microphone is always advised should someone wish to remain in their seat they will still here you perfectly.

Evening guests are invited to arrive around 30 minutes after the planned end time of supper. You may wish to provide evening guest drinks at this time. Evening food can then be served at an appropriate time during the evening and some suggestions are enclosed in this pack.

We are licensed until Midnight for drinking and dancing, at which time all guest are requested to have their transport arranged. This is a common time to hosts to offer a surprise treat such as an Ice cream cone or piece of wedding cake with or without a special drink such as a cocktail or Digestif.

Children are very welcome at The Abbey and we always go the extra mile to make them feel at home and well catered for. You may choose to select something specific from the children's menu or offer a tailored choice from your own wedding menu. This will usually depend on how many children are in attendance and what their ages are. We have extensive children's facilities and a large outdoor play area.

Opening the bar is something that happens less so these days than in the past. The bar will be open for your guests to use from your arrival time, however you may choose to allow your guest to pay for their own drinks for the course of the day or select a certain time or budget limit to apply to the day. For example; open the bar after dinner or put £500 behind the bar.