Any Pembroke lodge brides???

Me I get married on 8th June...

Not had much to do with them either except to pay deposit, they said they will plan a meeting 6months before wedding date!

i love the venue so much but must admit I do have the occasional wobble!

Are you in Russell suite or Belvedere suite?

Not a Bride, but Pembroke Lodge is just gorgeous. Great choice

Ooh I looked around Pembroke Lodge and really liked it, but ended up going for something esle

We're in the belvedere. I've had a few little wobbles too. Only about silly things like the aisle not being wide enough for my dress, people not liking the food and family feuds!!

How's your planning going?

We found it hard finding suppliers that would collect things at the end of the night.

Oooh I'm going to a wedding there next Friday! Will report back! My friend Elizabeth seems enamoured with the place

Pembroke Lodge looks lovely.

I'm getting married in the Russell suite on the 19th of October!!

We've had our tasting and meeting, such a lovely team so helpful.

I love it there every so often I drive up there just to look again the weather is nice today so may go again... I just wish there was a lake near by for pictures, I love water!

Haven't really got that far with planning got church and starting but little things for decorations! Will be meeting with a two photographers this week coming and also florist!

for things like chair covers if they can't be picked up on the night I'll be stay at local hotel with family so will get my bridesmaid and family back them up and stick them in a car and had them picked up from where we are!

Theirs penn ponds in the park, I've never been there so I'm not sure how easy it would be to get to on the day but it might be worth going to have a look and discussing it with your photographer.

We booked our photographer and all that we spoke too said how many great photo opportunities there are.

The chair cover company they recommend picks up at the end of the night but they are expensive.

ive got a week off so I'll be taking my mum up there at some point, I always find parking a nightmare at the weekend.

It's such a nice place just to go for tea.

The downside is having to take all items away at the end of the night! Trying to find a sensible person is tricky

ive gone with host with style expensive but again a really nice lady and their covers fit pembroke chairs perfectly.

i also liked the fact that you can fill a slip in and they will organise cabs for people, so hopefully not too many drunk people hanging around at the end.

All coming around so quick

Clairanne what photographers are you using? I have appointments to see two next week both have done weddings at Pembroke lodge before but wouldn't mind looking up a third just in case, I don't click with one if the two I'm meeting!

It is Bruce. The only snag with it is if the weather is bad it takes the shine right off.

I had a wedding there and it rained all day which meant we couldn't use the gardens or the outdoors (with that lovely fall off) or the outdoor seating area.

When it's like that all the guests end up in one room (50/50 daylight and tungsten) and it's a bit of a squeeze for 60+ people (in that room).

The ceremony area is great at all times though as it's well lit from above and the sides, but this room opens up to double the size for dinner. Yet, this extra area isn't well lit from above. It's tricky to work.

But that's on a bad weather day. Sunny day, or at least a day without rain and it's fab. I'm looking forward to being there again, with better weather, to get the best out of it.

I know it weren't your intention but that comment right there is leading to major venue wobbles... I'm so aware that the beauty of this venue is very dependent on weather in order to achieve its best potential!

I'll prob be freaking out for the next 11months regarding this very point!.

Dont freak out, lots of venues have bad weather.

When I was there it rained all day. I've shot couples in the falling snow, in the rain, at sub zero temperatures etc as long as they were prepared to do it.

It can so go the other way too, like yesterday is was 28 degrees in Cheam and I had to scrape people off the floor. I'm going to be de'beading the sweat off the foreheads of the close up shots in Photoshop for a while yet.

11 months from now the chances of it being poo are very small. x

I'm using Kesteven photography, I met him at the national wedding fair in April.

I chose him for the style of his photographs, there natural but without the blurryness you sometimes see.

He seemed really nice and has worked atPembroke alot.

Sat here in tears... When I originally booked this venue they told me I could have a religious blessing. I told them my plan was to go to a registry office and do the legal bit and have a blessing on the day!

I then changed my mind in favour of going to church... Any way for logistical reason ad the fact the church we intended to use is going through massive refurbishment works we've decided to go back to the original plan!

I just called Pembroke lodge and ended up in tears on the phone because they are now telling me that I can't have a religious blessing there regardless of weather or not I've done the legal bit because they are no licensed for this! This is NOT what we were originally told I've also made it very clear at all venues I visited that if we had ceremony on site it would be a blessing with no registrar due to restrictions of civil ceremonies!

Now I dunno what to do, I'm not in a state to argue with them because I'll just cry! But I know for a fact they told me I could do this before I put my deposit down!

Im so upset about this and lady on the phone wasn't very helpful... I guess I didn't tell her I'd be given different info but still!

I can't believe they need a license for a religious blessing even though nothing legal will be occurring! Right now I feel to just kiss my deposit good bye and find a venue that will allow me to do what I want!!!

i was so careful before booking and made sure I asked them this and now I'm still in a pickle.

not very happy right now and I know this rant probably doesn't make sense just need to get it off my chest!

Going to email them now! At least then I can't tell them exactly what I was told without bursting into tears! :-(

Ouch.

I might be completely wrong here, but I did a wedding fair once and a chap there did religious blessings. The reason being is that certain places can't have religious CEREMONIES but religious blessings can be done anywhere.

Further to this, I was at Shendish Manor covering a wedding and the registrars had to scarper to make way for the Jewish blessing afterwards. So perhaps there's a wire getting crossed at that end? I know that civil ceremonies don't have religion factored in, but blessings I believe are treated differently.

Check out here:

http://www.choiceceremonies.co.uk/Weddings-Blessings-Commitment.html

Skip to the Inside / Outside section x

Drama averted managed to sort things out after emailing them and the lady I spoke to initially called me back! She was very helpful thankfully and is going to see what she can do!