Please can anybody advise on venues Gosfield hall?? or Down hall??

Hi,

I have just found your message as I am torn between the exact same venues as yourself. I realise you wrote this a while ago so I wondered if you had decided on which one to go with and what your thoughts of both were? I think I need to go and view both for a second time.

I will look forward to hearing from you, or anyone else that has experience with these venues. xx

I've done weddings at both and both are great venues. Down Hall have an open day on March 9th so it might be worth going along again then.

Hi Andy,

Thank you, I had actually forgotten they were having an open day soon so that is a fantastic idea I think we are swaying towards Down Hall .

I think if I had to choose one it would be Down Hall.

I hadn't viewed down hall but I did view gosfield, I was sold on gosfield but ended up finding somewhere that catered for more people.

My niggles with gosfield were that it was really cold in there (only something so silly but I was being super picky) also for us they said 88 was max and it would be a tight squeeze, quite a small number considering the size of the venue. Also I loved loved loved the civil cremony room when I walked in but after walking away and thinking about it, I thought it would be hard for people at the back of the room to hear you.

The upsides the amazing bridal suite - it was unreal!!!! The fact you could have drinks after the party ended and music was off (think this is nice if you wanted drinks with parents / close friends to just win down before bed. The beautiful venue itself and the grounds.

I don't think I have been any help at all - but who knows, these little points might just sway you one way or the other.

I would suggest viewing both, getting figures together and then deciding, one place may end up costing a lot more than the other.

Thank you Andy.

And thank you BrideCummins, they are the points that we like most about Gosfield too which is what is making it a hard decision but I agree about the ceremony room but I did ask about that and was told that sound carries quite easily and she has never heard anyone say they couldn't hear. The evening rooms were of slight concern as we did want everything in one room but were thinking to compromise as we liked it so much. I guess we shouldn't have to compromise though and we weren't actually told max numbers of 88 but that may be because we said our numbers were around 90! Still, it seems that it would be a bit tight. The other thing would be the hassle of trying to arrange all the guest suits with who should be where and with who which I am not sure I want to face.

My only concerns for Down hall are that, although it has amazing reviews as a wedding venue, it has a fair few bad reviews as a hotel on trip advisor, regarding room size, cleanliness and staff friendliness and service. These reviews have really concerned me but we didn't notice any cleanliness issues when we visited and all the staff we met seemed very helpful does anyone think hotel reviews (rather than venue reviews) be taken into consideration as most if our guests will be staying the night or even two?

We have viewed both venues and done all the number crunching but we are still stuck.

Having worked there a couple of times and stayed there as a hotel guest twice, I can honestly say that these have never been issues whilst we have worked or stayed there. Staff have always been excellent, very friendly, approachable and polite. Cleanliness of rooms has been superb too and I am super fussy about cleanliness as a guest. Room size for the hotel was great for us on both occasions as well. We had 2 huge rooms and large ensuites.

We casually mentioned it was our anniversary at some point when booking too and when we arrived they'd left us a lovely welcome package with muffins, brownies and a decorated plate that said "Happy Anniversary" on it.

I couldn't have been more impressed as a guest to be honest.

As always with reviews, keep in mind that people often only go out of their way to leave a review if they have had a bad experience. I know that I myself am guilty of not leaving positive reviews when I have always meant to.

If you'd like to see a sample gallery from Down Hall as a wedding venue to see how a wedding there actually pans out, please feel free to get in touch and i'll get one sent over for you. Sometimes seeing a real wedding can make all the difference.

I can't comment on the rooms as I've never stayed there. However, I have always found the staff very helpful, polite and friendly and the hotel is always clean.

Hi Pavone Photography,

thank you so much for your reply to my post, it really has reassured me. Like I said, I didn't see/notice any of those issues (and like you, I am very fussy) and completely understand what you say about people leaving feedback.

I think because we loved it so much and it's getting to the point of actually booking, I actually got a bit scared I.e what if we were too excited to notice, what if it isn't the right choice, what if it comes to the day and we/any guests are disappointed what if, what if, what if ........

I think it s just hit me what a big decision it is to make and how wrong it could go and how upsetting it would be if something wasn't right/up to a high standard.

I've been to Downhall and it was a lovely venue, but we didn't have a positive experience there. The lady we talked to wasn't really nice but everyone else was polite.

I took my parents there and we felt some places were not the cleanest and we could smell the toilets from the hallway.

We did go there 2 years ago so it may have changed now.

I have photographed a few weddings at Gosfield Hall and there were no problems, the staff know what they are doing and keep everything running to time, It's one of the better wedding venues, they even treat suppliers like they are guests at the wedding

I posted this last night on twitter, a image from Gosfield Hall, if you want to see real weddings from Gosfield Hall drop me a line.

https://twitter.com/Inframe_Wedding/status/438120657629351936/photo/1

This thread title did make me smile - I work about 2 minutes from Gosfield Hall and am getting married at Down Hall in November.

We enquired at Gosfield Hall, mainly for convenience as it was near to home but they had no Saturdays left in the month we wanted. Not long after we booked an overnight stay at Down Hall on a whim (at 11pm on Friday night for Saturday), fell in love with it and had booked our wedding within the week. Since then we've been back on a few more occasions for afternoon tea, planning and a weekend to show our venue off to my parents and I've never regretted our decision! I've never seen the uncleanliness banged on about on Trip Advisor and the programme of refurbishment is ongoing. The staff are superb across the board and the wedding planners are so tolerant and patient over all my crazy whimsies! Also I'm a big fan of their resident Toastmaster who has agreed to do the most amazing secret task at my wedding (oh, ok, since I don't know any of you, he's acting as bingo caller after the speeches). Basically its a lovely friendly venue and I can't recommend it highly enough.

It's also very dog friendly. And has a chessboard. Seriously, you've got to love it!

Whatever you decide I look forward how your plans unfold with you being so local (or so I presume)! (I live 5 mins from Gos Hall!).

I have photographed weddings at Down Hall more times that I can remember over the years.....I even remember the old hotel reception area!!!!!! I only have positives about the venue over the last few years. It also has some lovely first floor areas for some "private" shots of the couple.....

Peter

Hi DeeBee33,

That sounds fabulous, I won't tell anyone

You have reassured me that the planners are so tolerant, i already feel like I am being a pain and I haven't even booked yet lol. I am sure I won't turn into a bridezilla though, i am quite a calm person normally.

We are not really that local, about 40 mins away from both venues (closer to Romford) but only found a handful of venues that I liked the look of online then crossed those off even before we got down the drive its funny how easy it is to know when it is wrong but its a hard decision when its right!!

I do love the chessboard but I am not that certain we will be able to make use of it in December, still, you never know!

I think I will make another trip for the open day but I do think I have pretty much made up my mind and the other half is happy with it also.

I would say I read a review about my venue and it was awful but when I viewed it my mind was at rest. I would ask to view the rooms properly. Remeber this isn't a weeks holiday it's one night stay - let us know what you end up choosing!