I loved meeting up with Georgie from Flore House, Northamptonshire recently for an interview. We talked all about what couples should think about before looking around their wedding venue, what the booking process is like and much more, scroll to see what she said!
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Introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit about how you decided to start using your house for weddings.
I've been at the house for about seven years, it's always been a family home and then this summer we decided actually we were going to turn it into a bit of a business and we started with our luxury stays. We've got two self-contained suites where people can come for the peace and the beauty of our surroundings, we've got 19 acres of parkland to have a lovely relaxing weekend!
Then got approached about a few photoshoots and film shoots and thought yep absolutely! I'm very relaxed and I just like people being in the house because the house comes alive when it's full of people. Then I had a few inquiries on Instagram “Do you do weddings?” I hadn't really thought about it and it was like well actually why not if we've got the house open for filming and other bits and pieces it was kind of a natural progression. I soon got speaking to wedding planners and other suppliers about how it would work and different started inquiries coming in!
So we've now put together a few different options for people to have weddings at Flore House.
Can you just let us know kind of what those options are for couples who might be interested in booking your house for their wedding?
If you would like everything in the house we can't actually offer you the legal ceremony we can offer a blessing we are limiting it to 30 people even out of Covid-19 times because that's a really comfortable number to be able to work around the house and for people to not be split up in different rooms. We offer the great hall for your blessing and you then move into the dining room for drinks and canapes and that opens out onto the garden so you can have the doors open and have people milling around on the terrace and in the parterre and then you would go through to the morning room for your wedding breakfast and then any other celebrations: live music or whatever couples would like afterwards.
If you've got any more than 30 then it's a marquee on the main lawn. There is also the option if you would like of coming into the house so if you'd like on arrival drinks reception that's totally possible and we can cater for about up to 175 within the house for a drinks reception and then you would move on to your marquee for everything else and you have access to all of the garden and all of the parkland. We have had couples asking about photos down by the lake and things like that and it's absolutely possible!
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Can you describe the different sections of the house and it’s surroundings?
We've got five acres of manicured gardens and that includes the lawn, whether you have a marquee or TeePee and a large terrace. The rooms within the house that open out onto the terrace are the dining room and the morning room they look out onto the back aspect of the house where the gardens are. Past the gardens, we've got a lake and parkland.
As you enter the house guests would enter into the great hall which is a lovely large light space with a huge chandelier in the centre which really gives guests the wow factor as they came in. We also have the morning room which is to the side which would look out onto your marquee so if you're having a drinks reception everything's kind of linked, you've got access in and out of the house.
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Have you got a preferred wedding style?
I definitely haven't got a preferred style at all, we've had a few photoshoots here for bridal magazines and there were just so many totally unexpected things that I would never have thought of. One of them was down the staircase, balloons everywhere! If someone had said to you loads of balloons everywhere in an older property like this, you might be unsure, but it worked so well and looked incredible! So I don't think you need to have a particular style to fit the house it seems to work with with modern or more classic.
Walk me through your wedding booking process, what do couples need to know before they book?
Couples need to have an idea of guest numbers, not exact figures, but a rough number. For example: if you don't want a marquee wedding but you’re going to have over 30 guests then Flore House is probably not best for you.
For the booking process I'm really happy to have a chat, go ahead and look at the pictures on the website to see if this is the sort of wedding venue you’re looking for and then the next step is to come and have a look around get a feel for it and then we can go from there.
If you book your wedding here, whether it's 30 or it's a larger number, you always get the bayberry suite which is the larger of our rooms on your wedding night as part of the package. There's also the possibility of booking the rooms for the bride and bridesmaids to stay the night before and booking the other room on the wedding night too.
What should couples think about or have ready before they're inquiring at their wedding venue?
If they found a venue that they think might fit, the next thing is to have a think about whether they’ve got anything, in particular, they really want. Some venues are quite strict on the caterers that you're allowed or whether you're allowed to bring your own alcohol or not. Ask whether they have their own suppliers or do they have to pick from a list. Also, if they've got people travelling distances are guests able to stay there or somewhere close by?
Ask: How much do you get within the package? Some places can be quite specific on the rooms that you are allowed, how much outside space, how does the day work? Will they be the only couple having their wedding there, do they have exclusivity or will they be sharing it with another couple?
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Are there any particular things couples should be looking out for when looking around a wedding venue?
I'm quite a relaxed person and venue wise we're quite relaxed you can ask and we'll try and work around anything within reason, but some venues might not be because they might be owned by corporate companies and they might have quite strict rules. So even down to things like candles, are we allowed to light candles and things like that. Are there limits on time? Does music have to be off by a certain time? Are you allowed to live music or is it DJ’s only?
The main thing is seeing how you can work with the venue to get the day that you really want and I guess it is just kind of prioritizing what you really want.
Have you got any advice for couples when they're booking their wedding and are in the early stages of planning their weddings?
If you build up a rapport with a manager or an owner or wherever you're having your wedding that makes all the difference because you're going to be liaising with them throughout the whole process.
Also, just remember that ultimately it's your day and as far as possible to be able to have everything you want to make it the most special time!
How can couples get in touch if they want to book Flore House for their wedding venue?
Website: https://www.florehouse.co.uk/
Email: georgie@florehouse.co.uk
Insta: @flore_house
FB: Flore House
Hopefully, you found this helpful! Don't hesitate to get in contact with Georgie if you're interested in booking an amazing wedding venue and don't forget that if you're looking for a fun and relaxed wedding photographer to capture your day on camera then I'm your girl!
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