The Thinking Behind 'Boutique & Beautiful' Weddings

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Eclection Photography

Becoming personally invested in every bridal couple that chooses to hold their special day at Coombe Trenchard means that we learn from each unique wedding journey. We take notes, we excitedly converse over tea and biscuits and we feel the ups and downs as they do. Sometimes, we hear that the logistical elements are stressful, sometimes it’s hard to ensure all preferred suppliers are available on the same day, and sometimes it’s simply finding enough hours in the day to organise the myriad of detail that goes into a wedding. So many of our bridal couples are taking advantage of our glorious part of the world, yet do not currently reside nearby and therefore find it difficult to attend trials, tastings and meetings or be on hand to meet with those all-important suppliers. 

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Lucy Wallace Photography

Of course, we help as much as possible and offer a level of service that has surprised and delighted many a bride (and industry professionals!); carefully compiling our recommend suppliers list and discussing which would be a best fit for each unique couple, offering limitless visits, emails, chats on the phone and ensuring the biggest day of your life runs like clockwork. Seeing such a growing trend for mid-week celebrations and wanting to utilise our wealth of contacts, knowledge and penchant for organisation, we set about designing a day that was spectacularly stress-free.

With great enthusiasm, we discussed our projects with our favoured suppliers, knowing how much they enjoy working at Coombe Trenchard and happy to be offering a solution to time-scarce bridal couples. This seed of an idea was met with much excitement, and so, ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ was born. 

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Luna Photography

Here at Coombe Trenchard, we are unable to do things without a luxurious undertone (we blame our opulent yet charming Edwardian surroundings) and so the ideas for what constitutes ‘mind-blowingly special’ came thick and fast.

Possibly our favourite aspect of ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ is the pre-wedding overnight stay at Coombe Trenchard, giving couples the chance to meet with suppliers, decide on one of our 12 licenced locations in which to say ‘I do’ and indulge in some quality time together whilst nestled on the edge of Dartmoor. We can’t think of anything more romantic than wedding planning whilst exploring the gardens, woodland and sumptuous interiors of the charming country home in which you will soon be wed.

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Liberty Pearl Photography

Of course, the deluxe treatment continues through to the big day itself, with vintage champagne saucers to sip from on the south facing Italian terrace, mouthwatering delights from exquisite caterers and hand-designed stationery to delight your guests. We’ve even thought of marshmallows for toasting over the fire pits adjacent to our restored Coach House, overlooking Brentor.

It’s been a joy to compile aspects and contributors that we know make a wedding one to remember and we are hugely proud of ‘Boutique & Beautiful’ and the luxuriously laid back new choice it presents to our bridal couples, whose happiness and wedding satisfaction mean so much to us. 

You can download our stunning new 'Boutique & Beautiful' brochure here.

A Bespoke and Highly Personal Ceremony Option

Cornish Celebrants – A Bespoke and Highly Personal Ceremony Option. 

‘Your Wedding, Your Way’ is something we firmly believe in here at Coombe Trenchard. You will see this phrase in our digital brochure and on our social media feeds; we like to be as flexible and accommodating as possible to ensure a unique and personal experience for each of our couples. We have licensed 12 different locations within our house and grounds for legal ceremonies and shy away from formal packages or standard set ups. The luxury of opening our home for a select amount of weddings each year means we can get to know each couple and ensure we help them create their perfect celebration.

Cornish Celebrants share our ethos of flexibility and allow couples to tailor make their celebration in a whole new way. We were excited to find out more and so arranged for Nicola and Denise, the lovely ladies behind this wonderful new venture, to visit Coombe Trenchard and enlighten us. 

Currently in England you need to be in a licensed area underneath a permanent structure to legally wed. This may be a Register Office, a Church or one of the beautiful locations dotted around Coombe Trenchard. The ceremony needs to contain specific phrases and if you are not getting hitched in a church you cannot have any religious content in your ceremony. The wording is very hard to personalise and music/readings will be checked for suitability. As we meet and get to know the lovely couples who choose our home for their Big Day, we realise just how varied and diverse their expectations and preferences are. 

Nicola and Denise, in their combined 29 years working for the Registration Service in Cornwall, saw the same need for bespoke options to provide a more personal and befitting ceremony and set about making that happen. Whilst the legal ceremony must still take place in a licensed area and could take place on a different day, Cornish Celebrants are on hand to conduct a separate celebratory ceremony purely of your making, with no guidelines or rules. This follows the continental model of a small ceremony at a registry office followed by a huge celebration in the setting of your choice.  

Therefore, if you want your ceremony on our bridge, within our stunning woodland, or even in the stream you can now have a tailored service conducted by friendly professionals to make your day as individual as you are.  Mix religious, spiritual and non-religious readings, rituals and hymns with words chosen only by you and your partner for that special moment. Perfect for larger celebrations after intimate elopements/destination weddings and lovebirds who do not wish to conform to the rules imposed on traditional services, we are happy to be working alongside Cornish Celebrants to offer their bespoke services to our happy couples. 

 “We loved Coombe Trenchard – such a stylish venue with such welcoming hosts. It encompasses the best of the Devon countryside with the far reaching views of Dartmoor, fabulous gardens and woodland and a beautiful Arts and Crafts house nestling in its setting.  Simply stunning and we are so looking forward to conducting ceremonies here.” – Cornish Celebrants.

For further information about the Cornish Celebrants, contact Denise or Nicola on info@cornishcelebrants.co.uk cornishcelebrants.co.uk

 

The Luxury of a Mid-Week Wedding

The Luxury of a Mid-Week Wedding

Here at Coombe Trenchard, we don’t like to see things go to waste. We have worked hard to restore our beautiful 'Arts & Crafts' country home back to its former Edwardian glory, we make use of our glorious grounds by growing seasonal blooms for blushing Brides and love to put our home-grown fruits to good use in jams for Devonshire Cream Teas.  When we see our terrace bathed in sunshine on a Thursday afternoon we can’t help but wonder if this is a wasted opportunity.

So we’ve decided to offer Mid-Week weddings, a flexible and exciting new option for your Big Day. Whilst there are the obvious financial benefits from choosing a mid-week wedding (please download our beautiful digital brochure or get in contact for pricing structures), the perks don’t stop there....

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Every Bride and Groom is aware of just how difficult it can be to find preferred suppliers that all have availability on the same day. This is especially true when trying to plan your nuptials in a shorter time frame than an average engagement of 13-18 months. If you feel you want to become Mr & Mrs as soon as possible but are concerned about rushed plans, fully booked suppliers and time to save: a mid-week wedding may be the way forward. At Coombe Trenchard we offer in-house assistance with planning and liaise with suppliers to make your wedding experience as stress free as possible. Discounts and savings offered by suppliers and Coombe Trenchard can ensure you may not need as long as you think to be financially ready to tie the knot. 

Mid-week weddings are on the rise, with a total of 21,700 couples getting married on a Thursday in the last year alone. Couples are enjoying more time to decorate their venue in a relaxed manner, more time to spend with friends and family, and the benefit of a weekend after the wedding to bask in its glow and re-live the Big Day. This can mean better deals on honeymoon flights and packages, as well as the luxury of time to enjoy a weeklong celebration! Those working within the Education system may also take advantage of Half Term and School Holiday weekdays without the concern of being at work directly before or after saying ‘I Do’. 

Couples seeking a quieter day will already be spoilt for choice with 12 different licensed locations of various sizes dotted around our home and grounds. Nestled in the Devonshire countryside with far reaching views of Dartmoor, we offer accommodation in our fully restored and luxurious bedrooms for up to 8 guests and can provide both in house catering and cut flowers fresh from the garden. Cosy log fires and original Edwardian features will ensure a spectacularly stately festive celebration, or soak up the spring sunshine and tie the knot underneath the Clock Tower overlooking our bubbling stream.  A mid-week wedding at Coombe Trenchard may be just the ticket for a relaxed, intimate and truly memorable day. 

We genuinely believe no two weddings should be the same and it’s important to us to provide a personal service to the couples who choose our beautiful home for their special day. We still have some mid-week availability for 2016 and we would love to hear from you to discuss your plans. 

Contact: sarah@coombetrenchard.co.uk

Christmas Carols at Coombe Trenchard

Coombe Trenchard in the Snow

For those of you who have yet to experience the winter splendour that is Christmas at Coombe Trenchard, there is no better time for you to see it than for our annual Christmas Carols evening on December 18th. The house and gardens shine in the winter, as a truly picturesque yet inviting feature in the Devonshire countryside. Christmas Carols, mulled cider and mince pies are exactly what these chilly pre-Christmas days are all about! This event really inspires the Christmas spirit of giving, and encourages donations to the Children’s Hospice South West.

The Children’s Hospice South West play a vital role in supporting and creating precious memories for families whose children are living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. With very little government funding, they rely on the generosity of donations from individuals that really make a difference to the families the hospice provides for.

Image taken from Children Hospice South West Pinterest

The hospice was founded in 1991 by Eddie and Jill Farwell who experienced first hand the deficit of resources, previously having to travel over 4 hours to provide their two Children with life-limiting conditions to obtain the care they needed. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, now having grown to a chain of 3 hospices, providing much needed care all over the South West, but its dependence on donations means continuing support is invaluable.

Coombe Trenchard is delighted to once again support the Children’s Hospice South West with our 2015 Christmas Carol evening. To take a look at the Hospice's website to see what fantastic activities they are up to at the moment, click here.

Join Sarah and the team at Coombe Trenchard to indulge in the festivities, support this worth while cause and experience Coombe Trenchard at its most magical…we would love to see you there!

Entertaining Antiques February 28th 2014

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On the last day of February we played host to a fund raising evening in support of The Children's Hospice South West. 

CHSW fundraising is enthusiastically championed by Judy Pride. Judy and her wonderful team of local volunteers give up a huge amount of their precious time to raise funds for 'Little Harbour' the Children's hospice based at St. Austell, Cornwall.

Coombe Trenchard supported CHSW in 2013 when we hosted a traditional Edwardian tea party,  which was a huge success.

On this occasion, it was decided that an antiques evening would be very much in keeping with the venue, and we were delighted to have the support of Andrew Thomas from Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood of Exeter.

Andrew brought along a number of antiques, all dating from around the early 1900's and some of the Arts & Crafts in style. The guests were given a sheet with details of the items, and they were asked to try to guess their values. Later in the evening Andrew staged an auction, encouraging bids from the guests for donated items.

Guests were treated to a delicious supper of potage & trifle, and a wonderful evening was had by all. We were delighted to hear that this event raised £1117 for CHSW.

This summer CHSW will be joining us at our Home & Garden Show on May 31st & June 1st, serving delicious Pimms, and staging an Edwardian croquet match. Please do come along and support them.