- Kelly Gould
Five Reasons to choose a Wedding Weekend
Updated: Jun 23, 2020
Our house, The Copse in Oxfordshire, is the home of wedding weekends. For many years we had been home to family holidays and group gatherings. Returning guests would often say 'this would be such a cool place to get married'.
It was not until our daughter Sarah and then our son Will got married here that I realised what fun it is to have the freedom of a wedding weekend surrounded by friends and family. So our 'do it yourself' venue for celebrations of weddings, birthdays and celebrations was born.
Come and Stay, Come and Play, Come and Get Married
The Copse becomes your home from home the minute you arrive and set about arranging your celebration exactly to suit your vision. Your special day becomes a whole four days. When you have organised gathering family and friends from across the world there is no need to let them go too soon. We have all been to weddings where the bride and groom are so busy and so distracted they have barely a moment to spend with each of their guests. With a Wedding Weekend you are relaxed and have time for everyone.
Hen party, family reunion and holiday rolled into one
My daughter organised a Friday night dinner just for the extended family. None of us had met her Californian husband's family or his friends.
Beautifully cooked fish and chips was enjoyed by all thanks to Naked Feasts.
So another advantage of a wedding weekend is the time to gather in smaller groups. Even better, the guests love to be given 'jobs'.
The bridesmaids love arguing about getting the tables ready. The groomsmen are on hand to gather the decorations from the store. Organising the decorating is a lot like Christmas... and the fun atmosphere is much like a hen party.
The Copse sleeps up to 20 and close by at The New Inn there is room for another 12 to stay within walking distance. So you can have a merry band of at least 30 guests to help your preparations. How much fun is that!
Spending time exploring nearby Henley on Thames or the Oxford Colleges makes it feel like a holiday and our couples often book a one night 'mini moon' somewhere gorgeous like Cliveden House.
Keep control of the budget
When you book a wedding weekend at The Copse there are no hidden extras. Everything is included with the exception of your choice of food and drink.
We do not charge corkage or to use the kitchens. This makes organisation so much easier as well as much of what you need is already here.
It might sound like planning a wedding weekend is a lot of hard work. But it is not. Most of the hard work in gathering together what you need has been done. We leave it to you to add the finishing touches. Our aim is for you to relax and enjoy your perfect garden wedding.
If you have over 100 guests we do suggest you use one of our planners for 'on the day'.
Kelly knows everyone locally. She is ready with as much help and support as you need. She has managed and planned everything from a small intimate wedding based on the house, to a large garden wedding. Both occasions involved everyone ending in the barn for dancing under the state of the art sound ceiling.
Penny got the idea for wedding weekends when her daughter married here.
Create a unique occasion to remember
For the guests staying in the house there is so much to do and see.
There is a 14 seat cinema, a hot tub on the terrace, an Arctic Cabin barbecue, snooker, table tennis and lawn games. Surrounded by 22 acres of your own land, there are fields and meadows to provide uninterrupted views of the valley, to gather greenery for your table settings or run wild with children and dogs or both.
Your occasion will be unique because you have freedom of choice.
Ask us for help if you need waitresses, cleaners, childminders or on the day planners. Make your wedding weekend personal in every way. So your plans and dreams can all come to life against the beautiful backdrop of The Copse, for brilliant, natural, happy photographs that tell your story.
Best of all when you wake up on your first day as a married couple, all the people you care about most will be there with you.
What could be better! A wonderful new day to relive the day before.
If you have enjoyed this piece, do follow the link to 'choosing your perfect wedding date'.
See the links to suppliers that work with us regularly. Talk to us about our 'little book of inspiration'. A guide to how others have been inspired by the idea of a wedding weekend.
You won't regret coming to see us at The Copse Oxfordshire!