The Millbridge Court Preview - A Brand New Surrey Wedding Venue

Feature Image by Anneli Marinovich Photography.

I feel super lucky to be one of only a few people who saw this brand new wedding venue in it’s raw state. With high-vis vests on and a coffees in hand, Laura {Events Manager} showed me around the beautiful spaces at soon-to-be Millbridge Court.

So when I returned one Autumnal evening in October, I was awash with satisfaction at seeing it all come together in a seriously pretty (and practical) fashion. With more than 130 guests in attendance, local suppliers, press and prospective couples were treated to an immersive and visually arresting evening of contemporary styling and exquisite catering.

All in the Details

A collaborative partnership between Millbridge Court and creative caterers Kalm Kitchen, the preview brought together a handpicked collection of notable industry suppliers. Award-winning florist Kate Avery was commissioned to bring the venue to life through theatrical arrangements incorporating a rich, autumnal colour palette of peaches, purples, pinks and greens. A cascading flower wall suspended from oak beams provided the perfect backdrop in the Dining Hall, while oversized table centrepieces featured moss-covered bark vases filled with an abudance of chocolate cosmos, clematis, garden roses, grasses, ornamental cabbages, hydrangeas and astrantias.

On arrival, guests were welcomed with Blackberry Bramble cocktails, Champagne and Elderflower Presse while glamorous Kalm Kitchen waitresses dressed in twobirds gowns glided through the venue serving canapés of mini beef wellington, seared lamb fillet, chicken liver parfait, wild mushroom risotto and tomato essence in parmesan dust on vintage trays, mirrors and bird cages.

But that’s just a snippet of the detail at this bash, so I suggest you dive into all of the glorious images and read the full set of credits at the bottom for inspiration! But I kind of want the rest of the Millbridge Court tale to be about you. The journey you, as a Bride & Groom, will take with Laura and this wonderful venue.

So let’s leave the glam of the launch behind for a moment and hear a little more about the heart of this venue…

Notes from Laura {events manager at millbridge court}

Images by Anneli Marinovich Photography.

My Story

Laura: I started working as a Receptionist at a gorgeous Cotswold Hotel in Malmesbury in 2007 where they held intimate weddings for up to 50 guests. I quickly found myself asking the Manager’s if I could help set up the weddings, oversee the ceremony or even sit in on there planning meetings. I was just so drawn to weddings and had such a desire to learn, so was happy to be a part of it in any way I could.

The owner of the hotel then decided to build a Wedding Venue within the grounds of our sister hotel in Stow-On-The-Wold and so once this was completed, myself and another member of the team formed the coordinating team for the new Wedding Barn. It opened in Summer 2012 and over two years on is successful beyond our wildest dreams. So much so that the owner chose to expand in to Surrey and obviously I jumped at the opportunity to be the Event’s Manager at Millbridge Court.

What I find is most special to me as the Event Manager, is that my input has been listened to throughout the building process, from the architectural design and initial concept, to the curtains we put up a few days before our Preview. So for me, working at Millbridge Court is so much more than a job, it is and has been my life from concept to reality and that is probably why on the morning of our very first Wedding at Millbridge Court next Spring, I will probably be as excited as the Bride herself!

The Millbridge Court Brand

Millbridge Court is a purpose built Wedding Venue designed by event coordinators and operators with couples in mind, with the view to create a seamless Wedding Day with a natural flow.

The brand itself is luxury and exclusive with the venue fusing rustic barn qualities with elegant contemporary design. We also offer the convenience and luxury of offering an intimate Boutique Hotel setting for those nearest and dearest to the couple allowing the celebrations to extend in to the following day.

Images by Anneli Marinovich Photography.

My Advice

My advice to couples is based on experience from both sides of the wedding planning table… This seems so simple, but often isn’t something couples think of, create the wedding that YOU want.

Make sure the day reflects you as a couple and all of your loves. Yes, there are lots of people who will offer their opinion and want you to go in a certain direction but it’s your special day. From the guestlist to the location, to the colour of your lipstick, it’s all about what makes you happiest. Celebrate what you love as a couple!

Another important bit of advice that I have learnt over the years is, for those getting married in-house, factor in a time post ceremony to go for a drive or go to a private space in the venue you are getting married in, so that you have a moment to breathe and a moment to realise what it is you have just done. Quite rightly, every guest will want to congratulate you and have a natter but make sure there is time just for the two of you. It goes by in a flash, so you need a quiet moment to be able to take it all in.

My last piece of advice is about choosing your potential venue – make sure you get on with and connect with the team at the venue. It is a long process and you want to feel like you can ask them anything and trust them explicitly on what is one of the most important days of your life. Make sure you aren’t just a number! And the same goes for suppliers; choose suppliers that you can trust and you have every confidence in.

Coco Asks

Sum up Millbridge Court in three words…

Exclusive, unique and luxury.

What can Brides & Grooms expect from Millbridge Court…

Brides and Grooms can expect a stress free journey with us here at Millbridge Court. We, as Event Manager’s, are here to guide couples and share our knowledge. For almost all of our lovely couples, planning a wedding is something they haven’t done before and I get a lot of ‘sorry if this is a silly question’ or ‘me again… sorry to keep asking you questions’ to which I reply ‘there is no such thing’ and ‘please don’t apologise, ask away’.

Images by Anneli Marinovich Photography.

We, as people working in Events, have all done this before and are there to take some of the weight off and assist couples in creating the most perfect day imaginable, so there is no limit to the amount of questions and no such thing as a silly one in my book.

Here at Millbridge Court we want to extend the celebrations, we offer early opening hours on the day of the wedding and in 2015 will only be doing a maximum of 2 weddings in a row so that the couple can either have the day before to set up or the day after to prolong the celebrations.

So you can expect to feel cared for, to feel as if you have time, whether that be to prepare and enjoy the excitement and build up the day before, or the time to see everyone the following day and soak up the the post wedding love. Brides and Grooms can also expect attention to details.

Which Coco Styles suit Millbridge Court…

Millbridge Court crosses over a few Coco Styles due to it’s fusion of designs. Our beautiful beams, the stunning countryside setting and outside Ceremony area fit perfectly in to ‘Rustic Romance’. The Interior Design in the Lounges and Bedrooms in the Millbridge Court Boutique Hotel fit into both the Modern Vintage and Classic Elegance styles, with the feature glass walls in the Dining and Ceremony Halls and stunning expanse of neutral walls also having a Modern Vintage edge.

What is Millbridge Court’s WOW factor…

Our WOW factor (if I have to pick juuust the one) is our Bridal Changing Suite. With individual make up stations for the Bridal party, ample space, countless mirrors and really chic design, it is the perfect space to get ready on the morning of your wedding. Situated directly above the ceremony room it is also incredibly convenient for the Bride so she can check on the preparations, as well as for us as Event Managers, so if we have any questions at all the Bride is close at hand. The most fun feature is the one way window which allows the Bride to see her guests and Groom arriving for the ceremony, without being seen herself!

Images by Anneli Marinovich Photography.

Preview Credits

Thank you so much to Laura, Jo {SomethingBlue PR} and the team behind this beautiful venue, and of course a huge thank you to Anneli Marinovich for these glorious images.

You can find Millbridge Court in the Coco Wedding Venues directory here!

Lots of love…

The Millbridge Court Preview – A Brand New Surrey Wedding Venue