We wanted to take you on an in-depth tour of the venue today – from the ceremony through to the celebrations! We hope you fall in love with this outdoor venue, but if you want to take a look for yourself then you can visit Wilderness and sister venue Preston Court at their Open Weekend on 13th – 14th October. Once you’ve scrolled through the feature, click through to our Event Diary for all the details.
Say I Do
The Wilderness is a gorgeous green valley with a lake, ancient woodland and water meadows with incredible views over the farmland and beyond. It is a paradise full of wild birds, butterflies, dragonflies, foxgloves, magical oak trees and unusual wild flowers.
They have not one but two separate licensed areas on site for legally binding Civil Ceremonies and Partnerships. The architecturally designed Woodman’s Cabin with magnificent sail cloth tent overlooking the water, and at the opposite end of the lake, the Boat–Zebo, an upturned wooden clinker fishing boat for outside ceremonies. This is a breath-taking venue and really special – we hope you love it too.
Hurray!
Receptions take place in 3 large Kata tipis which sit in the woodland glade, a short walk across the water meadow and over the wooden footbridge, from the boating lake. The glade is a enchanting space filled with ferns, wild garlic, ancient oak trees, bluebells and Campanula.
The Kata tipis cleverly open up like the petals of a flower to bring the outside into the dining space and give the guests a real immersion into the true wilderness. Your guests can sit enjoying their feast with a view out of the tipis, through the foliage of the tall trees and out to the green valley beyond. Cattle can be seen grazing gently in the neighbouring fields and there’s not a building in sight.
Wilderness can accommodate up to 120 guests for the day and evening and all of the Wilderness team will do their utmost to ensure you have the best day of your lives. They encourage each couple to do things differently and bring a bit of them to the space. There is a pretty Victorian Shepherds hut in the next door field which is the bride and groom’s private space for the day and a wonderful spot in the evenings for photographs. There is also a hand-crafted wooden swing at the brow of the glade, where the couple can enjoy private drinks and a stunning view of the sunset.
The woodland provides the perfect environment for guests to wonder through and explore and experience the serendipity of the Wilderness. At night the glade takes on a new dimension, the trees glittering in fairy lights and the canopies of the trees illuminated to give a real festival feel.
The Tipple
The Champagne shack which serves all manor of Wilderness inspired fresh cocktails, local ales and wines, sits opposite the tipi tents, forming the perfect gathering space for the reception. The sunlight glistening through the trees, bathes the glade in warm sun and the sunsets here are out of this world, perfectly framed by the trees and long grasses.
The Fodder
Food is a really big part to the day and they have hand-picked a selection of different types of caterers who can bring Wilderness to life through fresh, local foods, feasting and sharing menus, street foods and food cooked outdoors over a fire. They are lucky enough to be surrounded on all 3 sides by glorious coast line, so getting fish, oysters, lobster and seafood is easy!
As catering isn’t included in the venue hire, you can check out their list of 6 Accredited Caterers below.
- Tayberry Foods
- Minno Kitchen (Katy from Minno Lives by the sea at Whitstable and is known for all manner of things, including native Oysters!)
- Cura Dining & Events
- Just One Cook
- Curry Squad (Street Food, Samosas and exotic delights)
- Scott Anderson
Sleeping
The glampsite is a short walk from the tipi tents through the woodland so guests can check in before the ceremony if they wish.
Glamping on site is also available for up to 34 people sharing 10 huge bell tents. The Glamping meadow is just a 2 minute walk through beautiful woodland and the 10 tents can be taken as Doubles for 20 guests, or with additional beds for any number of guests up to the maximum 34 as they have the option of 4 Quad Occupancy Emperor Bell Tents and 6 Triple occupancy Bell tents.
Exclusive Hire Includes
- Wonderful Woodsman’s Cabin & Tent with lovely views across the lake and Wilderness beyond. The cabin is licensed for Civil Ceremonies and Partnerships. The cabin has a beautiful traditional canvas and bamboo pole tent attached which means all 120 of the guests can be comfortably accommodated for ceremonies and the drinks reception.
- ‘Boat –Zebo’ (Gazebo) on the Lake. If you prefer an outdoor ceremony, you can marry down by the lake.This area is fully licenced for outdoor Civil Ceremonies & Partnerships.
- Use of 3 Giant Kata Tipi tents which are just magical. This space is large enough to seat 120 guests, plus a large area for reception drinks/dancing later on. There is a purpose built stage for the band/DJ.
- Victorian Shepherds Hut. This is your own private space for the day and is an original Shepherds Hut with lovely views over the lake, field and valley beyond.
- Use of the Wilderness field. This is a lovely meadow which contains mature oak and chestnut trees. This also has magnificent views across the far reaching valley.
- Fixtures & Fittings in the Tipi. All of the flooring, lighting and heating for the wedding are included. Also they have an abundance of Fairy lighting inside and out of the Tipis, alongside larger festoon lights that add atmosphere and warmth day and night.
- A Generator for power.
- Handmade rustic wooden trestle tables and wooden benches to seat 120 guests for the Wedding Breakfast.
- Staffing for the day is included aside from the Catering Staff. This is usually between 8-12 staff to host and serve drinks to your guests.
- 2 dedicated Events Managers to ensure a smooth running order which they finalise in planning meetings before the big day.
- Use of the Champagne Shack bar.
- All glassware – wine glasses, champagne flutes, water glasses and beer glasses are included.
- Cake & Gift Tables.
- Easel for your Table Plan.
- Professional LED lighting to illuminate the glade at night.
- Luxury Bathroom Facilities.
You can get a real feel for the place by watching their Wilderness Video.
07595 190 326 or email susie@prestoncourt.co.uk. Also, why not check out their equally impressive sister venue Preston Court in Kent. We think you’ll love BOTH venues, we certainly do.
Based on a weekday wedding in May. Includes drink.