December News; Wedding Planners, Birthday celebrations and a November Wedding
Typically, November is a quieter month in the wedding venue calendar, however it’s felt anything but quiet these last few weeks and as we charge ahead into December with all its festive celebrations, it looks like the team will be run off their feet right to the end!
First, let us take you back to our Wedding Planner Retreat that took place last month. We invited a group of 12 wedding planners from East Anglia, London & the Home Counties to experience lunch, dinner and an overnight stay at Butley Priory.
The weather wasn’t kind at all, but only served to make the Priory feel even more cosy with the fires crackling away and the warm candlelight glow.
We started with an informal canape lunch, (because who doesn’t love canapes?) followed by a tour of the Priory, cottage and farmhouse, where we made ourselves cosy in front of the sitting room fire for tea and pretty, pastel macarons from Hilton Macarons.
To keep everyone amused, we then got busy with a cocktail making masterclass from the fabulous guys at The Bar District. Cosmopolitans, Gin Gardens and Amaretto Sours were the order of the day, with some competitive challenges thrown in for good measure!
After a little turnaround, the Great Hall was transformed for dinner with a long banqueting table complete with beautiful florals from Tudor Rose and divine tableware from Party Squared. Naturally, Peter Harrison was put in charge of catering and created an exquisite four course tasting menu using the finest local produce.
And so to bed with an early start the next morning for a Pilates class with Kelly Steventon. A gentle stretch and deep breaths to ease us all into the day and to set us up for a healthy breakfast back at the Farmhouse, before saying our goodbyes.
Late November saw the first of our festive holiday stays at Butley Abbey Farmhouse, with the arrival of some lovely guests who stay with us each year to enjoy a Christmas together before the big event in December…equipped with trees, decorations and all the gastronomic delights, the family enjoyed a wonderful stay.
“Thank you so much for letting us use this gorgeous home to create Dec 25th in November. So many lovely memories made this year, excited already to come back next year. Always special to find a house that holds our ever-growing family. Thanks again!!”
Speaking of Christmas, we’re all looking forward to settling down to watch the BBC’s The Detectorists Christmas special starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones which we saw them filming, in and around Framlingham over the Summer. Look out for Nigel Richardson’s (author of The Accidental Detectorist) feature in the Telegraph about metal detecting, which includes our Suffolk Sandlands tours.
Onto other celebrations and this time, it was for our very own Nigel & Daniela, who both enjoyed November birthday cake and balloons in the Events Office – Happy Birthday you two!
We hosted a delightful gathering, with mulled wine for around 60 guests for the Friends of Orford Museum talk with Gary Battell. Gary is the Woodland Advisor at Suffolk County Council and did a wonderful talk about the tress and woodlands of Suffolk, which will be followed up with a walk, through Staverton Thicks in the new year.
Lastly, we take a look back at Gigi & Tom’s gorgeous November wedding. Much to everyone’s surprise we had the mildest November day which meant guests were able to enjoy the garden late into the evening, with use of a ‘chill-out’ marquee filled with comfy chairs and a Football table!
As we fast track towards the end of the year, we’re looking forward to our final wedding of the year, our team Christmas party in the Great Hall and to welcoming two more lovely families who have chosen to spend their Christmas in Butley Abbey Farmhouse and Butley Priory.
We’d like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a bright and beautiful 2023!