Audries Park Anmeldelser 4

Today’s email from St Audries park is the final straw! Today they have again refused to deal with their own issue that they caused. Please see below a brief outline of our issues.

We got married at St Audries Park in August 2024 and, sadly, our experience after the wedding has completely overshadowed what should have been a special occasion.

Following our wedding, a significant number of our personal belongings were not returned to us, including bespoke wedding items (custom made personalised vow books & A5 signs), gift cards and money (left in the manager’s possession), sentimental keepsakes and decorative items that had been handed over to venue staff.

We were later told that a large box of our belongings had been packed and posted back to us. However, nearly two years on, St Audries Park have still been unable to provide any evidence of this whatsoever — no tracking reference, no courier details, no dispatch confirmation, no proof of contents and no proof of delivery.

Despite repeatedly stating the items were “returned”, they have been unable to show any evidence that they were ever actually sent.

This has been the most frustrating part of the entire process. Had the venue simply accepted responsibility early on and tried to resolve matters properly, this review may have looked very different. Instead, this has involved nearly two years of chasing, repeated delays, contradictory responses and a refusal to provide any meaningful resolution.

What has been most disappointing is not just the loss of our belongings, but how poorly this has been handled since. The tone throughout has felt defensive, dismissive and focused more on avoiding responsibility than resolving the issue fairly. The board of directors have refused in person meetings and phone calls.

For a venue that markets itself as premium and specialises in weddings, we expected much better care, much better communication and much better accountability. We had to pay a £1k deposit which was very slowly returned after repeated chase calls, but the irony is it feels like we should have taken a deposit from St Audries Park for taking possession of our items in the end!

A beautiful venue in photographs, but based on our experience, be extremely cautious about leaving any personal belongings, sentimental items or anything of value in their care. We would not recommend this venue to any new couples.

We booked St Audries Park for our December wedding and initially felt confident with our choice, as it is a beautiful venue offering a premium package that we decided to add. Unfortunately, our experience took a very different turn when we had to cancel due to exceptional circumstances.

Since booking many months ago, my wife is now expecting our first child, with her due date falling right around the time of our planned wedding. After taking medical advice, we felt it was unsafe and unrealistic to proceed so close to the birth. With family also travelling from overseas, we could not risk a last-minute cancellation that would have meant losing the entire wedding. We did have wedding insurance, but it did not cover this situation unfortunately.

We reached out to the venue well in advance once known, hoping to find a compromise. We offered to pay additional costs to move our wedding to 2026, but this was refused. Despite already having paid the majority of the costs, the venue enforced a significant cancellation fee that on paper appeared to be 75% of the total package price, but was actually 75% of the remaining balance we had left to pay in the bulk invoice (meaning we paid even more than 75% of the package price for a wedding we are not able to have) with no flexibility and 14 days to make payment. The correspondence we received focused entirely on contract terms, with no willingness to compromise on situations such as ours, and no goodwill granted either.

We understand businesses must protect themselves, but we had hoped for a degree of compassion and adaptability that many other venues in the industry show in exceptional circumstances. Instead, what should have been a joyful chapter in our lives became unnecessarily stressful and disappointing.

We have, of course, honoured the contract, but we feel other couples should be aware of how rigid the approach has been in our case. If you are considering this venue, please be mindful that there is very little room for flexibility should life events change your plans outside of extreme situations under insurance purposes.

St Audries Park
July 2024 Wedding Event

The planning for our wedding began back in 2022. After visiting numerous venues, we chose St Audries Park in the Quantocks for its stunning location, excellent facilities, and undeniable beauty.

The venue is an elegant old manor house featuring a grand atrium, beautifully maintained oak-paneled rooms, several bars, a dining area, 12 exquisitely appointed bedrooms, and an Orangery where we held our ceremony. Approached by a sweeping driveway, the striking main entrance is sure to impress even the most discerning guests. Many accurate photos of the venue are available online.

We selected a package accommodating around 70 guests, which included the rental of the 12 rooms in the main house and a cottage for the bride and her party the night before. Our package featured welcome drinks, canapés, a three-course meal, Champagne, wine, an evening buffet, and breakfast for overnight guests the following day.

Interestingly, while there was ample extra accommodation available on-site, we were required to reserve all rooms at the time of booking, despite not knowing our final guest count. When we questioned this policy, one of the directors described it as “a good business model.” We found this approach puzzling, as it seemed counterproductive. As a result, our guests had to stay at various local hotels, B&Bs, and Airbnbs, which was disappointing. This is something the directors may want to reconsider.

Now, regarding the ceremony itself, let’s highlight the key aspects:

The Staff: They were utterly faultless, with the exception of a few directors and their puzzling policies. Every staff member was well-trained, responsive, thoughtful, and truly a credit to their profession—from cleaners and housekeepers to waiting staff and gardeners. We were thoroughly impressed.

The reception of guests went smoothly, with meticulous guidance provided to all, ensuring everyone found their accommodations and made it to the ceremony without a hitch.

The Ceremony: My future wife was in the beautifully equipped bridal suite, superbly cared for by the event organizer (more on her later). After spending the night before with her entourage in the estate cottage, she quickly transformed into the stunning bride of the day.

The ceremony took place in the Orangery, which had been beautifully transformed by our florists and the venue staff. The elegant chairs and pristine grounds completed the picturesque setting, and the event proceeded flawlessly, despite a brief shower that the event organizer handled seamlessly.

Immediately following the ceremony, we were taken to a private room to collect our thoughts before meeting our guests as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time. The room was stocked with champagne and canapés of impeccable quality. Meanwhile, our organizer and the staff welcomed our guests into the main ballroom, where they enjoyed exquisite cocktails and a delightful selection of canapés. We all mingled and danced before settling down for the wedding breakfast.

The Wedding Breakfast: It was simply superb. Although we catered for 70 guests, each course was served with the finesse of a high-end London restaurant. The quality of the food was outstanding and received much praise afterward. My new wife and I even visited the kitchen to thank the exceptional staff and head chef for making our event unforgettable.

The breakfast and toasts were orchestrated by the event organizer and flowed so smoothly that it felt like a blur of joy and celebration.

Finally, we must give special recognition to our host and event organizer, Grace. She was instrumental in ensuring that our experience was outstanding. With her calm yet assertive demeanor, no problem was insurmountable, and no request was too much trouble. Grace operated like the most diligent “ghost host”—seldom seen but always present, with her unwavering attention to detail and commitment to us as guests. If Carlsberg made hosts, they would be called Grace.

In summary, we rate St Audries Park a solid 9/10. We would have given an unequivocal 10/10 if not for the frustrating accommodation situation early in the planning process. Thankfully, Grace was there to salvage that oversight and keep our spirits high!

We attended a wedding at Audries Park yesterday and were disappointed at the difference between the way that the venue was described on their website to the actuality of the experience.

I was booked into one of the suites in the main house. Although advertised as luxury with a four poster bed, there was no fridge or tea/coffee making facilities in the room, although there was a concession when buying tea or coffee at the bar for guests staying in the rooms. There was also no iron which one would think would be a prerequisite for a guest preparing for a wedding. The carpet was extremely stained and dirty with lumps underfoot, there was no shower curtain, bathroom tiles were dirty and cracked and the room generally needed an overhaul to bring it up to standard.

There was no wifi, which was even more irritating considering there was little to no mobile connection on anywhere on the site. I found this extremely surprising in a venue like this; these are very much standard in pretty much in all 4 star hotels I have ever stayed in. Many of the guests spent their time running around frantically trying to pick up either a mobile signal or a wifi connection.

My elderly mother, who was staying in another of the suites, tripped and banged her head on the floor because stairs that were not apparent because they were hidden underneath the carpet were not properly signposted.

The grounds however were beautiful, just as described.

The meal was average and I felt it below standard for such a lovely venue. The serving of the wine was parsimonious with the bottles being jealously guarded by the waiters instead of being placed on the tables for the guests to help themselves. Bar prices were on the expensive side, as you might expect, and there was a warning that anybody who was discovered to be bringing in their own food or alcohol to their room from outside without prior arrangement could be liable for a £1000 fine, to be added to the final bill. This is not acceptable.

The evening meal was perfunctory, a large platter of sliced cheese, one of ham and a plate of crackers. Oh, and a plate of pork pies!

All this added a rather sour note to what should have been a glorious occasion.

In conclusion, this is a beautiful venue with stunning grounds that could be improved hugely by spending a little on renovating the accommodation and facilities, improving the food and installing proper wifi in communal areas and bedrooms.