1. What made you decide that Burnoose House was the right venue for you both for your special day?
It was important to me to get married in Devoran Church as it is where I grew up and a village where, as a couple, we have lots of happy memories. A core criteria for a wedding venue for me was that it was a short drive from this church and most importantly – that our venue was dog-friendly. I actually didn’t know what I was looking for in a venue… until I came across Burnoose House! It was beautifully simple and elegant.
As a ‘home’ rather than a ‘venue’ like a hotel or restaurant, I knew I would be able to have a fully bespoke wedding with the best suppliers and also have somewhere wonderful for our family to stay in the run up to the wedding. I actually found Burncoose House at 2am on a Saturday morning – and I told Adam all about it as soon as he woke up and he agreed it was perfect! Even though we initially weren’t sure what we wanted, when we saw Burncoose House we knew that was it. I was bursting with excitement all weekend and called first thing on the following Monday.
We made the provisional booking and paid the deposit without even seeing the property and the rest is history!
2. What did you love most about Burnoose House and the Estate?
Whilst it is a big house with beautiful grounds, it feels personal and cosy, with rooms to escape to for those that wanted some quiet time. It genuinely feels like you are at home the moment you step inside and the surroundings are very peaceful and calm to walk around – especially in the run up to a wedding where there is a constant flurry of emails, calls and questions!
I have to mention the orangery/ conservatory as it is my absolute favourite part of the house. The moment I stepped in the house and walked through the living room and peered through the glass doors, I just knew that it was where we had to have the reception.
My vision for the day was ‘cosy winter wonderland’ with a focus on foliage rather than flowers and soft warm lighting. Even without any decor, it is the most beautiful space and the perfect size for an intimate wedding, and we transformed the dining space into a dance space with ease.
3. Did you feel supported by the Team at Burnoose throughout your wedding preparations?
The team at Burncoose were so supportive from day one. Nothing was too much trouble – even confirming that there was indeed a coffee machine in the house after this question popped into my head one day!
The team are very responsive, helpful and know the house inside out. If they don’t know the specific answer you’re looking for, they will go and find out and come back really quickly. They also liaised with all my suppliers with minimal fuss or effort needed from me, other than handing over a list of names and contact details.
Weddings are stressful, and they can be even more so when venues are rigid, unfriendly or non-responsive. I found booking and planning a wedding with the team at Burncoose House to be so easy. I actually couldn’t believe how easy and seamless it all was and how open they were to options and discussions about my various decor ideas. I felt like somehow I had cheated the ‘wedding stress’ system and got very lucky!
4. What was the most memorable event of the day in addition to your wedding service?
We arrived back at Burncoose House after the ceremony before anyone else so we headed upstairs to wait for our guests to arrive – but to also take a moment to ourselves.
We stood at the window of the master bedroom looking over the drive and across the gardens, champagne in hand, watching our guests ‘take in’ where they had just arrived as they hopped out of the mini bus. It was a wonderful moment and on a day that flies by (this is not a cliche – the day genuinely goes by really fast!) – this really sticks in my mind as a lovely moment between Adam and I. We then got to walk down the grand staircase to greet our guests and it was just a completely magical part of the day.
5. Do you have any advice to give to other couples who may be planning an intimate Winter Wedding at Burnoose?
In lieu of advice, can I just say I’m incredibly jealous of anyone who has booked their winter wedding at Burncoose House and I wish I could do it all again! In all seriousness, firstly, if you haven’t already booked then do, you won’t regret it. Secondly, the best thing I did was to use locally recommended suppliers which knew the house and the Burncoose team – it meant that when I discussed my ideas, they already knew what was possible, could liaise and finalise plans directly with Burncoose.
If you can, then try to book the house for a week around the wedding, rather than just for the wedding. Having a solid base for us as a couple and our family to settle in, get to ‘know’ the house, where everything is and to do a lot of the preparation work, made a huge difference. Then, decompressing for a day or two afterwards without rushing out the door was so beneficial mentally and physically and enabled us to enjoy the whole experience properly.
📸Photography by Poppy Carter Portraits