The English Country Garden Festival 2018

With the wet cold winter hopefully firmly behind us, and as our gardens at Coombe Trenchard spring into life, we are looking forward to hosting our annual garden show once again for the 7th year running.

Each year on the first weekend of June, Coombe Trenchard opens its gates to exhibitors and visitors from the South West and beyond, to share the tranquility of our gardens and celebrate English Country Garden life.

Specialist plant growers provide a riot of colour to delight our visitors, as well as being on hand to offer lots of great tips and advice. There will be many vintage home and garden treasures too, as well as unique artisan craft makers.

Children’s Hospice South West will be providing a delicious selection home baked cakes and teas on the sunny south terrace, using beloved recipes tried, tested and shared by us all here at Coombe Trenchard.

And once again there will be Edwardian croquet amongst a host of traditional family garden games for all to enjoy.

Freshly prepared hot lunches will also be available on the Italian terrace, and of course there will be ice cream...

The show this year has been rebranded using our stunning peacock ‘Jasper’ as inspiration, so look out for our new road directional signs and our promotional pieces on social media, on the dedicated page on our website, and in many local publications all of whom help us bang the drum for the event, and are great advocates for the festival and of the on-going garden restoration works here at Coombe Trenchard.

We are delighted to be supported again this year by Devon Life & Cornwall Life magazines, and you will find an article about our gardens and the event, to include a '2 for 1 Voucher' in this months edition out now.

The English Country Garden Festival is being held on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd June, with gates open from 10am - 5pm.

Entrance fees: £6 adults, children under 14 free, dogs always very welcome.

Myself, Lorna and our trusted team of loyal supporters, family and friends are counting down the days, and look forward to welcoming everyone.

Lauren & Matt's Wedding Planning Blog - Part 4

I can’t believe that in March, when it was 6 months until Matt & I get married, we were out in knee deep snow! The mile stone we have been working towards was the 6 month mark and now it’s been and gone and things have really started to get moving!

I had my hen weekend at the start of April, where we stayed in a lodge in Cheddar, Tor Farm, relaxing with spa treatments and a hot tub and catching up with some of the closest people involved in the wedding. We have also met again with our incredible florist, Amy from Blossom Parlour based is Weston-Super-Mare. She is just brilliant, as I said before I think the most important thing when looking for a supplier is to work with someone who when they are talking about an idea it’s pretty much what you were going to say! Amy has literally taken the ideas out of Matt & my minds and made it real and really understood what we wanted – including an incredible floral feature called a ‘moon gate’, look this up! It will be the back drop behind Matt & me for the wedding breakfast.

I have also seen my dress again at Bridal Boutique in Street. It had been a few months since I last tried it on, so my memory was a bit sketchy on how it looked. But trying it on again was just lovely and I am so pleased with my decision. For my veil I have what was originally my auntie’s cathedral length veil, which my mum then wore to her wedding – which I am now wearing! It is so beautiful and I remember being little and wearing it and thinking how much I wanted to get married – it’s also my something old and something borrowed! I couldn’t believe just how perfectly it went with the dress and it means so much to have something which holds so many memories.

Everything slowly is starting to come together now, the wedding room is full of all the things we have been collecting and have been given by family (the incredible handmade post box!) and is still growing. I have really enjoyed making things for the wedding – entirely fuelled by my Pinterest account, somethings have worked really well, others not so well but it’s all been part of the experience. The next few months I think will be filled with appointments with our suppliers and sorting out the details of the day which I am so excited about, the more people we meet the more real it all feels. Also the more our ideas grow and develop, when we look back at how we thought the day would be to now it has evolved so much and we just can’t wait for it to come together.

The biggest thing I think when you start to plan a wedding especially with over a year of planning, is to understand that things do change and ideas will grow and develop. But I would say that from the start have the things in mind which are your core ideas which are essential to you and build around them, ours were; church, family, tradition and our day has grown around these key points, so we know when we look back we can say it was exactly what we wanted.

The next mile stone will be July, which leaves only 3 months and I know everything will start to move even quicker with final appointments, fittings and getting bills settled! We also have Matt’s birthday in July to celebrate and are off to see Ed Sheeran, which will speed up the time even more with lots of exciting things to look forward to whilst we wait for September 1st 2018!

I will keep you posted

Lauren x

Copy of Tamsin & James's July wedding at Coombe Trenchard

Last July Tamsin & James had a beautiful wedding here at Coombe Trenchard. The sun shone, and the whole day was filled with love and happiness. We asked Tamsin to tell us about her special day.

Alexa Poppe Photography

What were your reasons for choosing Coombe Trenchard?

It was the perfect balance of meeting both our budget and our criteria for a wedding venue. We wanted somewhere in the beautiful Devon or Cornish countryside, away from other buildings, with the licence to hold the ceremony on site, and to allow the freedom to choose our suppliers. The fact that Coombe Trenchard were able to provide our preferred wedding breakfast of afternoon tea - was the icing on the cake! So these reasons were why were drawn to the venue, but once we actually visited, viewed the stunning house and grounds, and meeting Sarah - our minds where made up. 

Alexa Poppe Photography

Where did you find your inspiration?

Of course, Pinterest was the starting point. We wanted to create a relaxed garden party style wedding and there was plenty of ideas on the colour scheme, decorations and food etc. I actually based the colour scheme on my bridesmaids dresses which combined grey, cream, and beige tones.

What are your top supplier tips?

A lot of time spent searching on Google and acquiring quotes! Get initial quotes by asking for an 'event' quote, since mentioning the word 'wedding' to some suppliers, seems to give licence to up the price!

What was your favourite part of the day?

The afternoon tea and  speeches.

Alexa Poppe photography

What advice would you give to future Coombe Trenchard bridal couples?

Have a good night sleep the night before. Have your wedding breakfast in the coach house. If you rent a marquee, specify in the contract, that it must be setup to an acceptable standard by 3 days prior to the wedding. Ensure an appropriate balance of ladies and gentleman's typical drinks post ceremony, pre wedding breakfast.

Alexa Poppe Photography

What is your tale from the other side?

We went on a wonderful trip to the deep south of Cornwall, then Sri Lanka immediately after the wedding. It was brilliant to do this straight afterwards. Now life is all back to normal, in Aspley Guise, with Mabel the cockapoo. Except we have wedding rings, lots of great photos and memories, and a kind of feeling of 'adultness' when introducing one another as 'my wife' or 'my husband'. 

Alexa Poppe Photography

Please detail your suppliers:

Photographer:

Alexa Poppe - https://www.alexapoppeweddingphotography.com  - highly recommended

Videographer (if applicable): Filmed ceremony and speech on my own Nikon DSLR and Ralph (DJ made a video of the disco!)

Florist: Sarah, Coombe Trenchard  - highly recommended

Caterer: Sarah, Coombe Trenchard, Buen Apetito - http://www.buenapetito.co.uk/  - highly recommended

Cake: Country Cheeses, Taverstock - countrycheeses.co.uk

Dress: Jenny Packham, Ted Baker

Entertainment: Ralph Sophola (DJ Boombastic), djboombastic08@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/DJ8Boombastic/?ref=hl - highly recommended

Marquee Company (if applicable): Godney Marquees put one up, and then because it was so awful, took it down again causing last minute issues. I personally recommend they are avoided at all costs - dreadful service.

Bar Company: Thirst Choice - http://thirstchoice.org.uk/ - Excellent!

Hair: Michelle @ Creative Design Boutique, Plymouth

Make Up: Bobby Brown products, self applied

A Chat with Icicle Tricycle

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How would you describe your business?

Icicle Tricycle cares about the happiness of its customers and takes pride in offering the best possible experience for your special day by serving high quality Devon ice cream with professionalism, friendliness and value for money. We aim to help make your wedding day one that you and your guests will always remember with a smile.

What is your favourite thing about being involved in the wedding industry?

Helping to contribute in the making of a memorable and special couple's wedding day.

Can you describe Coombe Trenchard in three words? 

Idyllic, impressive, unique.

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What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?

I love nearly all the flavours we serve but I suppose if I really had to choose my absolute favourite it would have to be 26 miles - This flavour is based on the Snickers bar (or Marathon for us oldies) and is made with peanut butter, chocolate shavings, peanuts and has a toffee ripple running through it.

Why do you think Ice Cream makes people so happy?

I think it's the feeling of a naughty but innocent pleasure reflecting the nostalgia of childhood.

What do you feel is unique about what Icicle Tricycle offers?

Icicle Tricycle offers a service to family and friends by family and friends all wrapped up in our original 1920's Pashley ice cream trikes.

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What advice would you give to bridal couples thinking about booking Icicle Tricycle?

The best advice I can offer at present is to contact us well in advance as we are booked early.

Finally, what excites you most about your job?

I think, although it can be extremely stressful at times, it has to be witnessing other people's reactions when they first see us and the delight on the childrens' and adults' faces alike. It gives me immense pride to be honoured to contribute to the happiness and pleasure of a couple's very special day.

Find out more about Icicle Tricycle by visiting their website here. 

Nikki & Ant - May 27th 2017

Back in May 2017 we were lucky enough to host the wedding of Nikki & Ant, a couple who wowed us with their creativity and style. As a stationery designer that we adore (you must take some time to browse Nikki's Knots & Kisses website), we knew the day would be a masterclass in colours and design, but it was also packed with personality, love and so much laughter. It gives us great pleasure to relive the day with Nikki, and Clare Kinchin's beautiful images. 

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Clare Kinchin Photography

What were your reasons for choosing Coombe Trenchard?

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Clare Kinchin Photography

I first discovered Coombe Trenchard when we first moved to Devon and I was looking to connect with fellow wedding suppliers in the local area. I popped along for a chat with Sarah and she fed me the most amazing shortbread and showed me round her beautiful house and I was pretty much hooked from then!

When Ant proposed Coombe Trenchard went straight on to the shortlist of 5 venues I thought we should see.

I was happy for Ant to make the final decision though as all 5 I had shortlisted were venues I knew, had worked with and loved so it was really difficult for me to look at them objectively.

Ant fell in love with Coombe Trenchard immediately and we both loved the relaxed atmosphere and stunning surroundings. It combined both of our love of historic buildings and architecture without being too big or ‘grand’ and it made for the most amazing relaxed and fun day!

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Clare Kinchin Photography

Where did you find your inspiration?

When I’m designing for a client I always start with asking them about the things they love in general. I like to see how they live and how they decorate their house. I think this shows a lot about a couple’s personality and it should always be this that show’s through in their wedding.

Fortunately Ant and myself had just bought a renovation house in Torquay and were already discussing colour schemes so we ended up picking a colour scheme which was based on our lounge and dining room!

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Clare Kinchin Photography

Navy and dark wood are our favourites and I adore blush pink and dark pink reds and burgundy’s, so this is what we went for.

We also picked a subtle animal skull and floral motif to run through the day and introduced lots of references to films and books which we absolutely love. We wanted to incorporate all the things we love but in a really pretty and hopefully stylish way so it didn’t look like there was too much of an overall ‘theme’

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Clare Kinchin Photography

What are your top supplier tips?

Be organised and understanding! Most of the suppliers in the wedding industry are small businesses who are working all the hours to try and make your day amazing so being friendly via email or phone goes a long way.

I’m a natural stress head but I tried to be as nice and friendly as possible to all my suppliers even if I was stressing out!

Having all the information they need to hand and making decisions quickly I think not only helps suppliers but yourself. Stressing for hours over tiny decisions which in the end won’t be noticed on your wedding day is not good for anyone’s mental health! I tried to make decision as quickly as I could.

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Clare Kinchin Photography

What was your favourite part of the day?

We have two which we have discussed at length since the day!

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Clare Kinchin Photography

Firstly our ‘first look’ before walking into the ceremony room together. We had the music start up and I walked down the stairs from the bridal suite and Ant met me at the bottom of the stairs before then walking to the front of the hall. This was the best decision ever … it was incredibly emotional and it actually made us both much less nervous about walking in in front of everyone as we were hand in hand.

Secondly was half way through the day when we asked all the guests to join us on the second terrace for the evening reception part of the day. None of the guests had any idea there was going to be whole other area for the evening and seeing their faces when they walked through under the clock tower and realised there was another area with photobooth, band and pizza van was amazing!

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Clare Kinchin Photography

What advise would you give to future Coombe Trenchard bridal couples?

Take all the advice Sarah and Emily offer … they know what they are doing and are used to planning a wedding that is perfect for both you and makes the most of Coombe Trenchard! Be as organised as you can and create a timeline which you can add to gradually once you have found out timings from various suppliers. Having this timeline though means that you can hand everything over to the venue easily the day before and know that everything will go as closely to plan as possible. ( But be prepared that something might go wrong and realise that if it does that’s absolutely fine.)

Also have a separate wet weather plan just in case – you’ll be far less disappointed on the day if you do.

We ended up not needed ours but it was raining the morning of the wedding so I’d convinced myself it was wet weather plan anyway!.

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Clare Kinchin Photography

What is your tale from the other side?

We absolutely love being married but it was never the be all and end all of our relationship. Make sure you love and enjoy your day but realise that the ceremony is the most important thing and everything else is just a beautiful bonus!

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Clare Kinchin Photography

Photographer: Clare Kinchin

Florist: Brompton Buds

Caterer: Coombe Trenchard and Two Birds

Cake: Edible Essence

Dress: Needle & Thread, with embellishments from Abidemaids and hair piece from Kye Tew Jewellery. Shoes Rachel Simpson Shoes.

Groom’s Suit : Vintage Suit Hire Company / Accessories : Mrs Bow Tie

Entertainment: Swing Kings and Your New Favourite Band

Marquee Company: World Inspired Tents

Bar Company: Thirst Choice

Hair: Giselle at The Event Studios

Make Up: Giselle at The Event Studios

Other items and props : Virginias Vintage Hire, The Prop Factory & West Country Wedding Planner

Stationery & Styling : Knots & Kisses