Your Kent Wedding - November/December 2022 (Issue 105)

THE DREYS 01622 236 550 | www.thedreys.co.uk A truly rustic woodland wonder Based in 80 acres of private Kentish woodland, The Dreys provides the perfect natural backdrop for your big day, and with so much space available the possibilities are endless. Here, you can expect exclusive use of the whole site and a large choice of furniture and styling items all included in the hire fee, such as a large firepit with day beds and blankets, all tables, chairs and linens, plus additional al fresco seating and tables. Ceremonies can take place in the licensed Field Shelter, an open-sided covered deck with space for 100-140 loved ones. Alternatively, blessings are welcomed in the woodland also for up to 140 nearest and dearest. Receptions are hosted in the 12-metre diameter dressed marquee complete with festoon lighting, wooden flooring and chill-out furniture. Unlike many woodland venues, The Dreys has a plan A and plan B available with the use of two bespoke, built marquees. One can be used for the drinks reception and the other for the wedding breakfast, providing guests with ample room to mingle and move. There’s space here for 140 guests. Additionally, the Field Shelter can be transformed following the ceremony to provide a dancefloor space with views into the bar area and chill-out spaces. Maximum capacity for an evening bash is 200. Stay in the secluded woodcutters cottage on your wedding night and wake up to breakfast on the veranda. Guests can also stay on site in one of 10 bell tents available to hire, or in one of the wagons. BILSINGTON PRIORY 01233 720 992 | www.bilsingtonpriory.co.uk Take a stroll through British history from the 13th-century, via the Edwardian era, and up to modern day Set amongst seven acres of mature landscaped gardens and surrounded by a moat the Priory was built in 1253 for the canons regular of St Augustine’s in a French style of the period. A Grade I listed heritage building, it once provided hospitality for travellers and pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury. The Grand Ceremony Room is an oak and stone hall, once the rectory for the black canons. It can seat 100 guests for the ceremony. Meanwhile, The Conservatory is a bright space connected to the Edwardian manor house and accessed via the private garden. Surrounded by the moat it overlooks ancient woodlands with stunning views over Romney Marsh. It can play host to 50 for the “I dos.” Finally for the vows, the garden’s ceremony area is focused on a chess-board gazebo and surrounded by mature trees and shrubs. It can seat up to 120. Receptions for 150 guests are hosted in the marquee, which boasts an exposed wall showing off the historical stonework of the Priory and a stunning Louis XV-style chandelier. Tables can be dressed in the style of your choice and evening entertainment takes place in the adjacent Chapter Room complete with bar and dancefloor. The west wing of the manor is offered to wedding parties wishing to prepare on site and post celebrations there are four rooms available on a bed and breakfast basis. www.jadegreenbrooke.com www.jadegreenbrooke.com www.chrislawsonphotography.co.uk www.chrislawsonphotography.co.uk 26

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