MATARA 01453 861 050 | www.matara.co.uk Matara is an Asian inspired wedding venue seamlessly marrying the inside with the outdoors, with covered passageways along water features leading from room to room. The main reception room has six ante rooms for you and your guests to spread out. The main reception room here, Hillarium (150 ceremony guests, 200 reception guests), boasts a domed ceiling. With six pairs of French doors, the space is flooded with natural light during the day and has one full wall of twinkling fairylights. Following the wedding breakfast here, guests can disperse into the ante rooms: Mandela, Beech, Unity, and the Chill Out room, while the Hillarium is transformed into the dancefloor. Two of these smaller rooms, Beech and Unity, can alternatively play host to the “I dos” (70 guests). Beech has an enormous rectangularshaped skylight and wall of greenery, acting as an ideal backdrop for the key moment. Guests are seated in Beech and Unity separated by a large archway. Together with Mandela, these rooms can also host 50 for a wedding breakfast and 75 for drinks. The three adjoining rooms allow guests to spread out and escape the dancefloor. There’s also some seating in Mandela, making it a great area for catch up. Al fresco ceremonies can be held on the front lawn (200 guests) with the rose terrace along the side of the Regency house offering a resplendent backdrop; or the woodlands (200 guests), a moss-lined, round clearing making for a fairytale setting. The Cloistered Courtyard (100 guests) is a beautiful Asian-inspired space with covered seating areas surrounding a pond, a further dreamy outdoor wedding spot. The Welcome Courtyard, originally the stableyard has a water feature and firepit. Some fabulous wedding breakfasts have been served here. It’s also where the pizza oven is to be found. The 10-bedroom Regency house is available for on-site accommodation. There’s also a honeymoon lodge and four en-suite rooms in the converted stables. BLACKFRIARS PRIORY 01452 396 384 | www.gloucesterblackfriars.co.uk Blackfriars Priory is a multi-award-winning scheduled monument, nestled close to the historic docks in Gloucester City. The venue is a rare surviving 13th-century Friary and displays an abundance of ancient features. With spaces and packages to suit intimate celebrations of two people to 50, or larger celebrations of up to 230, Blackfriars Priory is a great choice for couples seeking an unusual venue. It’s the perfect combination of a city centre location, with the privacy of a countryside location. The North Range (180 ceremony guests) offers a dramatic backdrop for your ceremony with its 65ft scissor-braced ceiling containing original 13th-century oak beams gifted to the site by King Henry III, fully glazed wall and view overlooking the ancient ruin. North Range weddings include exclusive use of the whole site and this space can seat up to 180 guests for the wedding breakfast and up to 230 for the evening do. It contains a bespoke wooden bar, which stocks a variety of locally sourced drinks, such as Fox’s Kiln Gins, which are distilled a five-minute walk away from the venue. The room transforms from day to night into an impressive space for dancing the night away. Fairylights and uplighters are included, which highlight the room’s period features and set an atmosphere. The Upper East Range (60 ceremony guests) is ideal if you’re looking for cosier and more intimate “I dos.” This rustic room features an oak beam scissor-braced ceiling, arched medieval windows and characterful wooden floor. Decorated with fairylights, this space is romantic and atmospheric. The space is also perfect for intimate receptions (50 guests) with a bar included in the nearby Thomas Bells Room. The Lower East Range, the Old Kitchen (14 guests), earned its name by being a kitchen during the 16th century. It still features amazing original features, such as the bread oven remains and its rare herringbone brickwork fireplace. The Cloister Garden (80 guests) is available for ceremonies with the medieval Scriptorium as your backdrop. The cloister will surround you in history, with gothic, Victorian and modern architecture encompassing the central lawn. For North Range receptions, a complimentary two-night stay is included for the two of you at the nearby luxury boutique apartments, The Judges Lodgings. Just a short walk from Gloucester’s transport hub and the city’s heritage harbour, Gloucester Docks, is where you’ll also find a selection of hotels for guests. www.carol-elizabeth-photography.co.uk www.tomdurn-photography.co.uk www.timeadanciphotography.com https://nikkicooper.co.uk 12
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