As soon as we got engaged, we started discussing our vision for our wedding day: timeless, relaxed, beautiful, and fun.

We viewed so many venues before we found Bruisyard, and none of them was quite right for us; the location was wrong, the facilities didn't meet our expectations, the rules were too restrictive, the value proposition was poor, or we had difficulty envisaging a good working relationship with the in-house planning team. We are so glad we stuck at it until we found Bruisyard (which took a whole year!), because not only did it achieve what we set out to find, but it far exceeded it.

Anyone can see how beautiful a venue Bruisyard is - the Barn is stunning, the grounds are utterly beautiful and well-tended, and the Hall is cosy and warm. But what we couldn't see ahead of time was just how wonderful the planning team would be to work with. We worked with the Bruisyard team throughout the two years between booking and wedding and we can't fault absolutely any element of their work - they were incredibly responsive, helpful, and keen to help us achieve everything we wanted to do. If only everyone we had to deal with in life was Katie or Ruth - everything would be so easy!!

Our wedding started on the Friday with set-up followed by a BBQ provided by Bruisyard. We're so glad we chose this option, as the food was delicious, and we were able to relax on the eve of our wedding. We ordered food from a local supermarket for Saturday's breakfast and a picnic on Sunday, and the Bruisyard housekeeping team were kind enough to pack all of this away for us. One tip for future couples: so as not to see each other on the morning of the wedding, we agreed a specific time on the Saturday morning before which the groom wasn't allowed in the kitchen and after which the bride would remain in the bridal suite, thereby allowing both of us to grab some breakfast and caffeine without crossing paths!

We were delighted to be able to have our wedding ceremony outside, on the Hall lawn, and fortunately the weather was extremely kind to us, although perhaps a little too kind, as we hadn't anticipated 30° in early June! The colours of the lawn and garden were so vibrant and beautiful, exactly as we'd hoped. We were nervous about the possibility of poor weather but Katie reassured us that we could use the Barn if needed - there would be no disasters on our wedding day!

The day went off without a hitch thanks to the Bruisyard team's hard work behind the scenes. All of the food was utterly incredible, especially the wedding breakfast, which we designed in partnership with Bruisyard (almost entirely off-menu!) - months after our day, our friends are still telling us how much they enjoyed the Beef Wellington! The transition from one element to the next was seamless, including our rather complex arrangements for music which Bruisyard managed completely perfectly.

We had a magician throughout the day, which we thoroughly recommend even though it sounds so cheesy! Our ceremony and drinks reception music was supplied by a harpist, which worked perfectly with the setting. In the evening, we had both a ceilidh and a fun casino, both of which went down a treat with our guests. On the Sunday, our guests were invited back for a picnic and games, which was great as it enabled all of our friends to experience the Hall as well as the Barn.

Now that the dust has settled post-wedding, we can wholeheartedly say that we made the right choice in Bruisyard. It would be difficult to beat the beauty of the venue, but moreover the team genuinely cared about helping us to achieve our vision, and couldn't have been nicer throughout or easier to deal with. Thank you, Bruisyard - you were perfect.