The Manor Elstree

I'd like to start off my review by saying I think we were a bit unlucky and our experience may not be reflective of the experience the venue provides to other couples. We got married there just over a year ago, and I have provided detailed feedback to the Manor who have not got back to me. We booked the Manor because it felt perfect for what we wanted. We could rent out the whole hotel so we didn’t need to worry about disturbing non-wedding guests and people would be able to sneak off to bed whenever they wanted. There were also lots of communal rooms that guests could use if they didn't want to dance. It all started off pretty well, the wedding coordinator we dealt with was friendly and competent. When we went for our menu tasting we were told that there had been a mix up in the kitchen and they weren’t sure if they would be able to provide all the options we had chosen to fit with my dietary requirements. The wedding coordinator was so apologetic and offered us a second menu tasting and a free night at the hotel. In the end we were able to pick our options, were satisfied that they could provide the menu we wanted to our specifications and that our guests would enjoy the food. Then, the first wedding coordinator left and her replacement was less than competent. She didn’t last long and was replaced by someone who worked at a sister hotel. While the third wedding coordinator was very helpful and extremely competent, it turned out that nothing had been handed over to her. So 3 weeks before our wedding we had to reconfirm EVERYTHING. We got married at the end of November, and had agreed with wedding coordinator no.1 that the theme would be “winter” and definitely not “Christmas”. When we turned up a few days before the wedding to find Christmas trees and decorations all over the venue we were very surprised. This was just one more thing that hadn’t been handed over. In the end, when I walked downstairs on the day of the wedding to trees were gone, but it was just another thing that made us very nervous about how the day was going to go! On the day of the wedding, I was inundated with calls from reception about room changes. I understand that sometimes things go wrong and that it’s an old house, but if it were my hotel and people had paid thousands of pounds to host an event there, I would have made sure everything worked. Especially in the bridal suite, where an electrician had to come in while I was getting ready to fix some lights. Thankfully the wedding service went well, but when the canapés came out they were not what we had chosen. We were given shot glasses of soup – we hadn’t even tasted soup at our tastings. As I have dietary restrictions, and some of our guests had severe allergies, this made me very nervous. The wedding breakfast food was nice but we both thought it wasn’t as good as the menu tasting food. Finally, and most annoyingly, we had to have multiple trips to collect the items we had hired from our florist. And we never got some of our own items back. The day after the wedding we were told that everything had been boxed up, so we took it back to the florist, to be told that it was less than a quarter of what she had used. It took us almost a week to get the rest of her items back. In the end none of this ruined my day, and I still married the love of my life surrounded by my friends and family, but it really did add to my stress and it was not totally the day we put so much effort into planning.

We contacted The Manor just a couple of weeks before we wanted to get married. Charlie was able to adjust a very flexible package for us based on our small numbers and specific requests. We kept things very simple but the photos look as elegant as if we had spent a fortune.

From the moment that I telephoned the hotel to enquire about a wedding, I was overwhelmed with the level of customer service I received. On arrival at the hotel, I was extremely impressed with the venue. To find such a beautiful hotel, with a bespoke design, which could happily cater for all of our needs is a very special place. We worked closely with Frances leading up to the day. Having her to guide us though the process was priceless and her help and input meant that the organisation of the day was never stressful. She also kept in contact with all of our suppliers so that the day ran smoothly. We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding, we can’t find any fault with the venue. On the day we were looked after by Paulo and the team. The service was impeccable! The staff made our day so enjoyable, from bringing up breakfast in our room, to coordinating our suppliers and dealing with every aspect of the day so that we could relax and enjoy it. The food was excellent, one of the best meals we have had in such a long time. How the chef managed to prepare 80 three course meals and have them all ready with no delay I do not know. All of our guest commented on the venue, the food and the staff. Having exclusive use of the hotel made us feel like we had our wedding in our family home, surrounded by all of our loved ones, where everybody could just relax and enjoy the day. We would recommend the exclusive use package to anyone planning a wedding. We wanted a classy, elegant and modern wedding, the Laura Ashley delivered over and above on every aspect of this vision.

We have had such an amazing time over the last two weeks, starting with our big day on the 1st April. It all went perfectly, and we have such great memories from the day. We are really happy that we choose Laura Ashley The Manor as our wedding venue, I don't think we could have asked for anything more. Thank you again for all your help and assistance leading up to the event, and also to Julian for orchestrating it on the day. Also, huge thanks to all the staff at the Laura Ashley who made it such a great day, and who have been incredibly welcoming every time we visited. Lots of our guests commented on what a great experience they had on the day, and what a great venue it is for a wedding. We also had guests saying that it was the best wedding food they had ever eaten. It's a great credit to everyone that works at The Manor. We will be back to The Manor very soon!

Just wanted to drop a quick email to say thank you so much for everything! It really was a great day and everything went to plan!

It was a perfect day, I could not have asked for anything better. Great venue, great weather and great people. The service was the best ever. The staff worked so hard and were so professional. They couldn't have done thing any better. I was very impressed with them all. The food was so nice and I can honestly say it was the perfect day. Thank u so much for everything we really appreciate it. I hope to see you soon. Once again thanks so much for the most beautiful day

The planning was meticulous two people spring to mind Nimo, and Teresa, Nimo who was there on the day was the chief coordinator and made sure there were no glitches, lots of nice touches added beyond the contractual requirements, the Mayfair suite is a dream the views are breathtaking and the grounds are well tended, the wedding reception was held at the Arkley downstairs and the spillover into the grounds added to the feeling that all was right with the world, what a way to have ones wedding blessed, the wedding breakfast was something to die for and the comments from our friends was that the service was outstanding , reception staff to mention Andrea, Joanna and Phil (great sense of humour)

Brilliant service from all the team! It rained all day but the venue is so lovely there were other options for photos. Love that they do exclusive hire - you have to make the most of it being your big day :) Food was lovely - all still hot, which isnt easy when catering for 80 people. Breakfast was brilliant too! Highly recommend for a nice weekend away too.