frequently asked questions

Of course. It's only when you see Antrobus House in person, can you fully appreciate what a super special venue it is.  We recommend you request our wedding brochure in the first instance. We'll send it to you and invite you to arrange a viewing.  Just reply to our email and we'll pop you in the diary.

Absolutely, we would love to see you again! Just contact Catherine to agree a convenient date and time.  You are welcome to bring family, friends and your chosen wedding suppliers might like to take a quick peek too, namely your photographer, videographer, caterer, florist/stylist.  No other suppliers usually need to visit ahead of your big day, but if any do, just let us know. 

That's great news! In the first instance we will send you our packages and pricing info.  Once you've got that we will then arrange a viewing.  We'll show you around, discuss your plans and answer any questions. 

Once you have viewed Antrobus House and confirmed you wish to book, we will check our availability and pencil you in for your preferred date(s).  You will then contact the Registrar or maybe your Church to check they are also available to marry you. Once the date is set, we will ask you to complete our booking form. 

A non-refundable deposit of £500 is due at the point you book and once this is paid, your date is then secured. Unless you are paying in full, the balance can be split into 3 equal instalments with the first payment due at 12 months before your wedding, the second payment due at 6 months before your wedding  and the third and final payment due at 3 months before your wedding.  Alternatively, you may wish to set up a monthly payment for a set amount. Please see our brochure for more details on payments and when they are due. 

Payment for any "extras" eg. crockery/cutlery, on-the-day coordination etc is due 3 months before your wedding.

Yes. We are a Wiltshire Council approved wedding venue and are licensed for ceremonies for up to 100 guests.  Ceremonies almost always take place in the Lady Florence Room on the first floor - please note that this room is only accessible via a flight of stairs.  We do not have a lift.

For smaller wedding ceremonies that need to be fully accessible, we can accommodate you in the Edmund Hall on the ground floor.  Please ask us for more info.

• we are licensed for ceremonies for up to 100 guests
• we can accommodate up to 100 guests for a sit down reception
• we can accommodate up to 150 guests for a more informal or evening reception

Of course. Take a look at our packages page to find out more about our reception-only option. 

We will be perfectly honest, Antrobus House isn't really suitable for outdoor ceremonies. 

Yes. Please see our packages page for more info - the 'Antrobus Experience' includes the option to get ready here - we have one room available for a Bride or a Groom and can offer access from 8am.

Yes. No-one else will be using the house on your wedding day.  We will explain more during your viewing.

Yes. All you need to do is create a playlist (on Spotify or similar) on a bluetooth-friendly device and we can easily connect it to our portable PA. You may also choose to have live music eg. pianist, harpist, saxophonist, string quarter, singer. 

It is your responsibility to book the registrar - we don't get involved in this - we simply provide the venue.  It is Wiltshire Council Registrations team you will need to contact. Below is a link to their website. You will usually book the registrar before you book your venue - we can hold dates for you until you've got the ceremony sorted. 

Yes.  However, be aware that this is not a legal ceremony.  You could have a celebrant-led ceremony after your legal ceremony, or a celebrant-led ceremony is ideal for any couple who perhaps marries in a registry office before the day. Remember that it is not necessary to get married in a registry office first as we are licensed for legal ceremonies. 

Antrobus House is a part-DIY, part-managed wedding venue.  Everything will be ready for you when you arrive the day before - all the tables and chairs will be laid out for you - you just need to add those all-important finishing touches.  On the day itself, a member of staff will always be on site throughout the duration of your wedding day in case of any emergencies.  Our bar team will also be there.  

Once the wedding breakfast has finished, our team will reset the Edmund Hall and get it ready for your evening reception - this normally takes 45-60 minutes. 

At the end of the night, our team will clear all the tables and chairs, and your decorations will be put to one side, ready for collection the following morning. 

Yes. If you would like us to fully coordinate your wedding day for you, and ensure everything goes smoothly for you and to plan, then we can help with that.  We have a dedicated brochure explaining all the extra help that's available to you and we will happily share this with you. 

This is an additional service, for which there is a separate charge.  Most on-the-day coordinators charge in excess of £1000 - this service is offered to our couples at a heavily reduced rate.   The vast majority of our couples add this service, as it means they can hand everything over to our Wedding Manager and not have to worry about timings, suppliers or anything being forgotten.  We will take care of everything for you, leaving you to fully enjoy every moment of your big day. 

The ground floor, where all our receptions take place, is fully accessible and we have a large accessible toilet complete with safety rails and a pull cord.  Both the front lawn and the rear terrace are also fully accessible. 

The first floor, where our ceremonies almost always take place, is only accessible via a flight of stairs and then a couple more steps leading into the room.  We are a Grade II Listed building and unfortunately we are unable to install a lift. It is only the ceremony that takes place upstairs, everything else is on the ground floor.

Please tell us if there are any guests attending in a wheelchair - it helps with our planning and we can then make any necessary recommendations or suggestions.

We have 3 disabled bays on site as well as a drop-off area, right by the entrance. 

We will happily suggest suppliers to you, but you're also welcome to choose your own suppliers. We must approve your chosen caterer before booking them. 

Yes. Any suppliers that will be on site at Antrobus House (at any point), must have Public Liability Insurance.  We will need contact details of all suppliers you have booked, 3 months before your wedding.  We will then contact them all to obtain the documents we need. 

Antrobus House will be open and available to you from 12-4pm the day before, to decorate.  If you need more time, we can extend this until 5pm. 

From 8am, if you are getting ready here and from 11am if not.  It may be possible to arrange earlier access, for which there might be an additional hire charge. 

The bar will open after your ceremony. 'Last Orders' are called at 11pm and 'Time' is called at 11:15pm. 

11.30pm

Midnight. All guests need to have left the premises by then. 

The following day, the Sunday morning between 9am and 11am. 

Yes. There is ample free parking at the rear of Antrobus House.  We also have overflow parking on the field at the far end of the car park. 

Yes. Guests may leave their cars overnight, but they are left entirely at the owner's risk. We request that all cars are moved by 12 noon the following day. No tickets are needed and there are no barriers. Under no circumstances may guests sleep in any vehicles left on the premises. All guests need to have vacated the premises by midnight.

We don't have any on site, but there are various options in Amesbury. The nearest charging point to us can be found at Amesbury Central Car Park, with another option at the Murco Garage (Amesbury Filling Station) on London Road. Both sites are a 5-7 minute walk from Antrobus House. 

Yes. One of the main advantages of booking Antrobus House for your wedding is having the freedom to choose your own caterer.  We just need to approve them first, so please let us know who you are planning on booking, before you proceed and secure them.

Yes. Caterers have full use of our industrial kitchen, including our gas oven/hob and fridge.  The kitchen must be left clean and tidy (as it was found), to avoid any additional cleaning charges. 

Most likely, yes, but it will depend on what food you would like to provide, eg. a buffet is fine, but it wouldn't be possible for you to BBQ, for example. Please discuss your options with Catherine and she can advise what is and isn't possible. 

No. This is really important, so please read this section very carefully.  You or your caterer must provide staff to both serve your food and clear the tables etc. Sometimes a caterer may be booked to provide a BBQ, Hogroast, Fish 'n' Chips, Wood-Fired Pizza for example.  They serve the food but quite often the clearing of tables is overlooked and the caterer does not provide this service. This applies to both disposable plates etc and any plates being hired from us, or from another company.  If you/your caterer cannot provide anyone to clear the tables, please talk to us - with enough notice we can provide staff to help - an additional charge will apply. 

If you need crockery/cutlery and your caterer is not providing this for you, it can be hired from us.  We only have the basics however, small/medium/large plates, bowls, cups/saucers, mugs, knives/forks/spoons, sugar bowls/milk jugs.  We do not have serving dishes/spoons, salt/pepper mills, butter dishes, gravy boats or anything like that.  Check with your caterer as to whether they are providing crockery/cutlery for you and whether this has been included in their quote.  If you are hiring crockery/cutlery from us, we will obviously wash it.  Any crockery/cutlery being hired from elsewhere will be returned dirty.  Please read the above section about waiting staff.  Whilst you may hire crockery/cutlery from us, that does not include us clearing the tables. 

Yes. We have 2 highchairs, which you are welcome to use, free of charge.  Please bear in mind the location of any highchairs when designing your tableplan.  Ideally highchairs should be positioned near to the edges of the room, to prevent tripping.  We will explain more when we meet and go over your plans. 

Of course.  All you need to do is create a playlist (on Spotify or similar) on a bluetooth-friendly device and we can easily connect it to our portable PA. You may also choose to have live music eg. pianist, harpist, saxophonist, string quarter, singer. 

No. Due to licensing, we must provide your bar for you.

We serve a comprehensive selection of drinks including soft drinks, spirits, wine, prosecco, bottled ales, beer and cider, and there is always one lager on tap.

We will do our very best. If there is a particular drink/brand you would like us to serve, please let us know in advance. 

Reasonable.  All alcoholic drinks are around the £5-£6 mark (pints, glasses of wine, single measure spirit and mixer, prosecco, bottled beer/cider). Soft drinks are obviously cheaper.

Yes.  We will provide all glassware for the bar : welcome drinks, wedding breakfast, table wine, toast drinks and evening reception.

We accept cash or card.

Yes. If you would like to set up a tab, that's fine.  We will just need to know in advance how much you would like to spend. If that limit is reached, you can then decide whether to increase it, or whether guests should then start buying their own drinks.  Pre-payment may be required.

No. Sadly not - that gets a little too complicated. 

Yes. If you prefer, you may supply your own welcome drinks, table wine for the wedding breakfast and toast drinks.  This is limited to :

• 2 x glasses per person (welcome drink)
• 2 x glasses per person (table wine)
• 1 x glass per person (toast drink).

Alternatively, we can also provide all these drinks for you.

Yes.  We make a small service charge per opened bottle, if you supply your own welcome drinks, wine for the wedding breakfast or toast drinks - it's usually £5/bottle. This includes chilling and serving your drinks, as well as disposal of any rubbish/recycling.  Glassware is included. 

Any surplus drink provided by you that's not consumed will be returned to you.  Corkage fees only apply to opened bottles.  Please be aware of the limits on the amount of drink you can supply yourself.  Any opened/unopened bottles of wine you supply that are not consumed during the wedding breakfast will be cleared when we reset the room for the evening reception.  They will be stored safely and available for you to collect the following morning.  Any drinks you supply yourself cannot be consumed during the evening reception. Drinks required for the evening reception must be purchased from the bar. 

No. This is strictly forbidden.  We will not risk losing our Licence and will confiscate any unauthorised drinks brought onto the premises.  Couples risk losing their damage deposit should any guests be found consuming unauthorised drinks, so it is best to warn your guests in advance.  Our bar prices are extremely reasonable so we hope everyone will respect our drinks policy. Doing so will avoid any possible embarrassment and problems on the day.

• fireworks, naked flames, smoke machines, sky lanterns and firepits are not permitted.
• sparklers are allowed (outside only).
• battery operated candles are fine (inside/outside the house)

Absolutely. There is nothing we love more than an impressive confetti shot and your photographer will agree, the more confetti the better! We simply ask you to make sure it's natural/biodegradable confetti being thrown, so please tell your guests.  We also politely request that confetti is thrown once you are outside the house, not inside at the end of the ceremony.  Please note that confetti cannons are not permitted inside or outside the venue under any circumstances. Table confetti is allowed.

• you can have a live band, DJ, singer, solo musicians, acoustic duos, karaoke, silent disco - whatever you fancy really
• we have a purpose-built stage in the Edmund Hall, ideal for entertainment
• you can also have music in the Lady Florence Room - solo musicians/acoustic duos/singers work best here - no bands
• you can have gentle live acoustic music outside up to 7pm
• all other music must finish at 11.30pm
• you are welcome to use our portable PA for background music for the ceremony/wedding breakfast

We don't have any accommodation on site, but there are plenty of options nearby and some within walking distance of Antrobus House.  We will be happy to suggest some options to you.  Guests are not permitted to sleep in any vehicles, left on the premises overnight. 

Yes. It's essential to pre-book taxis, otherwise guests may struggle to find a ride.  We have created a page on our main website, listing all the local taxi firms. For ease, we've included a link to it below.

Children are most welcome at Antrobus House, but for their own safety they must be supervised at all times. Where there are likely to be lots of children attending a wedding, we recommend you invest in child-friendly activities to keep them occupied.  Weddings can sometimes be pretty boring for kids, so make sure there's something fun for them to do : garden games, a bouncy castle, kids' corner, colouring, puzzles/games.  Balls (ie. footballs or similar) are not permitted. 

Please feel free to have a chat with us about including your dog in your special day. 

Smoking is permitted on the front terrace and lawn. There are bins to dispose of any stubs.

Firstly, don't worry - you will still have an awesome day!  We wish we could guarantee nice weather for you, but we all know it's always a bit of a gamble regardless of the time of year.  What we can guarantee is, that your wedding here won't be ruined if it's wet... promise.  We are used to hosting rainy weddings - we've (sadly) had lots of practice but that means we have totally perfected our wet weather plan. 

We are lucky here at Antrobus House and there is always a 'Plan B'.  If drinks receptions, photos and garden games can't take place outside, we get a little creative and make full use of the beautiful Lady Florence Room instead.  We can quickly reset the room for drinks straight after the ceremony and make space for photos.  Whilst the wedding breakfast is happening downstairs, we can reset the room again and easily transform it into a games room. 

Outside caterers are pretty resilient and adaptable and we always find a way to make it work.  We might have to pop a couple of gazebos up and tweak our plans slightly, but it's not difficult.  

The beauty of Antrobus House is that when you're in, you're in.  Everything is undercover, so there's no need to venture outside and risk getting wet.