A hotel and golf club which offers choice and flexibility against a stunning countryside backdrop – what more could you want in a venue? Our editor Victoria Galligan stayed the night to experience the relaxing vibe at Wychwood Park…
Imagine getting married in lush green surroundings, with the rolling countryside peering up above the sprawling golf course in front of you and your guests as you gather in the sun on a beautiful veranda. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Florida at one of Tiger Woods’s old haunts – but this is the reality of a wedding at Wychwood Park Hotel & Golf Club, right here in the north west of England.
Set in well-manicured grounds on the border of Cheshire, and easily reachable from the M6 for guests travelling from far and wide, this venue also has a bit of a surprise up its sleeve: you see, it’s really two venues in one.
The hotel and golf club are separate and you can get married in either with receptions catering from small, intimate weddings set around one large table to huge bashes with over 100 guests. 
As we swept into the grounds along an exclusive gated driveway, we could see the venue from afar and were impressed by the size of the grounds. The wedding planner Laura took us around the hotel first, to view the bandstand which couples say “I do” on almost all year round – although for the rainy days and winter months, the ceremony room is definitely needed. The room can be decorated as you wish and Laura explained that the hotel will do all the legwork for you – from coordinating with local suppliers to physically dressing the room. There’s no need for last-minute panicking on the morning of the wedding, because Laura and her professional team have everything under control.
The reception room in the hotel is large, light and airy. There’s a stage if you want a band, and the dance floor can be moved around depending on your preferred layout for the day. We visited on a Saturday morning and the tables had been laid, with beautiful chair covers and centrepieces and oversized, illuminated letters spelling “Love” in the corner of the room – great for photo ops throughout the day and night.
While the room is changed over from day to night, guests are invited upstairs for a drink in the huge bar – again, there;’s plenty of room for everyone, including quiet seating areas on the large landing, and for those feeling a bit competitive, a pool table in the corner of the bar offers the chance to catch up with friends and family over a few drinks. The bar overlooks the impressive golf course and countryside view beyond. We quite happily spent most of the evening in here during our stay.
After Laura had shown us the hotel, with its vast lobby offering more quiet seating and tea and coffee facilities, we walked over to the golf club house. The bar downstairs serves food and drink to members and visitors (we had a quick club sandwich and all-day breakfast there for lunch, with possibly the best chips in the north west I have ever tasted!) and an outdoor seating area overlooks an impressive water feature, beyond which are the grounds and the golf course. You can have photos taken in the grounds, of course, but the golf course is out of bounds for obvious reasons (no-one wants concussion on their wedding day!).
Upstairs is the wedding reception/party room, which again is fully flexible and Laura is happy to cater for the most individual of needs. A clever partitioning system means the room is split for the ceremony, and as you enjoy drinks and canapé’s overlooking the fairway, the tables are arranged ready for the wedding breakfast.
With Wychwood, the emphasis is on creating your special day your way, so if the groom wants a burger while everyone else has chicken, so be it. Laura went through a plethora of colour schemes, menu choices and special requests which really made it clear that the couple’s wishes are the hotel’s priority. There’s even a smaller room upstairs which can be used for cloaks, photobooths or even a baby room – on the day of our stay, the bride and groom had decided to set the room up as a games room for the youngsters attending the event to keep them occupied. There have even been bouncy castles and the like set up in the grounds before for younger wedding guests, although we have no doubt that a few parents would have ended up there, too.
The menu options at Wychwood are vast and varied but very reasonably priced. As an example, if you were to add a platter of cheese and biscuits at your reception breakfast, you would pay £30 for a table of 10.
We ate dinner in the restaurant and enjoyed a sumptuous three-course feast, the fish being particularly tasty. Great care had obviously been taken by the chefs to create well-presented dishes and if you are heading up to the venue the evening before your wedding, it’s a super place to get together with the family. Laura explained that more and more wedding guests were opting for two or even three-night stays and making a long weekend of the festivities. Laura has arranged post-wedding lunches, with some couple even hosting barbecues as Cheshire’s newest Mr & Mrs.
Your guests will be pleased with the modern, freshly decorated rooms – many of which enjoy the beautiful view of the course. There is wifi throughout and the rooms are the perfect retreat after a hard night’s dancing.
On leaving the hotel, we were refreshed and impressed. A Wychwood wedding is clearly a smart option for couples who value a flexible, helpful approach to planning their wedding, coupled with a fantastic setting and great facilities. There’s no doubt that if you decide to book your wedding here, you’ll be smiling like a Cheshire cat for weeks to come.
2019 packages*:
Jan-Mar from £5,700
Oct-Dec from £6,000
April - Sep from £6,500
*Prices include your choice of the Cheshire or Wychwood Suites, arrival drinks and canapés, three-course wedding breakfast with wine, a toastmaster, evening catering, cake stand, chair covers and sashes (daytime), DJ and a room for the bride and groom. Enjoy a complimentary menu tasting at the hotel too.
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