Kelham House opens gazebo up for weddings

There’s a romantic new setting for couples tying the knot at Kelham House Country Manor Hotel.

Until recently, couples booking Kelham for their big day could choose from three rooms that were licensed for civil ceremonies.

But now there is a fourth option ­— a pretty gazebo in the hotel gardens.

Kelham House’s weddings and events manager Frances Squires said: “People have been very interested in it. There are not many places in the area that offer it.”

The gazebo, which stands on a level lawn, can be reached by paths from the house, and has space for a table and chairs for the wedding couple and registrars.

Guests are seated in the open air, against a backdrop of parkland and woodland.

The design of the gazebo was chosen by hotel proprietors Jon-Paul and Charlotte Davies

Frances said that the beauty of the gazebo’s simple design was that it could be dressed to fit with any wedding theme.

Lighting, flowers and bunting can be used to personalise the pale wooden walls and trellis sides of the gazebo.

The gazebo is the latest facility available to couples choosing Kelham House for their big day.

Ceremonies can also take place in the intimate Averham Room, which is ideal for small groups, the slightly larger Kelham Room, or the purpose-built Garden Room suite, which can accommodate more than 150 guests.

There’s also the option of having a marquee in the grounds for a large reception.

The beautiful house in its parkland setting have made Kelham House an increasingly-popular wedding destination over recent years, with more than 100 taking place in the year to April, and bookings in up to the end of 2020.

Most couples come from the Newark area, Frances said, but there have been bookings from all over the country, because of the hotel’s central and easily-accessible location.

There have even been two bookings from overseas for couples who have family living locally.

Couples planning civil ceremonies and civil partnerships often chose to book the entire venue for their wedding, so that they can relax exclusively with family and friends.

Kelham House also has luxury accommodation, with 12 en-suite bedrooms and suites in the main house and neighbouring Coach House.

Frances, who has been helping couples plan their weddings at Kelham House for more than four years, said it was a privilege to meet them and be with them along their journey.

“It’s nice for people to have one person there with them from the beginning right up until the day,” she said.

Quite a number have returned to celebrate anniversaries or even christenings.”

A wedding wall dedicated to photographs of couples who have chosen Kelham House for their big day is now almost full, and Frances said it was a lovely reminder of all the happy days she had seen.