Country House Hotel Venue

DollyDumDrops

Hi all,

Just looking for some help finding venues, we are just engaged and looking for a country house hotel venue for next year, potentially December for about 140 people. Venues we have viewed are Trudder Lodge which we liked but the rental fee was out of our budget and Tinakilly House but packages are €120 per head.

Other venues I've looked at online are below but most seem to have packages of €80/€90 plus
Rathsallagh
Brooklodge
Powerscourt House
Kilashee House

Are we being ambitious to try and get a country house venue in Dublin/Wicklow for less than €80 per head?

Thanks!

sweetie

DollyDumDrops wrote: »

Hi all,

Just looking for some help finding venues, we are just engaged and looking for a country house hotel venue for next year, potentially December for about 140 people. Venues we have viewed are Trudder Lodge which we liked but the rental fee was out of our budget and Tinakilly House but packages are €120 per head.

Other venues I've looked at online are below but most seem to have packages of €80/€90 plus
Rathsallagh
Brooklodge
Powerscourt House
Kilashee House

Are we being ambitious to try and get a country house venue in Dublin/Wicklow for less than €80 per head?

Thanks!

Trudder is lovely but with a bit more travel involved these might be worth checking out...
Ballykealey, Ballon, Carlow
Step house, Borris, Carlow,
Borris house, carlow.
Ballybeg in wicklow
Millhouse in Slane
Glebe house Slane (45 mins or so from Dublin )

DollyDumDrops

great thanks Sweetie, will check those out

CorkClaire82

We're going with Horetown House in Wexford, I can't speak to how great they are as our wedding isn't until April but so far I'm impressed

nelly17

Bert House

DollyDumDrops

great thanks CorkClaire82, I'm just on their website now and looks good, will contact them for info!

Thanks Nelly17 but I checked Bert House earlier and their website appears to be down at the moment.

nelly17

DollyDumDrops wrote: »

great thanks CorkClaire82, I'm just on their website now and looks good, will contact them for info!

Thanks Nelly17 but I checked Bert House earlier and their website appears to be down at the moment.

I was at a wedding there 2 years ago - give them a call they're definatly open for business - we had a great time had the run of the place.

kkcatlou

To be honest, I can't imagine you getting a real country house type venue at that budget!
Castle Durrow do some good midweek/ off peak deals if you want to try them? Waterford Castle also do deals for a little bit above that.
But generally if you want a decent date, and somewhere really outstanding, you're looking at a minimum of €100 per head...anything less than that and I'd start to question it?!

kitty3kids

Leixlip Manor and Gardens is another one. I think their max numbers are 120 though.

DollyDumDrops

Thanks kkcatlou, to be honest I'm totally new to looking at wedding venues so didn't know that country house packages would be more than €100 per head but I suppose it does make sense now. thanks for your help

stinkle

kitty3kids wrote: »

Leixlip Manor and Gardens is another one. I think their max numbers are 120 though.

They can add on a marquee though but it might not be advisable in December! 140 isn't much more than120 when you take declines into consideration.

Fagashlil

Finnstown house? Was there at a wedding in April, was lovely.


http://www.finnstowncastlehotel.com

Or summerhill house in enniskerry? Haven't been to a wedding here, parents have and has nothing but good to say, have stayed a couple of times for a spa weekend, was fab!

http://www.summerhillhousehotel.com

Millem

DollyDumDrops wrote: »

Hi all,

Just looking for some help finding venues, we are just engaged and looking for a country house hotel venue for next year, potentially December for about 140 people. Venues we have viewed are Trudder Lodge which we liked but the rental fee was out of our budget and Tinakilly House but packages are €120 per head.

Other venues I've looked at online are below but most seem to have packages of €80/€90 plus
Rathsallagh
Brooklodge
Powerscourt House
Kilashee House

Are we being ambitious to try and get a country house venue in Dublin/Wicklow for less than €80 per head?

Thanks!

Yes it can be done for €79 per head but you will need to omit things eg soup course and prosecco reception.

Go and visit them and negotiate face to face.

RH149

The Summerhill House Hotel is lovely- guest bedrooms are a bit dated but the function room and entrance hall are lovely. We had a family wedding there last year and it was very nice and they were on a low enough budget. Have a feeling it was more like €50-€60 a head and the food was very good as far as I remember.

Liam McPoyle

December is off peak and if you did mid week it would be cheaper again.

Dont be put off by the pricing as with your numbers most places will give a break in rates so haggle like fook!

DollyDumDrops

Thanks all for your suggestions, we are going to go and view a few of the places on our list and your suggestions and look at haggling, for example alot of them include five course meals which we don't need. Surprisingly some of the places including Tinakilly House count December as being on peak now!

Thanks again!

Chorus_suck

This post has been deleted.

CorkClaire82

kkcatlou wrote: »

To be honest, I can't imagine you getting a real country house type venue at that budget!
Castle Durrow do some good midweek/ off peak deals if you want to try them? Waterford Castle also do deals for a little bit above that.
But generally if you want a decent date, and somewhere really outstanding, you're looking at a minimum of €100 per head...anything less than that and I'd start to question it?!

I found this as well but then there are a few that are under €100 and you can always attempt to negotiate - as someone said omit the soup or get something else taken off that you can do without. It's doable for sure.

sweetie

BTW have you considered a country house where you organise your own catering. A way to cut costs could be to do a buffet/bbq type meal and these can be lovely when done correctly.

DollyDumDrops

Thanks Sweetie, we have looked at places that you bring in your own catering but they usually have a rental fee which works out nearly the same or more as somewhere with a package per head. With a December wedding BBQ isn't an option but we are looking at buffet style.

I know Fagashlil mentioned Finnstown Castle Hotel, does anyone else have any experience or been to a wedding there? We really like the look of it from the website and quick google gives good reviews so think its one we'll go and view

xalot

DollyDumDrops wrote: »

Thanks Sweetie, we have looked at places that you bring in your own catering but they usually have a rental fee which works out nearly the same or more as somewhere with a package per head. With a December wedding BBQ isn't an option but we are looking at buffet style.

I know Fagashlil mentioned Finnstown Castle Hotel, does anyone else have any experience or been to a wedding there? We really like the look of it from the website and quick google gives good reviews so think its one we'll go and view

A friend of mine got married there in April and she sang the praises of the staff. It really is a beautiful venue. Cant comment on the guest bedrooms as we didn't stay over but I loved the place.

Dont know about the cost but Castle Durrow is a beautiful venue.

Personally I dont think Summerhill in Enniskerry holds a candle compared to other county style hotels.

Ladybird37

Another +1 for Finnstown.

Attended a wedding there earlier this year and could not fault it or the staff in anyway. Definitely worth going to see and the couples photos were absolutely gorgeous too.

DollyDumDrops

Thanks xalot and Ladybird37 we are going to go and view Finnstown Castle and see what we think then but great to get the good feedback

In relation to Castle Durrow, its fab but a little too far for us as Church will be in Wicklow, hoping to keep the commute from church to hotel under an hour.

We aren't fans of the Summerhill either, I've heard some good reviews from weddings but we stayed there for a night previously and had a bad experience so it never made the list of possibles for us

sweetie

Not really a country house but the Glenview seems to get good feedback.