This week we held one of our marvellous tasting evenings at Lillibrooke Manor, giving us a chance to showcase our venue, staff, ambiance and atmosphere and to allow couples who have booked with us to sample some of the delicious dishes our chefs whip up. It’s a great opportunity for couples to come and get an idea of how their wedding will feel, with buzzing spaces full of excited guests! We invite couples to come along to one of our complimentary tasting events once their booking is confirmed.
On these lovely evenings, couples can sample a selection of our fantastic food and wines (our fab wine supplier, James from Woods Wines, comes to help guests taste wines from our different packages and to give advice about which may suit each dish best). The evenings are designed to allow couples to experience the excitement of a Lillibrooke Manor wedding in full swing, and to get a real taste of how things will be set up and run on their day.
Arriving to a canape reception, much as wedding guests will when they arrive, there is the chance to chat to some of our preferred suppliers, venue staff and to other couples getting married at a similar time, giving a lovely opportunity to chat with other couples about plans for their day and to share ideas – we try to invite people with weddings in similar seasons to each tasting, so that they can have a good chat and maybe glean a few extra ideas to give days that final sparkle!
The events have a full team of waiting staff and an Event Manager, giving a good impression of how a typical wedding would be run, along with the Sales Team and the Events & Ops team who mingle to chat to guests and answer any questions. The chefs also pop out after the food has been served and are happy to answer any questions and give advice about creating any dishes, which all helps with future planning. Our wonderful preferred suppliers display samples of their work, providing inspiration and ideas.
Academy Audio with their beautiful fairy light canopy giving the Great Barn that extra wow factor, stunning floral displays on the tables from FSO, yummy cakey treats from Sugar Designs (luckily there were lots of samples left, so we’ve been eating cake in the office ever since!), a very cool Ford Mustang from Always Chauffeur, a fun photo booth from Lucy Booths and Hannah McClune wandering around taking beautiful photos of the evening.
Our tasting evenings are created to give couples the opportunity to experience the event spaces when they are full of guests, very much like they will be at a wedding. It is a chance to see the events team and all the waiting staff in action. They give an impression of the quality and presentation of the dishes on offer and an idea of how we serve and attend to guests needs and requirements. I
t might not be the exact menu that couples hope to have on their day, but the evenings give a great impression of the overall atmosphere and how things will feel on a wedding day, and maybe even give some inspiration for menu choices and decoration they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise!