Room 8 - Manor Park Country House Wales

The Sunday dinner was lovely, but the room setup, with the tables and chair covers, made us feel as if we’d gatecrashed a wedding. It was very cold, and because we were near a door, there was a constant smell of smoke, presumably from customers or staff smoking on the other side. As good as the food was, I’d be reluctant to come back.

The evening receptions are always a highlight for me to shoot. There's plenty of room on the dance floor and stage to move around, even when the dancing gets wild. Manor Park is a Grade II listed venue, and I've been lucky enough to photograph several weddings there. The staff are lovely with guests and the other suppliers, always polite and helpful. Food is delicious too, especially the evening buffet, which has even stopped me reaching for my usual post-wedding takeaway. The ceremony room gets lovely natural light, and the grounds are great for couple portraits and group photos. If the weather turns, the grand interior, with its sweeping staircase and arches, gives you some distinctive portrait options. One of my favourite places to photograph weddings.

The staff were really helpful, and there was a good choice of vegetables. But the gravy had far too much pepper in it, which several people in our group commented on. That was the problem last time too, and why we hadn't been back for a Sunday carvery in a while. The soft drink options were also poor for anyone driving.

The Alisha suite looked beautiful for both our ceremony and reception, and our guests had lots of kind things to say about the decor and the grounds. Quite a few had never been to Manor Park Country House before, since they aren't local, and they were impressed by the food and service as well. Planning was easy thanks to Marie and the team, who were great from our first enquiry and kept in touch throughout. We're so glad we chose Manor Park for our wedding. The staff are friendly and put in extra effort to make the day feel special. We'd happily recommend the venue.