Photo: Ben Davies , Two Thirds Media
Booking your wedding
Ceremonies and receptions at Himley Hall
PROVISIONAL BOOKING
We are happy to provisionally hold a date for you for up to two weeks without obligation. In this time you
should make a booking with Staffordshire Registration Service or a local church.
CONFIRMATION OF BOOKING
Once you have booked the registrars or church, please telephone us to confirm your booking. We will then send you a letter detailing your booking and enclosing our Terms & Conditions for you to sign and return to us.
Our letter will request you pay a non-refundable deposit within one month of the date of our confirmation letter.
Payment should be made by credit or debit card via the telephone or in person at Himley Hall.
SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO YOUR WEDDING
We will write to you and request a second non-refundable deposit..
TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO YOUR WEDDING
Our catering manager aims to meet couples to discuss the finer details for their reception; menu choices,
evening buffet choices, drinks package options, room layout and linen colour; as well as contact details for
your cake, flowers and chair cover suppliers, etc.
At this meeting, we will also ask for your final catering numbers. This allows us to calculate the exact cost of your day based on your requirements, less the deposits already paid. We will then advise you of the amount left to pay.
ONE MONTH PRIOR TO YOUR WEDDING
Your final balance is due for payment - if applicable.
TWO TO FOUR WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR WEDDING
There will be one final meeting with our wedding coordinator, who will be looking after you and your guests during the ceremony part of the day. We ask you to bring in your ceremony music, and we will discuss details to ensure the smooth running of your ceremony.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Package Types | Deposit | Six months prior | Month prior |
|---|---|---|---|
Ceremony only | Full amount | - | Any additional costs |
The Twilight package | £1,500 | £2,00 | Balance of package price plus any additional costs |
The Himley package | £2,000 | £2,000 | Balance of package price plus any additional costs |
Your ceremony explained
If you have any queries about your special day, do not hesitate to contact our
wedding coordinators on 01384 817817.
They will talk you through everything, providing you with their expertise and experience.
REGISTRARS
It is the responsibility of the couple to ensure that a booking is made with Staffordshire Registration
Service for their attendance at the ceremony and that all necessary legal formalities are completed.
A fee for this attendance will be payable directly to them.
You can contact the Staffordshire Registration Service on 0300 111 8001
ARRIVING FOR THE CEREMONY
On the day of your ceremony you will both need to be interviewed by the Registrars. You can be interviewed together, in which case the nearlyweds, best person and guests should aim to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
You may opt to be interviewed separately if you do not wish to be seen by your partner until the start of your ceremony. In this case Partner A, the best person and guests should aim to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony, and Partner B should aim to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
CAR PARKING
The Hall’s courtyard is reserved for your wedding party.
If you would like to keep the courtyard clear for wedding photographs - please ask your guests to park
elsewhere on the site and allow only the official wedding cars into the courtyard. We will provide you with
parking passes for you to distribute to your guests, so that no one has to ‘pay and display’.
CEREMONY MUSIC
All music, either with or without lyrics, must be non-religious. We ask you to bring your music, either on two CDs or as MP3 files on two USBs, to your final appointment. It is useful if the guests’ music is on a separate CD or USB to the other ceremony music.
• Background music for guests’ arrival: 20 to 30 minutes
• Partner B's entrance: 1 track - 2 minutes
• Signing the register: 2 tracks - 10 minutes
• Newlyweds exit: 1 track - 5 minutes
If you would like a musician to play during the ceremony, please discuss details with our wedding coordinator.
The musician should arrive one hour before the ceremony, so that they can set up before the registrars arrive.
CONFETTI
Fresh, or dried flower petals, may be used for your confetti shots outside the Hall.
Your petals will be placed in our wicker baskets and our staff will hand them out to guests when your photographer/videographer is ready to take the confetti shot.
We do not allow biodegradable confetti in the hall or park.
DRINKS
If you would like us to serve drinks after your ceremony, we will ask you to complete an order form at your final appointment.
Post ceremony drinks are included in our Himley Package.
FLOWERS IN THE CEREMONY ROOM
The bouquet, or top table arrangement for your reception, can be placed on the registrars’ table during the ceremony.
Please be aware that the registrars will not allow flowers with water in an open vase to be placed on the table, in case of spillage.
Pedestals of flowers may be placed in the room, if required.
PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER
Prior to the ceremony, we will introduce your photographer and/or videographer to the registrars, who will
inform them where they should stand and what is permitted during the ceremony.
SEATING REQUIREMENTS
If you would like to reserve seats for your principal guests, we will provide name place cards which can be
placed on the appropriate seats. We will discuss this with you at your final appointment.
You will also need to decide where your wedding party will be seated.
Witnesses and anyone giving a reading should be seated in an aisle seat, or on the front row.
FINAL APPOINTMENTS
Our wedding coordinator will contact you to arrange a final meeting, approximately one month prior to
your ceremony. At the meeting we will run through the details of your ceremony - to ensure the smooth running of your day.
Please advise our wedding coordinator if you make any alterations to your plans following
the final meeting.
Remember, our wedding coordinator will ensure that your day runs smoothly, so you can relax and enjoy
your special day with family and friends. Himley Hall - the 18th century stately home, bringing true
romance to your wedding.
Your reception explained
If you have any queries about your special day, do not hesitate to contact our
wedding coordinators on 01384 817817.
They will talk you through everything, providing you with their expertise and experience..
CAKE & CAKE STAND
Our circular (40cm diameter) cake stand and cake knife are available for you to use – so no need for you to supply them.
For your convenience, your cake can be delivered directly to us on the morning of your wedding.
We usually cut and serve your cake after the evening buffet.
CHAIR COVERS
You can choose, if you wish, to hire chair covers from a company who will fit and remove them, along with accompanying table sashes.
CINEMA BAR
All drinks must be purchased from Himley Hall. We do not permit wedding parties to bring in their own drinks and pay corkage.
The Cinema Bar will be opened following the group photographs.
During an evening reception, last orders at the bar are at 11.30pm.
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
If you intend to hire any electrical items, such as a twinkling backdrop or photo booth, they will require a current Portable Appliance Test (PAT) certificate. This certificate must be produced prior to use.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
We have built in sound and light systems and our resident DJ (see resident DJ section) will play your tracks through to midnight. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate live bands.
FIREWORKS
Please contact our wedding coordinator as soon as possible if you intend to book fireworks. If you would like a fireworks display as part of your wedding celebration, it must take place in the park before 10.30pm and be produced by a specialist firework company.
There will be a small ground hire fee, as we will need to rope off the firing area for safety purposes. Our senior park warden will liaise with your chosen firework company, who will be required to produce the necessary insurance and risk assessment documents.
FLOWERS/ CENTREPIECES / CANDLES
Any fresh flowers, or balloons, should be delivered direct to us on the morning of your wedding.
Unfortunately, we are unable to allow the use of candles within the Hall, unless they are battery operated.
HIGHCHAIRS
We have 3 highchairs available for young guests. Parents are welcome to bring their own if additional highchairs are required.
MENU CHOICES
Our catering manager will meet with you to discuss your menu choices approximately two months prior to your wedding day. Please choose one starter, one main and two desserts for your wedding breakfast.
If any guests have special dietary requirements, such as allergies, vegetarian or vegan guests, please let us know and we will be happy to cater for these separately.
NAME PLACE CARDS, FAVOURS, TABLE CONFETTI, ETC.
Please bring in anything you want displayed on your tables a few days prior to your wedding and our staff
will be happy to lay them out for you.
RESIDENT DJ
We will ask you to complete our DJ information form with details of special requests, such as your
first dance song. We ask for the completed form to be returned to us when you meet our catering
manager - approximately two months prior to your wedding day.
ROOM LAYOUT
You may choose either a long top table with round tables for your guests, or all round tables. Each round
table will seat up to eight adults guests for a wedding breakfast, or eleven adults guests for an evening
buffet reception.
SEATING PLAN
Please provide your seating plan a week prior to your reception. This can be displayed on our easel
outside your reception room. It is also helpful if you could provide a ‘working seating plan’ for our
catering staff, showing them details of where children, vegetarians, vegans or anyone with any special
dietary requirements are seated.
TABLE LINEN
We offer the choice of white or ivory tablecloths with matching napkins.
TABLE NUMBER & STANDS
We have table number stands in silver and gold, as well as table numbers.
If you prefer to ‘name’ your tables, you will need to provide name cards.
WEDDING SUPPLIERS
It is helpful if you let us know the name and contact number for anyone who will be delivering items direct to us for your wedding.
We will ask you complete our suppliers’ information form and return it to us when you meet with our
catering manager – approximately two months prior to your wedding day.
Please ask your suppliers to liaise with us regarding a suitable delivery time.
Remember, our wedding coordinator will ensure that your day runs smoothly, so you can relax and enjoy
your special day with family and friends. Himley Hall - the 18th century stately home, bringing true
romance to your wedding.
Photo: Ben Davies , Two Thirds Media