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West House Country Hotel in Llantwit Major has a well deserved reputation for hosting some of the Vale’s best weddings. Newlyweds Kathryn and Ian tell us more.
SOPHISTICATED CELEBRATIONS
Choosing the right wedding venue wasn’t a difficult decision for Ian and Kathryn Hill-Watkins. The most important factor for them was that they wanted a venue that was going to be theirs exclusively for the day and evening. That way they could be certain that they would get the intimacy and attention that their special day deserved.
Kathryn and Ian tell us about their special day.
We viewed a number of places, mostly the usual wedding reception venues, but wanted something a bit more personal and intimate. The West House provided this and offered better value in comparison with the other hotels we considered.
Initially we spoke to the owner Richard Christopher and were in regular contact during the planning stages, and a month or so prior to the big day we met with Joanna, the Wedding Coordinator, and went through every step of the day which was reassuring for us.
The day went very well indeed. It was excellent in fact. The threat of rain didn't come to anything and it was a lovely autumnal day. The gardens around the West House were perfect in this respect and the photographs really captured the time of year well.
The food was particularly good. Quite often catering for high numbers usually means the food is compromised but this wasn’t the case. We had the place to ourselves and the staff were attentive to us the whole time.
One of the main reasons we chose West House was the intimacy of the hotel and the exclusive use of the whole venue, as they only have one function there at a time. This made for a really relaxed atmosphere. Our party were the only guests at the hotel so there were no worries about disturbing anyone else.
We liked the fact that we weren’t confined to just one area - you had the main dining room and dance floor, the bar and lounge and then the conservatory area. So, if you didn’t like the volume of the music there were other areas you could go to, which was great as our son Gethin was only eight months at the time.
The day passed so quickly it is somewhat of a blur! Apart from the nuptials and speeches, the evening entertainment was possibly the most memorable. We had booked an Elvis impersonator and were keen to keep this a secret from the guests purely for the surprise element.
The hotel staff were very good in assisting with this and stealthily got him into the hotel without anyone noticing. Kathryn is a big Elvis fan so this was a real highlight!
The hotel dates back to the Sixteenth Century and was once the home of the Sheriff of Glamorgan. Only two minutes walk from St. Illtud’s, regarded as the oldest church in Wales and with Llantwit Major being the first centre of Christian learning in the UK, the West House Country Hotel has become one of the most popular wedding venues in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Catering for up to 150 guests, up to 80 guests can be seated in the main dining room or up to 120 for a buffet. For larger weddings (up to 140 seated guests) a luxurious marquee can be set up in the enclosed walled gardens, which can also be used for the evening party with buffet for a maximum of 150.
The hotel has twenty one en-suite bedrooms comprising three singles, seven twins and eleven doubles.
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