Hi! My fiancé and I absolutely fell in love with Kin House, especially the hospitality and the team! Unfortunately, they’re fully booked for summer weekends next year, and we loved it so much that we’re actually considering a weekday wedding (eep!).

Our alternative is a dry-hire venue with weekend availability, a more relaxed curfew, and the flexibility to stay and enjoy the property the morning after the wedding without feeling rushed. Also, worried that a dry hire will end up being more expensive.

So my question for Kin House brides is: Was the experience and hospitality at Kin worth the tighter turnaround or having a weekday wedding? Did you feel rushed at all, especially the morning after (they expect guests to be off property by 10:30AM…not uncommon but still would be nice to have a lax departure) or was everything so well handled that it didn’t really matter?

We’re so torn because we genuinely loved Kin, but also want the wedding weekend to feel relaxed and unhurried for us and our guests. Would love to hear your experiences!

I'd be equally happy with a large single, platter, or sheet cake option as traditional tiers, as a home baker myself I care more about taste/options of flavours rather than fancy florals or intricate icing since our decor etc. will all be pretty low key.

Other than Costco, all the supermarket/chain/national delivery options seem to cap at around 30 people or cost similar to local bakers. I wouldn't mind getting separate cakes/desserts but we'll also need 1 or 2 options for allergen friendly versions so I don't know how much space we'll have to accommodate different versions.

Hi! For anyone who had a dry-hire wedding in the Cotswolds (or elsewhere in the UK), I’d love to hear how you managed costs!

My fiancé and I are considering a beautiful dry-hire property in the Cotswolds for around 200 guests. The venue rental itself is definitely not inexpensive, but we love the flexibility of having the property from Thursday to Monday, especially since around 60% of our guests will be traveling internationally. It would be lovely to make it feel like a proper family gathering rather than just a wedding day!

We’re planning a pretty relaxed welcome night with dinner, drinks, and maybe an open bar, followed by the wedding day with all the usual festivities. We’re hoping to save a bit by purchasing alcohol wholesale, but obviously with dry hire, all the little things add up quickly!

For those who went the dry-hire route, where did you find you could save money, and what ended up costing more than you expected? Did you find creative ways to keep catering, bar service, furniture, and staffing costs manageable without compromising too much on the guest experience?

Would also love to hear any regrets, things you’d do differently, or vendors you particularly loved. Trying to figure out whether the flexibility of dry hire is worth all the extra coordination and costs!

ETA: One other consideration for us is that the property doesn’t have a built-in wet weather contingency plan, so we’d need to hire tents or marquees for the wedding festivities regardless. Given the unpredictability of British weather, we’re trying to factor that into our overall budget, especially with 200 guests. Has anyone navigated something similar, and how did you manage the additional costs?