FAQs

Your final guest numbers, not forgetting to include yourselves are due four weeks prior to your wedding date.

The final balance payment is due four weeks prior to your wedding date.

The preferred method is by bank transfer:
Account name: Merlins Catering Limited
Account number: 05446899.
Sort code: 09-01-50.
We are unable to take balance payments by credit or debit cards.

This document will be emailed to you in advance, it is very straight forward to complete and we ask you to return it to us one week before the big day. We want to make sure everything is exactly as you would like it, so it is essential this version is filled out for our trained Set-Up Team to work from. Please request a table plan for the number of tables you require.

We are happy to cater for all vegetarian or vegan guests with no additional charge for the wedding breakfast. We ask you to preorder any meals required and notify us of the guests full names 6 weeks in advance. Vegan canapes and evening catering options can be provided individually and these are charged for additionally.

To help with planning your day, the approximate dining time per number of guests is as follows:
50 - 80 guests - 2 hours,
80 - 120 guests - 2 hours 30 minutes,
120 - 150 guests - Up to 3 hours.

Our chefs have expert knowledge on a range of special diets such as gluten free, coeliac, dairy free etc and we will happily cater for these requirements during your wedding breakfast at no additional charge.

We ask you to confirm how many and confirm guest names 6 weeks in advance. If a special dietary meal has been booked and your guest has changed their mind or their requirements have changed by the time your big day comes around, they will still be served the meal that has been booked. For anyone with highly specific requirements, please ask them to contact us directly and we will ensure they are looked after.

If you would like us to provide any special dietary canapes or evening catering options, pre-ordered individual plates can be prepared and these are charged additionally to reflect the extra time taken and the higher cost of special ingredients.

We will happily prepare dishes without adding nuts and nuts can be excluded from your entire day if you would prefer. However, our kitchens are not nut-free zones and total exclusion cannot be guaranteed.

At your rehearsal please deliver any place names, favours etc. separated table by table please if you wish for our Set-Up Team to put them out for you.

You need to liaise with Parley Manor, who will organise safe storage for all your items. If you are providing your own drinks, please deliver the items to our kitchen after your rehearsal, clearly labelled with your names and wedding date.

This must arrive on the morning of your wedding from 8.30am as there is no safe storage for wedding cakes on site. Your cake maker or a member of your wedding party will be directed to the designated 3ft round cake table.

Due to the nature of the venue and to comply with food safety regulations, it is not possible to bring in wedding cakes with fresh cream and leave them on display.

Please advise us if it is to be a ‘naked cake’, we recommend setting these up as late as possible.

We will bring you into the marquee ahead of your guests with your photographer for a ‘fake’ cutting photo opportunity. The actual cutting can take place after speeches or just before first dance, your choice.

We will portion the cake and serve alongside your evening catering.

You can play background music via your phone during reception drinks in the lower garden and in the main marquee during your wedding breakfast. We have a 3.5mm jack connecter that you are welcome to borrow.

Please be aware that the venue do not permit the in-house music system to be used in the evening. You should discuss this with them directly.

If you have a band instead of a DJ please ask the band to provide background music in-between and after their sets.

We arrive early in the morning to dress the tables with crisp white table linen and place out cutlery, crockery, condiments, glassware, wine coolers and table number stands. Chilled filtered water is added to every dining table.

We place out the red wine to breathe and the chilled white wine just prior to your entrance to the marquee. White linen napkins are neatly folded in the style shown and placed centrally to each place setting.

Should you wish to collect these a few days before your wedding day to add a decorative ribbon to, please let us know.

Please be aware that it is usual for us to have a wedding the day before and also on the day after your own special day. If you are considering hiring alternative tables or chairs from an external supplier for your wedding breakfast in the main marquee, please be aware that we make a £150 charge to remove all of our tables and chairs from the marquee the night before and replace them at the end of your day.

Externally hired furniture can only be delivered on the morning of your wedding and must be put into place by the company you are hiring from by 8am at the latest to enable our set up team to work their magic. All externally hired furniture must be removed by 12.15am at the end of the evening as we will need to place our tables and chairs back into the marque to set up for the next day. Please ensure that your hire company is able to agree to this. There is nowhere safe to store the furniture overnight.

A line-up is more formal with bride, groom and sometimes the bridal party greeting guests as they form a queue to enter the main marquee. This is perhaps more time-consuming and just needs to be factored into your wedding day schedule.

An announcement, usually made by a member of your wedding party or our front of house, allows you to enter the marquee as husband and wife to a greeting from your already seated guests.

You are most welcome to provide your own sweetie table. The venue will provide a 6’ x 2.6’ trestle and if you would like additional table linen we can provide this for a small charge of £9.50 per cloth.

We are also able to provide extra linen for any of your external suppliers for the same charge if required.

A wireless microphone is provided for speeches, which you have the option to make use of.

We would strongly recommend staying with tradition and having your speeches at the end of your meal. This means that all your guests will be well fed and relaxed and have also had a few drinks which means they will laugh that little bit louder at the best man’s speech. It creates a more relaxed flow to the day and ensures the quality of your food is to the standard you would expect.

You are most welcome to have your speeches first but please be aware that this may disrupt the timings of your day. Bear with us as there may be a delay in serving your wedding breakfast if your speeches end earlier than expected. We wouldn’t want your food to be served in anything but optimum condition.

We recommend asking any additional evening guests to arrive for 7.30pm, you can organise for them to be greeted with a welcome drink on arrival if you wish, please enquire. Evening catering is usually served at 9.00pm.

Last orders is called at 11.30pm and the bar closes at 11.45pm. We recommend taxis are ordered in advance and a free phone is available in the cloakroom area of the marquee, for your convenience. If you are staying at the manor please vacate the marquee and gardens by 12.15 am at the latest, our team need to secure all of the gates before they can go home.

Our team will happily pack away your table centres and/or decorations at the end of the evening ready for you or your supplier to collect the following day. The charge for our ‘Pack down service’ is £100 and this will be added to your cost table.

If you would prefer to pack away yourselves or allocate a member of your party to do so, the charge will be removed. Please check with your venue decorator or florist, they will not usually be on-site at midnight and this is unlikely to be included in their service to you. Please be aware that the tables must be cleared at the end of the night to allow us to set up for the following day.

Should you decide to include tea lights, they must be placed within a container at least one inch taller than the lit flame. We will light them prior to your entrance into the marquee and then remove them once your wedding breakfast has ceased. Many couples now use battery operated lights.

We regret that it is not possible to bring bubbles into the marquee as this causes the dance floor to become a slip hazard. You are welcome to use them in the lower garden after the ceremony.

Sparklers - If you are providing sparklers for your guests, we will happily organise this for you. Our front of house team will store your sparklers safely for you during the day. Your guests will be invited into the garden at the agreed time, we will liaise with your photographer and organise the line. Our team will light the sparklers, hand them to your guests and dispose of them safely afterwards. Sparklers are not permitted inside the marquee. Whilst every care will be taken we cannot accept responsibility for any accidents or injuries sustained.

When your wedding breakfast and speeches have finished we will serve tea and coffee in the garden (weather permitting) whilst our team turns the room around to make room for your Band or DJ to set up; along with any extra evening suppliers (e.g. Photo booths/ Casino Table). We would recommend opting for a band or DJ with a set up time of no more than 45 minutes.

Please be aware that any longer than this and it will impact the time of your evening festivities commencing. The evening entertainment cannot begin setting up until after the wedding breakfast and speeches have finished. We ask that all bands and Dj’s are off-site by 12.30am at the latest so please make sure that they are aware of this.