FAQs

Yes. We kindly request that prior to any visit you contact us to arrange a date and time for your visit. The site is private and as such those who have hired it expect it to be kept in this way. To make sure your visit is solely for and about you please contact us here or email info@tournerbury.com or weddings@tournerbury.com or call us on 07894 401891

We can’t wait to hear from you.

This will depend on the type of venue hire arrangement you would like. Some of our couples like to hire the venue for a single day, others like to also hire it over night either the day before or for the day of their wedding. Some couples choose to hire it for a couple of days and nights. All options are available, and we can discuss these in detail and provide you with prices when you come to visit.

If you book Tournerbury for single day hire the venue is available from 8am on the day of your wedding/event until midnight. We kindly ask that you leave the site as soon after midnight as is practicably possible and you must have vacated the marquee (along with your suppliers) by 1am. Our cleaners start cleaning the marquee overnight from 1am and all guests, suppliers, supplier’s equipment and waste must be out of the marquee by this time. Items may be locked away in cars/vans to be picked up later that morning.

Live music/live bands must complete their performances by 10pm. DJ or playlist music is permitted until 11pm. Our premises licence places restrictions on the duration and times of music playing/performance and the sale of alcohol. All other running times within the day are entirely up to you – depending on how you want to run or shape your day. That’s the beauty of a dry hire venue, you get to chose the timings of things like your ceremony, speeches etc.

If you chose to book Woods Cottage for the night of your wedding (with or without campers), departure time is by 10am the following morning - please note, the above timings still stand for all areas other than Woods Cottage. Where there are no bookings on the day before your wedding, you are very welcome to come into Tournerbury to set up early, free of charge, but we can only let you know that for certain 7 days beforehand. If there are no bookings on the day before your wedding and you want to guarantee additional time, or likewise on your departure day you want a later leaving time, please ask us for pricing and availability.

If you would like to book Tournerbury following your visit all you need to do is to let us know by phone or by email. We’ll send you a simple booking form with clear instructions on of how to secure your special date with us. We do require you to sign a contract of hire with us and if you’d like to see a copy of this beforehand please let us know.

Yes. Sadly, accidents can happen and if this involves damage to property or items owned by the Tournerbury Woods Estate we need to replace these items so that other couples can enjoy them as well. This means that we do request a damage deposit of £500 prior to your event, but this will be returned to you providing all is fine and no damages have occurred.

If property belonging to the Tournerbury Woods Estate is damaged by your guests during your hire period you will be notified in the week following your wedding and costs deducted from your security deposit. Any costs over the security deposit will be invoiced accordingly.

Tournerbury can host weddings/events up to a dining capacity of 250 guests.

No. Our event season is from April through to the end of October each year. Woods Cottage (which is not part of the venue area) alone may be available to hire out of season – if this is of interest please let us know.

Yes. Woods Cottage is available to hire alongside the hire of the venue if you chose to do so. Woods Cottage is a popular on site accommodation option with our couples. The cottage sleeps 8 in 4 bedrooms and there is a cot available as well. Please ask for more information and pricing if you are interested in staying overnight.

In addition, if you have booked an overnight option, your guests are welcome to camp in the designated camping area next to the main car park. Campers may set up their tents from 11am onwards. Please note that no music may be played at the campsite (either amplified or acoustically) and general noise must be kept to a minimum. If guests do not adhere to this, they will be asked to leave immediately. Please ensure that all of your guests who are camping are aware that they need to be packed up and off site by 10am. Camping guests fall under the Terms and Conditions of overnight holiday rental of Woods Cottage. Please do ask about payment for camping pitches and note that payment for camping pitches is your responsibility and must be made prior to arrival on site.

Music is an important part of all the events we have at Tournerbury. We have a detailed Music at Tournerbury document which contains important information about how music at the venue works. This is a document that must be shared with whoever might be providing your entertainment whether it is a band, a professional DJ, an entertainment booking agent or friends / family. This will be a big help to them to ensure they produce the best sound possible for you.

We will also need to know what time your band / DJ etc are setting up so a member of Tournerbury staff can assist.

No. Tournerbury is a dry-hire venue, meaning your hire is for the site and infrastructure only. This means you have virtually complete freedom to choose your suppliers for your wedding day, unlike the majority of venues where you have to make do with their preferred or in-house supplier lists.

We do have a list of recommended caterers all of whom have worked at Tournerbury many times and know how everything works on site. Please let us know if you would like any recommendations or to discuss catering options – we are happy to help. See our Friends of Tournerbury section .

Of course this is an option, but please be aware that you will need to bring in all of your own catering equipment There is ample electricity supplied to the catering area and mains water is outside the catering area a few meters away. If this is your preferred option please discuss practicalities with us in good time as there are certain restrictions relating to health and safety that do need to be adhered to. If you need refrigeration please do ask as well as this can be provided.

Please also note that as part of our sustainability commitment and the conservation management of the Woods all external caterers (including if you do your own catering) are responsible for clearing up all of their own waste and taking it off site at the end of the event. This is really critical to ensuring the natural environment at Tournerbury is conserved and cared for and no harm is introduced.

Pets are welcome at Tournerbury but owners are responsible for their safety and wellbeing.

Dogs are often at Tournerbury, but must be kept on a short lead at all times during an event - there is resident wildlife in and around Tournerbury including ground nesting birdlife. Please note that if you or your guests are bringing dogs, all dog litter is expected to be cleared up by owners.

If you wish to bring other pets on site please discuss these with us beforehand. This is really important because of the conservation work that takes place on site and we are grateful for your appreciation of this.

Hire of the venue includes tables and chairs for dining for up to 150 guests. We offer either round or trestle tables to suit whatever “look” you want to achieve. The round tables are standard 6ft across banquet tables. The trestle tables we hire in are 6ft long by 2ft 6 inches wide. The round tables seat between 8 minimum and 12 maximum. Trestle tables can seat 6 minimum and 8 maximum.

Please note that your caterers may also need additional tables for prepping, setting up a bar etc. Please check with your caterers / bar to see if they require trestle tables or if they are bringing their own. If they do require them please let us know as part of any Finishing Touches items you need and we will organise them for you.

If you are undertaking a legal or non-legal marriage ceremony on site you have not hired outside seating for your ceremony. The dining chairs in the marquee may not be taken outside the marquee, as they often get damaged if this is done.

Please let us know which seating option you require for an onsite ceremony, whether it is no seating at all, hay bales or outside seating. Hire of these are on the Finishing Touches list. We do not charge a ceremony fee, but cover the cost of holding ceremonies on site through the rental of chairs or hay bales.

Table linen is not included in your hire contract, and is the responsibility of you or your caterers. We do not stock linen on site, so it's always best to keep a couple of spares handy!

Prices of drinks will depend on the mobile bar company you hire if you chose to do this.

Tournerbury is a licensed premise for live music and serving of alcohol. However, we allow you to hire in your own mobile bar company or to bring your own drink. Timings for last orders and bar closing can be found within your contract.

We do not charge corkage if you are supplying your own bar and drinks. Please note that if you are supplying your own drinks, the same timing rules above apply, and bars operating after 6pm must be staffed.

Mobile bar companies are responsible for taking all of their waste with them when they leave site. If alcohol is being sold, then all requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 must be met e.g. all supply of alcohol must be authorised by a person who holds a personal licence.

As Tournerbury is a licensed premise you DO NOT need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TENS). Please ensure that if you are hiring in a mobile bar company or your caterers are running a bar for you, that they know this as well – ie that they DO NOT need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TENS) either.

Your chosen caterers will be able to answer this for you. We are happy for hot drinks to be served but you/your caterers will need to bring in the required equipment to make and serve these.

This is a question for your bar service provider.

Yes, we are happy for you to bring your own drink. Timings for last orders and bar closing can be found within your contract.

We do not charge corkage if you are supplying your own bar and drinks. Please note that if you are supplying your own drinks, the same timing rules above apply, and bars operating after 6pm must be staffed.

Yes! Tournerbury is licensed for marriage ceremonies. We have two licensed structures – The Deck and the Gazebo. In addition, Woods Cottage is licensed for small ceremonies. Under recent changes to the licensing act (2023) because the site has structures that are licensed for ceremonies the whole of the site is a licensed area which means that legal ceremonies may take place outside within the venue area. Please discuss this with us if you would like an outside ceremony option (ie not under cover), as we have a number of simply stunning outside ceremony options.

Yes, we only ever have one event on at any one time. Tournerbury will be exclusively yours for your event.

Yes, a table plan stand or easel can be provided. See our Finishing Touches list for details.

Tournerbury doesn’t have any outside games equipment, but we do have a lot of amazing space that is very suitable for outdoor games. The types of games that couples have chosen to have as part of their event are many and varied. Examples include, boules, skittles, sports day races, bouncy castles, bucking bonkco’s to name a few.

The main way of securing decorations around Tournerbury is to bring strong fishing twine with you. Tensioned wire runs around the edge of the marquee (hidden by linings and drapes), and the marquee roof linings open via velcro gaps to reveal weight bearing shackles. Fishing twine can be tied to the wire and shackles to hang virtually anything you like, from pictures to bunting. You are welcome to use branches or trees to hang decorations, such as bunting or fairy lights, provided they do not damage the tree.

Sellotape, gaffer tape, blu-tack or any other material which may leave a sticky residue is not permitted at Tournerbury. Please do not use nails, pins or tacks on any of the trees at Tournerbury as this is harmful to the trees.

If you have any heavy decorations that need suspending, please check with us first of all as the marquee, gazebo and deck frames have weight bearing limits for obvious Health and Safety purposes. We have a variety of ladders and step ladders for putting up/taking down decorations if required - these are used entirely at your own risk.

Yes. Tournerbury uses a specialist sound system called a Direct Acoustics Zone Array system. All amplified music must be played through this.

We have a specific document outlining Music at Tournerbury which details important information about how, when and where music can be played at the venue. This must be provided to all your music suppliers to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding.

Naked flames are not permitted on site at Tournerbury. The only exceptions to this rule are tea lights or candles in glass jars at least 1 inch taller than the candle itself (whereby if they are knocked over, the flame will extinguish) - these are not permitted inside the marquee or on the deck.

There is Wi-Fi at Woods Cottage but not up at the marquee. However there is generally fairly good 3G and 4G mobile reception at and around the marquee.

A master of ceremonies at an event is entirely up to you. Some couples like to have one to help organise the day, others do not. If you chose to have one the hire/organisation is up to you. Our Venue Manager can assist in directing guests on the day but they are not a formal master of ceremonies.

Only real flower petal confetti is permitted at Tournerbury as per your contract - this includes for use for decoration. Please ensure guests do not bring their own confetti, or a clear up fee will be charged from your security deposit. This is important as foil or plastic confetti can cause damage to the wildlife in the Woods and it must not be brought on site.

Fireworks and Chinese lanterns are not permitted on site at Tournerbury under any circumstances. This is for the protection of our guests and also of the Woods.

Sparklers may be used outside, but please ensure they are extra-long in length - these are much more fun for your guests, and a lot safer! Sparklers are used entirely at your own risk.

This is entirely up to you. We are not able to specifically recommend any insurers, but advise that this is something that should be investigated.

We have ample parking onsite for your guests’ cars. If your guests want to leave cars overnight, please ensure that they know they need to remove them before 10am the following day at the very latest.

Tournerbury is an accessible site. The marquee is level access and so is the dance floor. There are thresholds at the two entrances/exits to the marquee but these are suitable for wheelchairs to move over. The dance floor is a wooden parquet floor and the flooring elsewhere in the marquee is carpet overlaying underlay and a fairly firm base. It may be slightly uneven in places – generally it is all level. Flooring on The Deck is solid wood and even. The Deck is accessible for wheelchairs via a long ramp. The Gazebo has ramped access to the inner area.

Woods Cottage has a downstairs toilet and access to the Cottage is via a removable ramp. Please ask if this is required – we are more than happy to help.

If you have any other access requirements please let us know – we are very happy to assist with any preparation that may be required.

A detailed Access Statement for Woods Cottage specifically can be found here .

Most weddings generate a considerable amount of waste. You will need to discuss with your suppliers regarding their waste, and who will be responsible for disposing of it. Waste must not be left overnight in the marquee or the grounds, as, even if it is bagged up, it attracts all kinds of wildlife, leading to a substantial clearance job in the morning, and can harm the wildlife too.

Any waste that is on site overnight must be locked in cars or vans to be taken away the following morning. Waste that is left in the marquee or grounds after 1am will be disposed of by our cleaners and this will be charged at the rate per bag on the Finishing Touches list.

Skips are not permitted on site at Tournerbury.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do here at Tournerbury. We are keen to help our couples create eco-conscious events, so please discuss rubbish and waste disposal with us.

Please request a copy of our Terms and Conditions of hire to understand our cancellation policy. We do understand that sometimes couples sadly need to cancel bookings with us. The reasons for cancellations vary, but generally we ask you to appreciate that if you cancel a booking these reasons are not in our control. In such instances we ask you to appreciate that we have an obligation to our staff and our business to ensure that cancellations do not negatively impact the business and our custodianship of the Woods.