We got married at Branxholm Park in September 2024. The venue is beautiful; a quirky, well-curated collection of indoor and outdoor spaces, ensuring nobody could ever get bored. The animals are a gorgeous inclusion - the goats and horses are so friendly, and there's a wonderfully affectionate 3-legged cat called Cookie who was the real star of our day!
We booked the venue unseen - just based on the website and video tours - as we live in South Wales so couldn't nip up to an open day. This definitely contributed to my anxiety leading up to the day, but David & Debbie assured us that lots of people book without visiting, and the house and grounds really did exceed expectations. We did gasp as we drove up the road and saw it for the first time. We were lucky to have gorgeous sunny weather and the most amazing group of guests and vendors, so despite anxieties and small oversights, it really was a perfect wedding.
The staff at the house were fantastic, making us feel so incredibly welcome from the moment we arrived. Nothing was too much trouble. A special mention to Becky and Tracey, who were just fabulous friendly faces and above-and-beyond helpful.
I would have to say, though, that the wedding would have been much easier if we'd been able to speak to Becky (the on-the-day coordinator) in advance. It would also have been nice to receive some sort of welcome pack or guide to wedding planning. All the planning is done through emails with Debbie (the owner) who was a little difficult to talk to - slow or non-existent replies, confusing typos, lack of detail, and would not provide things like a seating plan despite being asked repeatedly. Maybe she's just very relaxed because they have a template for wedding days, but as an anxious couple we could have done with better communication and some more support with finalising details of our day. Several things that Debbie agreed/assured us would happen were not communicated to Becky and the house staff - they immediately sorted things out after our arrival and a quick chat, but it was unfair that they weren't warned about updates!
It's a shame that the organisation prior to the wedding was frustrating, as Branxholm Park truly has the potential to be the greatest 5-star wedding venue. After our arrival, everything felt very fun and relaxed, and the 2-night package allowed us to settle in and explore without feeling rushed about. We made use of the hot tub and karaoke room the first night, slept well in the huge comfortable beds, and had a relaxed morning getting ready in the house without having to stress about travelling to a separate ceremony venue. The whole house-party vibe was perfect for a relaxed holiday experience without feeling stuffy or formal. Some areas could have done with a better clean and a bit of love, and one of the showers upstairs didn't seem to work, but this didn't spoil it for us.
The meal the night before the wedding was lovely; hearty burgers with chips and an incredible range of cakes. The vegan cakes were among the best we've ever tasted - the blueberry/banana and the jaffa cake were standouts! Our wedding cake was a vegan lemon and blueberry one, which tasted absolutely amazing but was a little disappointing visually - it didn't resemble the reference images we had sent, and had been covered in artificial flowers, which was honestly a little tacky.* The promised "cake sword" also did not appear - we were just handed a kitchen knife for our cake cutting photos - and we weren't warned that there was cardboard inside each tier (not between; inside) of the cake, which made it difficult to cut.
Breakfast and brunch were excellent, no shortage of bacon/sausage/egg/vegan rolls, jam-filled croissants, and other lovely snacks. The canapes were also lovely - a great selection including some fab Asian-fusion style bites which is apparently the chef's speciality - I wish we'd known this in advance, as it might have influenced our dinner choices. The meal on the wedding day was a little disappointing, especially the risotto, but we did take a chance by going off-menu, which was very kind of the team to accommodate. A guest particularly remarked on the high quality of the gluten-free bread rolls, and all allergies/dietary requirements were catered for. Guests were promised gluten-free gnocchi but were given pasta instead, which was still very tasty but just a bit of a shame.
*On that note - be aware that all of the florals provided as part of the venue package are artificial and re-used repeatedly. This was not an issue for us, and better than importing real flowers and the associated waste, but just worth mentioning as this isn't explicitly stated by the venue.
Our guests stayed in the flats in Hawick that are also owned by David - these had a couple of issues with cleanliness/storage space and confusing plumbing but on the whole were lovely and comfortable. One major flaw was that there is only one set of keys per flat - this is fine for the one-bed, but made it frustrating for the people in the five-bed as they were all arriving at different times.
The only other real snag was accessibility - we had a guest who uses a wheelchair, and were told that the chapel was accessible but it is actually up a steep gravel slope (not clear on the video tour) and does not have space for a wheelchair, meaning he had to sit outside for the ceremony. The only downstairs loo is also not big enough for disabled access, and the house and glasshouse both have a step at the entrance. We understand that it's an old house and as such wouldn't have been built with accessibility in mind, but just be aware!
Overall, if you love animals and are looking for a whimsical wedding getaway with endless entertainment and photo opportunities, Branxholm Park is the place for you! The package deal they offer is ideally suited to laid-back, go-with-the-flow couples who don't need fine control of every aspect of their day and are relaxed about the planning process and timeline.