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Price: From £3,600
Guests: 130
Deals available: 2
Limited-Time Offers & Deals (2)
Description
Description
The Departure Lounge is a lovely cafe situated on the outskirts of Alton in Hampshire on the A339 to Basingstoke, set in the beautiful countryside. We are also a Wedding venue creating a very relaxed unique special day. We are proud to have been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.
Our unique countryside location in Hampshire enables us to offer a truly memorable venue for your Wedding Reception. We are confident that our vintage decoration will not only impress those looking for an alternative wedding reception venue but will also provide everything you’re looking for from your special day. We are fully licensed and offer a Afternoon tea option, a buffet menu or Hog Roast. We cater for up to 130 guests in the cafe, marquee and gardens. The Departure Lounge Café caters to a maximum capacity of 130 guests across the venue grounds. In this rural haven of sweeping fields and inspiring gardens, you can enjoy a marquee reception in a 40-foot-by-40-foot structure fit for 130. Adorned in fairy lights, this boho-inspired setting is a blank canvas awaiting your signature touch. Nearby lies a designated area for a live band or disco, which can also be decorated to your tastes. The café offers an intimate space filled with aged-wood features, quirky signage and a private bar: an inviting atmosphere for guests to dine and drink in comfort. Across the grounds, an array of breathtaking scenery provides all the backdrops needed for those memorable wedding photographs.
Message from the team
Name of Wedding Contact: Simon Farley
Hello I am Simon and started The Departure Lounge in 2006, As a business, it has progressed from a day to day cafe into a well known and respected wedding venue. It is a great privilege to have a couples special day here at my business and take great pride in making sure that all the details are perfect. I am a very relaxed person and will always go beyond the call of duty to help make a wedding as personal as possible.
Experience
Year Business Was Established
2006
No. of Weddings Hosted
More than 50
Public Liability Insurance
Yes
No. of People In Team
7
Overview of Departure Lounge Cafe
Wedding Venue Type
Garden / Outdoor
Wedding Venue Capacity
Dining Capacity
130
Reception Capacity
200
Pricing for Departure Lounge Cafe
Pricing for Departure Lounge Cafe
What's Included?
Furniture included
Non consumables (e.g. linen, lights etc.)
Venue Hire Including The Departure Lounge Cafe, Gardens, Field & Marquee with a capacity of up to 120 guests.
- Includes fairy lighting, ivory linings, camelot chairs & tables
Hide detailsReviews (4)
- FFiona and Dave15/07/2023Absolutely incredible experience Absolutely incredible experienceI can highly recommend this fabulous venue. Simon and his team couldn’t have done more to make our day exactly as we wanted it. The food was delicious and all our guests raved about the cheesecake! We were able to make it really personalised and relaxed. Honestly, the best dayI can highly recommend this fabulous venue. Simon and his team couldn’t have done more to make our day exactly as we wanted it. The food was delicious and all our guests raved about the cheesecake! We were able to make it really personalised and relaxed. Honestly, the best day
- JJessica Edgecombe18/02/2022The venue itself is amazing The venue itself is amazingInsanely awesome place and people! We had our wedding here on 28th August - honestly, Simon and the team made this entire process extremely enjoyable considering let’s face it wedding planning is not always fun 🤣 They were extremely helpful, friendly and bent over backwards to help us. The venue itself is amazing - we were given loads of options, freedom to do quite a lot, and the flexibility was great. The bar looks awesome, the field is spacious and the marquee was perfect for our needs. The food was amazing and everyone at the wedding had plenty of compliments towards the food, drinks and facility itself. The staff at this venue are some of the best I’ve worked with - they went above and beyond and myself and my partner extremely appreciate everything they’ve done for us. We’ve been incredibly busy since our wedding but we plan on stopping by when we can to express our gratitude in person. Not only is this an incredibly reasonably priced venue to get married at, with a great team to work with (especially Simon), it’s also an awesome bar with great food and drinks. Highly recommend this place! Thank you everyone at the Depature Lounge for making our dayInsanely awesome place and people! We had our wedding here on 28th August - honestly, Simon and the team made this entire process extremely enjoyable considering let’s face it wedding planning is not always fun 🤣 They were extremely helpful, friendly and bent over backwards to help us. The venue itself is amazing - we were given loads of options, freedom to do quite a lot, and the flexibility was great. The bar looks awesome, the field is spacious and the marquee was perfect for our needs. The food was amazing and everyone at the wedding had plenty of compliments towards the food, drinks and facility itself. The staff at this venue are some of the best I’ve worked with - they went above and beyond and myself and my partner extremely appreciate everything they’ve done for us. We’ve been incredibly busy since our wedding but we plan on stopping by when we can to express our gratitude in person. Not only is this an incredibly reasonably priced venue to get married at, with a great team to work with (especially Simon), it’s also an awesome bar with great food and drinks. Highly recommend this place! Thank you everyone at the Depature Lounge for making our day
- OOlivia Chalcroft18/02/2022We really felt we had a very personal touch We really felt we had a very personal touchThe most amazing wedding venue! We stumbled across the venue last summer and as soon as we saw it and met with Simon, the owner, we knew it was the perfect venue for us. We had totally free reign over the styling of the marquee, and were given the week leading up to the wedding to decorate it at our leisure. The cafe is wonderful and quirky, and the field and grounds surrounding the café and marquee are huge and provided a lovely backdrop for photos. Simon was fab through the planning. Every email was responded to quickly and thoroughly, and we really felt we got a personal touch by dealing directly with him throughout the process. Food-wise, we had a hog-roast provided by the venue as our main meal, along with some really lovely sides, and salads. For evening food, we had a ploughman’s spread which included pate and cured meats. Both meals were delicious and went down so well with our guests, and the venue was very accommodating of dietary requirements. This truly is the most incredible wedding venue. We have had many guests saying how wonderful it was, and because of its uniqueness we are confident that our guests will remember the day for years to come. Our wedding day was beyond our wildest dreams, a month on and we are still buzzing from how much fun we had. We really put a lot of that down to the venue – it is definitely a venue that not only allows, but encourages you to have fun with your wedding day. If you are looking for a venue which really lets you put your own stamp on your wedding day whilst certainly not breaking the bank, we would wholeheartedly recommend the Departure Lounge. To Simon and the team, thank you so muchThe most amazing wedding venue! We stumbled across the venue last summer and as soon as we saw it and met with Simon, the owner, we knew it was the perfect venue for us. We had totally free reign over the styling of the marquee, and were given the week leading up to the wedding to decorate it at our leisure. The cafe is wonderful and quirky, and the field and grounds surrounding the café and marquee are huge and provided a lovely backdrop for photos. Simon was fab through the planning. Every email was responded to quickly and thoroughly, and we really felt we got a personal touch by dealing directly with him throughout the process. Food-wise, we had a hog-roast provided by the venue as our main meal, along with some really lovely sides, and salads. For evening food, we had a ploughman’s spread which included pate and cured meats. Both meals were delicious and went down so well with our guests, and the venue was very accommodating of dietary requirements. This truly is the most incredible wedding venue. We have had many guests saying how wonderful it was, and because of its uniqueness we are confident that our guests will remember the day for years to come. Our wedding day was beyond our wildest dreams, a month on and we are still buzzing from how much fun we had. We really put a lot of that down to the venue – it is definitely a venue that not only allows, but encourages you to have fun with your wedding day. If you are looking for a venue which really lets you put your own stamp on your wedding day whilst certainly not breaking the bank, we would wholeheartedly recommend the Departure Lounge. To Simon and the team, thank you so much
- KKristian Godfrey18/02/2022Perfect place for our needs Perfect place for our needsAn amazing wedding venue We discovered the Departure Lounge whilst searching for a wedding venue in Hampshire. We knew the first time we visited that this was the perfect place for our needs. This was in February 2020, and we set the date for late July 2021 - as you can imagine, there was a lot of uncertainty about the day right up until the week beforehand due to the pandemic. Simon was very reassuring throughout this period, and thankfully our intended date fell on the first weekend after wedding restrictions were lifted. Despite us only being able to finalise our arrangements at the last minute, Simon and his team put everything together perfectly, going above and beyond for us. Nothing was too big an ask, and the day was very special for us and the guests. If you are looking for a wedding venue that you can personalise and have lots of flexibility with suppliers and decoration, but you still have an amazing team on hand to help with logistics and organision, then we highly recommend the Departure Lounge - it is also perfect if you are looking for a 'festival' style wedding venue. We chose Simon's hog roast for our meal, which was fantastic and well received by the guests. There is a marquee already on site, so you do not need to hire this separately. We had 120 guests, which the venue comfortably fitted. We used external suppliers for evening food and our entertainment, and Simon helped them all set up on the day with no problem. He also had backup plans for incleement weather, but luckily the rain (just about) held off. I should also mention that the final cost was extremely affordable. Aside from our wedding, we have popped in regularly for lunch and the food is always fantastic (we recommend the cheese and chips and Sophie's malteaser cheesecake if you're lucky enough to be there on a day it appears!), and we always have a lovely welcome. We cannot recommend the place highly enough. Thank you so much Simon and the team for our wonderful wedding dayAn amazing wedding venue We discovered the Departure Lounge whilst searching for a wedding venue in Hampshire. We knew the first time we visited that this was the perfect place for our needs. This was in February 2020, and we set the date for late July 2021 - as you can imagine, there was a lot of uncertainty about the day right up until the week beforehand due to the pandemic. Simon was very reassuring throughout this period, and thankfully our intended date fell on the first weekend after wedding restrictions were lifted. Despite us only being able to finalise our arrangements at the last minute, Simon and his team put everything together perfectly, going above and beyond for us. Nothing was too big an ask, and the day was very special for us and the guests. If you are looking for a wedding venue that you can personalise and have lots of flexibility with suppliers and decoration, but you still have an amazing team on hand to help with logistics and organision, then we highly recommend the Departure Lounge - it is also perfect if you are looking for a 'festival' style wedding venue. We chose Simon's hog roast for our meal, which was fantastic and well received by the guests. There is a marquee already on site, so you do not need to hire this separately. We had 120 guests, which the venue comfortably fitted. We used external suppliers for evening food and our entertainment, and Simon helped them all set up on the day with no problem. He also had backup plans for incleement weather, but luckily the rain (just about) held off. I should also mention that the final cost was extremely affordable. Aside from our wedding, we have popped in regularly for lunch and the food is always fantastic (we recommend the cheese and chips and Sophie's malteaser cheesecake if you're lucky enough to be there on a day it appears!), and we always have a lovely welcome. We cannot recommend the place highly enough. Thank you so much Simon and the team for our wonderful wedding day
Location & Contact Details for Departure Lounge Cafe
Location & Contact Details for Departure Lounge Cafe
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FAQs
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Where is the Departure Lounge Cafe wedding venue located?
The Departure Lounge Cafe is located in the beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire, England. The precise postcode is GU34 4BH, situated on the A339 to Basingstoke.
What makes the Departure Lounge Cafe a unique wedding venue?
Our venue offers a relaxed, vintage-inspired setting combined with a stunning countryside location. The 40-foot-by-40-foot marquee adorned with fairy lights, alongside charming gardens and sweeping fields, provides a boho-inspired and intimate atmosphere perfect for a unique wedding day.
How many guests can the Departure Lounge Cafe accommodate for weddings?
The Departure Lounge Cafe can accommodate up to 130 guests across the cafe, marquee, and garden areas, making it suitable for both intimate gatherings and larger wedding receptions.
What catering options are available at the Departure Lounge Cafe for weddings?
We offer a variety of catering options including:
- Afternoon tea
- Buffet menus
- Hog roast
All designed to provide a delicious and memorable dining experience on your special day.
Is the Departure Lounge Cafe fully licensed for weddings?
Yes, the Departure Lounge Cafe is fully licensed, allowing both wedding ceremonies and receptions to be held on site, accommodating all your special day needs.
What kind of atmosphere can couples expect at the Departure Lounge Cafe?
The venue boasts an inviting atmosphere, with vintage décor elements like aged-wood features and quirky signage. The private bar in the café provides a cosy spot for guests to relax and enjoy drinks in comfort during your celebration.
Can the Departure Lounge Cafe accommodate live entertainment during weddings?
Yes, there is a designated area within the grounds that can be customized for a live band or a disco, helping to create a lively and personalized entertainment experience for your wedding day.
Are there picturesque spots for wedding photography at the Departure Lounge Cafe?
The venue's grounds include breathtaking scenery, sweeping fields, and inspiring gardens, offering a variety of stunning backdrops perfect for capturing memorable wedding photographs.
Has the Departure Lounge Cafe received any awards or recognition?
Yes, we are proud recipients of the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, recognizing our commitment to outstanding service, ambiance, and satisfaction for our guests.
How can couples personalize their wedding reception at the Departure Lounge Cafe?
The marquee and designated entertainment areas serve as a blank canvas that you can decorate and customize to reflect your unique style and wedding theme. Our team will support you to ensure your day is truly special and tailored to your vision.
