We got married at Tewinbury in November 2025. The barn, grounds and setting are genuinely lovely, the food was delicious, and the ceremony itself went as perfectly as can be. Our guests had a very enjoyable evening overall, and on the surface, it was a beautiful wedding day.
Unfortunately, the way the day was handled by the operations team left a very sour feeling, and that ultimately overshadows what should have been a seamless, well-coordinated event, especially given the amount we spent.
After the ceremony and outdoor photos, we encountered significant issues that resulted in our wedding breakfast being delayed by well over an hour.
There was a serious lack of communication and visibility from the coordinator throughout this period, and getting an answer from staff about what was happening was near impossible. We paused indoor photos because we believed the meal was imminent as per the order of the day, only to slowly realise as time went on with no update that we were facing a significant delay to the wedding breakfast and subsequent events of the day. Had we known, we could at least have taken more family and group photos that were planned for after the meal, something we therefore missed out on entirely and can never get back. I would gladly pay thousands to have those official photos of friends and family we lost due to this and to not have had my wife cry on our wedding day due to the delays caused by Tewinbury’s confusion and lack of communication on the day itself.
The delay had subsequent knock-on effects:
• We lost a full paid hour of our DJ and externally hired photo booth
• Our photographer had to stay later than agreed to capture key moments
• Cake cutting and first dance were rushed
• Some guests had to leave before seeing these moments at all
Table layout and setup were another major issue. Despite providing a floor plan some weeks in advance and discussing the layout with the sales team both on email and in person, tables were not laid out as discussed, resulting in close family being placed far away from us and some tables being very cramped. On the day, the coordinator told us there were issues accessing the PDF, which raised serious concerns about preparation. Ultimately, there was lack of clarity around the layout prior to the day, and if there was any confusion from Tewinbury’s side about our layout prior to the day, this was not raised with us to make sure they got things correct.
There were numerous smaller, albeit still noticeable and important to my wife and I, operational issues throughout the day, including:
• Alcoholic shots being placed at tables with children
• Items clearly labelled and provided for the day being left in cupboards
• Centrepieces set up incorrectly, which the bride had to try to correct during photos
• Guests having to ask for desserts that hadn’t been served
• A table for glow sticks and song requests never being set up as planned
• Inconsistent and contradictory information from staff
One of the most concerning of all was my wife being served a breakfast platter containing pineapple on the morning of the wedding, despite a clearly stated allergy. This should never happen in the first place but clearly sets a bad tone from the beginning of the day and raised anxiety on an already anxious day, and the response to this was deeply disappointing.
We feel that the responses received to our feedback and concerns have only exacerbated our frustrations. Several points were dismissed, contradicted, or just left unanswered. We feel there was a lack of empathy for how upsetting these issues were on such an important day, and we were left with a strong impression of a disconnect between what is promised during the sales process and what the operations team can actually deliver.
To be clear, this is obviously a beautiful venue with great food and a big reputation that I’m sure won’t be hampered by our review. But we planned this for 2 whole years, and it felt like the attitude of the team making it a reality on the day was to turn up and wing it, and none of the responses received have made us feel otherwise. I would have loved to have been leaving a 5* review, but the reality is that we feel some sadness when we think about parts of our wedding day, and that is something that can never be recovered. We got married at Tewinbury in November 2025. The barn, grounds and setting are genuinely lovely, the food was delicious, and the ceremony itself went as perfectly as can be. Our guests had a very enjoyable evening overall, and on the surface, it was a beautiful wedding day.
Unfortunately, the way the day was handled by the operations team left a very sour feeling, and that ultimately overshadows what should have been a seamless, well-coordinated event, especially given the amount we spent.
After the ceremony and outdoor photos, we encountered significant issues that resulted in our wedding breakfast being delayed by well over an hour.
There was a serious lack of communication and visibility from the coordinator throughout this period, and getting an answer from staff about what was happening was near impossible. We paused indoor photos because we believed the meal was imminent as per the order of the day, only to slowly realise as time went on with no update that we were facing a significant delay to the wedding breakfast and subsequent events of the day. Had we known, we could at least have taken more family and group photos that were planned for after the meal, something we therefore missed out on entirely and can never get back. I would gladly pay thousands to have those official photos of friends and family we lost due to this and to not have had my wife cry on our wedding day due to the delays caused by Tewinbury’s confusion and lack of communication on the day itself.
The delay had subsequent knock-on effects:
• We lost a full paid hour of our DJ and externally hired photo booth
• Our photographer had to stay later than agreed to capture key moments
• Cake cutting and first dance were rushed
• Some guests had to leave before seeing these moments at all
Table layout and setup were another major issue. Despite providing a floor plan some weeks in advance and discussing the layout with the sales team both on email and in person, tables were not laid out as discussed, resulting in close family being placed far away from us and some tables being very cramped. On the day, the coordinator told us there were issues accessing the PDF, which raised serious concerns about preparation. Ultimately, there was lack of clarity around the layout prior to the day, and if there was any confusion from Tewinbury’s side about our layout prior to the day, this was not raised with us to make sure they got things correct.
There were numerous smaller, albeit still noticeable and important to my wife and I, operational issues throughout the day, including:
• Alcoholic shots being placed at tables with children
• Items clearly labelled and provided for the day being left in cupboards
• Centrepieces set up incorrectly, which the bride had to try to correct during photos
• Guests having to ask for desserts that hadn’t been served
• A table for glow sticks and song requests never being set up as planned
• Inconsistent and contradictory information from staff
One of the most concerning of all was my wife being served a breakfast platter containing pineapple on the morning of the wedding, despite a clearly stated allergy. This should never happen in the first place but clearly sets a bad tone from the beginning of the day and raised anxiety on an already anxious day, and the response to this was deeply disappointing.
We feel that the responses received to our feedback and concerns have only exacerbated our frustrations. Several points were dismissed, contradicted, or just left unanswered. We feel there was a lack of empathy for how upsetting these issues were on such an important day, and we were left with a strong impression of a disconnect between what is promised during the sales process and what the operations team can actually deliver.
To be clear, this is obviously a beautiful venue with great food and a big reputation that I’m sure won’t be hampered by our review. But we planned this for 2 whole years, and it felt like the attitude of the team making it a reality on the day was to turn up and wing it, and none of the responses received have made us feel otherwise. I would have loved to have been leaving a 5* review, but the reality is that we feel some sadness when we think about parts of our wedding day, and that is something that can never be recovered.