ALL INCLUSIVE Deal: 2019’s Special Offer Fridays!

Civil Wedding followed by Sparkling Wine Reception for 80 guests £3,550.00 – ALL INCLUSIVE!*

Marry in a mansion exclusively for you and

your guests: Enjoy a romantic and intimate ceremony in our beautiful stone flagged hall, say “I do” at the foot of our grand, carved oak staircase, then treat your guests to a sparkling wine reception in the beautiful, elegant riverside gardens, with private river island, nothing but green as far as the eye can see and views over one of the largest water meadows in Europe.

Offer includes:

• On Day Venue Hire for your Ceremony & Reception.
• 2hours access for set up the previous day.
• Coordination before your wedding day.
• Indoor use Ceremony chairs.
• 2 members of Island Hall Staff to run your event.
• 1 fully licensed S.I.A security guard throughout your event.
• Use of our Civil License.
• A reception in house & grounds, of up to 2hours (including photo opportunities).
• Uniformed waiting & kitchen staff.
•  All glassware and table linen.
• 2 glasses of sparkling wine or sparkling elderflower per guest.

Please note: If you choose to add a gazebo ceremony, additional drinks or canapé options a surcharge will apply.

Valid Dates:

Approved Friday’s in 2019. Please contact us directly: enquire@islandhall.com quoting: 2019 Civil Wedding & Reception Offer

Only valid on available dates and for a maximum of 80 guests, Island Hall reserve the right to withdraw the offer at anytime. Offer is only secured on receipt of deposit and signed contract.

*ADDITIONALLY you need to pay for events insurance (totally approx £96.00). You can also choose to add additional refreshment option for a surcharge, please contact us for details.

The Bridge is Back!

If you live locally you may have noticed that our Ornamental Chinese Bridge, linking the garden to the Island has been missing for the last few months. The bridge was in fact a replica of the original 18thcentury bridge, based on family photographs which we have of the original. It was rebuilt in 1988, the bridge’s restoration received the 1989 Environmental trophy from the Rotary Club of Huntingdon, and the Cambridge Association of Architects Craftsmanship Award in the same year. The copy made by Cambridge based Coulson’s has sadly not lasted very long and last year the difficult decision was made to replace it once again, this time the project has been undertaken by the local Godmanchester company Jacowe Joinery.

The Island Hall Chinese Bridge was the original inspiration for Godmanchester’s own (larger!) landmark, Chinese Bridge and we are very happy to see it coming together so nicely!

Watch this space for the official Bridge Opening, later on this year.

Many thanks to Alan Hooker G.P.S for his wonderful images

2016 Special Offer! Civil Ceremony Canapé & Sparkling Wine Reception for 80 guests – ALL INCLUSIVE DATES

2016 Special Offer! Civil Ceremony, followed by Canapé & Sparkling Wine Reception for 80 guests – £2,950.00 ALL INCLUSIVE – you just need to pay your registrar fees!

Marry in a mansion exclusively for you and your guests: Enjoy a romantic and intimate ceremony in our beautiful stone flagged hall, say “I do” at the foot of our grand, carved oak staircase, then treat your guests to a sparkling wine and tasty canapé reception in the beautiful, elegant riverside gardens, with a river island, nothing but green as far as the eye can see and views over one of the largest water meadows in Europe.

Civil Wedding capacity is a maximum of 80 guests.

Offer includes:

• Venue Hire
• 2hours access for set up the previous day.
• Coordination before your wedding day.
• 2 members of Island Hall Staff to run your event.
• 1 fully licensed S.I.A security guard throughout your event.
• Use of our Civil License.
• A reception in house & grounds, of up to 2hours (including photo opportunities).
• Uniformed waiting & kitchen staff.
• All glassware, crockery and table linen.
• 2 glasses of sparkling wine or sparkling elderflower per guest.
• 4 canapés per guest (to be selected from a menu).

Please note: If you choose to add additional drinks and canapé options a surcharge will apply.

Bowl food upgrade available – replace your canapés with bowl food to give your guests something extra.

Valid Dates 2016:

Saturday 28^th May

Friday 10th June, Saturday 11^th June, Saturday 18th June, Friday 24th June & Sunday 26th June

Saturday 6^th August

Please contact us directly: enquire@islandhall.com quoting: 2016 Civil Ceremony Offer

Only valid on stated dates and for a maximum of 80 guests, Island Hall reserve the right to withdraw the offer at anytime. Offer is only secured on receipt of deposit and signed contract.

ADDITIONALLY you need to pay for events insurance (totally approx £60.00) as well as your registrar fees £450.00 (directly to Cambridgeshire County Council, please visit; http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/info/20103/ceremonies/17/civil_marriage_or_civil_partnership_in_the_uk

FULL WEDDING DEAL (INCLUDING SEATED MEAL RECEPTION & WINE) PACKAGE ALSO AVAILABLE PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE PAGE

Unique English Wedding Venues Features Island Hall for its FIRST article!

Have you ever discovered a place that you just can’t help but fall in love with? Well, that’s how it was for me with Island Hall.

Island Hall lies in the heart of old Godmanchester on the main thoroughfare, Post Street, just a few minutes walk from the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. Its position by the Great Ouse and views over the water meadows very much give it the atmosphere of a classic English country house. The property is the privately owned and much loved family home of Christopher and Lady Linda Vane Percy. Its uniqueness as a wedding venue lies in the fact that this graceful home only hosts a handful of bespoke weddings a year and offers an intimate splendour as it becomes exclusively yours for the duration of your wedding day, if you so wish.

Upon my request to visit Island Hall and interview Christopher Vane Percy I received a very kind and gracious reply. In fact, I was also invited to meet his elder daughter, Grace, who runs the weddings with her father.

Grace and Christopher make the perfect hosts and are incredibly kind and charming, caring deeply about Island Hall and the heritage bestowed upon them. They are also very focussed on the practical side of things, leaving the bride and groom to enjoy their day amongst friends and family.

in December 2013, a Civil License was granted for three rooms: the Stone Flagged Hall and Drawing Room on the ground floor and the maroon velvet lined Salon on the first floor. In addition, I should mention that the first floor also has a beautiful four poster bedroom suite that would make any bride feel like a princess, as she dresses for her big day.

It is difficult to put into words the beauty and serenity of Island Hall. Although I visited it at the beginning of March and the gardens still had a sleepy winter feel about them, you could nonetheless imagine how beautiful it would be in summer when everything is flushed with colour and in full leaf. I could also sense how the Chinese-style bridge and secluded Saxon island would became almost a secret garden and the perfect backdrop for some extraordinary wedding photographs. On the days leading up to your wedding Christopher and Grace are there to help coordinate with suppliers with regard to deliveries, storage and set up, and remain discreetly on hand throughout your wedding day to ensure everything runs smoothly. Two fully S.I.A. licensed security guards are also in attendance throughout your day. Christopher and Grace are exceedingly charming people and take enormous pride in Island Hall and how special it is as a unique wedding venue. I know from my meeting with them that they will do everything in their power to ensure your wedding day is unforgettable and that you and your guests enjoy the splendours of Island Hall and its gardens.

Alice Barker
www.uniqueenglishweddingvenues.com

You & Your Wedding: Love Island

Elegant styling and beautiful blooms made Nancy and Lee’s Garden Party one to remember.

For Nancy and Lee, a potential disaster ultimately led to them having the day of their dreams. “Six month the wedding, our original venue cancelled on us,” explains Nancy. Running out of time and inspiration the couple turned to wedding planner Colette Bloom, who came up with Island Hall in Godmanchester, a riverside mansion complete with ornamental island. After the ceremony in a local church, guest were greeted with prosecco in Island Hall’s immaculate gardens, before everyone was guided across the picturesque Chinese bridge to the river island. “The stunning marquee was waiting behind the tress” says Nancy. “The Island felt like a secret garden, it was so magical”.

Pink and white paper globes and glowing lanterns covered the venue, echoing the soft, pretty tones in Nancy’s classic lace and tulle Pronovias dress, which she paired with rosey-hued peep-toe slingbacks. “I never thought I’d fall in love with a traditional gown but, on reflection, my everyday dress style is classic and tailored, so it was actually very fitting,” she says. “I went for a cathedral veil that match the lace in my dress because I loved the veils intricate details, and the overall effect was so elegant.” Pearl and diamond earrings finished the look, with a bouquet of hydrangeas, peonies and roses in shades of prink and cream. The bridesmaids wore bespoke dresses in a floral liberty print. “The garden theme kept the day elegant but relaxed” says Nancy, whose cute details included a taxi transformed into a photo booth, with resulting pictures providing the favours. “Grace and Christopher were very focused on the practical side of things, which was great because it allowed us to concentrate on the fun!!”

Island Hall Is Now An Officially Approved Ceremony Venue!

We have just received our license to hold civil weddings at Island Hall. We can now offer ceremonies for up to 80 guests in the main hall or more intimate ceremonies for smaller numbers in two other rooms within the house. Will you be the first to be married at Island Hall?

An Island Wedding – Bride Magazine

Tai Tuwai and Karen Riggall 27th July 2013

Where: Ceremony at St Mary Magdalene Church, Brampton, Cambridgeshire followed by reception at Island Hall, Godmanchester

Photography: McKinley-Rodgers Photography

“Island Hall was the first and only wedding venue we visited. Despite being very cold and there being snow on the ground, we fell in love with it straight away. It was perfect and so close to home, the house was beautiful and the Island was the blank canvas that we were looking for. For a grand manor house, there was something very homely and comfortable about it and I felt instinctively that our guests would feel comfortable there too. Being Fijian, Tai also loved the idea of having the marquee on an ‘Island’!

Christopher Vane Percy owns Island Hall and is one of the funniest and loveliest gentlemen you could meet. We felt very privileged that he opened his gorgeous home to us and our 100 guests.

Initially I had visions of a very vintage affair with bunting and hay bales but it was Island Hall’s eclectic mix of antique furniture and paintings with a dash of Tai’s passion for golf that eventually inspired the theme for the day.

I shopped around for marquees and luckily I came across Nick from Fairytale Marquees who was incredibly helpful, even fitting a vintage style chandelier that I had bought. Nothing seemed too much trouble for him and the marquee looked amazing on the day.

For my dress I researched local bridal boutiques and found The Bridal Gallery in Finedon. Having looked at their sample sale section on their website I couldn’t get one of the dresses out of my mind. I decided I would regret it if I didn’t try it so convinced my mum and sister to come with me. It was light and floaty and heavily beaded at the back – and with its vintage ivory colouring, it was a really flattering tone and just a little bit different.

I tried on some other shapes and styles but I felt uncomfortable in most of them and compared everyone to the first, so I emerged just over an hour later the owner of sparkly new wedding dress – a Jenny Packham gown called ‘Gaia’.

On the morning of the wedding I stole one of Tai’s ushers, Ben, to do my hair as he is a hair stylist. He was very patient with me as I kept changing my mind about what I wanted.

My make-up was also done by my lovely friend Alison, who I have known for years. It was great to have such close friends to pamper me on the morning and made it so much more special.

I thought I would be petrified walking down the aisle and speaking in front of all our guests but I actually felt very calm and controlled and absolutely loved the ‘I do’s’. We have had lots of complements on our music choices (which were unusual for a church wedding), guests particularly enjoyed our signing of the register track which was ‘All I Want Is You’ from the ‘Juno’ soundtrack. We also had a Fijian hymn sung by Tai’s relatives which was a very special moment during the ceremony.

Our colours were creams, pastels and metallics and on the tables we had vintage candelabras and trophies that I had collected through the year, filled with flowers we’d bought from Waitrose the day before. Each table was named after one of Tai’s favourite UK golf clubs with the club logo as the table name. Tai managed to get hold of golf balls from each of the clubs with the matching logos as favours for the men which we placed in cotton bags on the corresponding tables. The ladies had truffles.

Our caterers were the Cambridge Dining Company and we had a barbecue for our wedding breakfast which was exceptional. People are still commenting on the quality of the food served. Also Sam, their wedding event manager, did an amazing job looking after us during the run up to the wedding and on the day, we really cannot praise her enough.

Following the meal and speeches we had cocktail hour with ‘make your own Mai Tai cocktails’. Each table had a tray of ingredients and instructions. These were a big hit and probably explain why the dance floor was packed all night!

We were incredibly lucky to have Phil as our DJ for the evening. We met him through a friend; he is not your ‘usual’ wedding DJ. He was epic and we have had so many comments on just how brilliant he was.

For entertainment we had a silver glitter photo booth, with unlimited photos and an array of vintage props, which was so much fun. Guests got to take their photos home and we have second copies in our guestbook.”

by Karen Tuwai

WHO DID WHAT

Photography: McKinley-Rodgers Photography, http://www.mckinley-rodgers.co.uk

Venue: Island Hall, http://www.islandhall.com

Dress: Jenny Packham, http://www.JennyPackham.com

Bridesmaids dresses: Coast, http://www.coast-stores.com

Hair: Ben Hall

Make-up: Alison Whately, http://www.makeupbyalison.co.uk

Groom’s outfit: Reiss, http://www.reiss.com
Stationery: Tom Gautier, http://www.tomgautier.com

Flowers: Violets & Velvet, http://www.violetsandvelvet.co.uk

Catering: Cambridge Dining Company, http://www.cambridgedining.co.uk

Entertainment: Boothnation, http://www.boothnation.com

Marquee: Fairytale Marquees, http://www.fairytalemarquees.co.uk

Red Cross Charity Market Raises £1,700.00

A BIG THANK YOU! To everyone who took part in our Red Cross Courtyard Charity Craft Market and Garden Opening last Sunday. The figures are in and we raised a fantastic total of £1,700.00!! An amazing result thanks to much hard work and dedication from many people.

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Crafters included:

Jo Chalkin Handcrafted Designs
Joules Etc Fair Trade & Handmade Gifts
Garden Classics
Sally Thake Jewellery
Karen Dixon’s Little Tinkers
Phoenix Cards
DD Designs & DD Vintage
Usborne Books
Gillian Johnson’s Personalised Canvas
Ramsey Abbey Walled Kitchen Garden
Top Tots Boutique
Claire Holmes’ Thread and Inks
Rosie Carpenter’s Sticks Studio
Tracey’s Beads
Danielle Machin Photography
Paddys Paws Plaques and Gifts
Jane Grieves’ Needful Things
Sue Clark Quilling

Inside the August 2013 issue of Period Living magazine: Island Hall

The August 2013 issue of Period Living magazine is on sale Thursday 27 May. Pick up your copy at all good newsagents and supermarkets. Real homes – The restoration of an ancestral home focuses on Island Hall this month.

“The special thing about Island Hall is that almost everything has survived from the 18th century, which is unusual, as most houses are altered by every new generation,” Christopher explains. “However, my ancestors left it as it was, and I’ve been able to recreate the original colour schemes from when it was first built. We gently worked our way through the interior, acknowledging and respecting the house.”

Period Living is Britain’s best-selling period homes magazine. Each month it is packed full of beautiful real homes and gardens, inspiring decorating shoots, and original craft ideas, plus expert advice on all aspects of owning, maintaining and renovating a period property.

In addition, you’ll find ideas for buying antique, vintage and salvaged items, interior design insights, and stylish shopping treats – from furniture and kitchens, to fabrics, wallpapers and accessories.

– See more at: http://www.periodliving.co.uk/homes-gardens/readers-homes/restoring-georgian-ancestral-home

Island Hall Hosts Its First Wedding

On the 29th of June this year, Island Hall hosted it’s first wedding. We were delighted to welcome the new Mr & Mrs Lee Peters along with 120 guests, for their glamorous and colourful wedding reception at our historic venue.

Lee and Nancy were married at local St Mary’s Church Godmanchester before making the short walk to Island Hall.

Champagne and canapés were served on the lawn in the glorious sunshine and a beautiful English summer’s day was enjoyed by all.

The wedding breakfast took place in an elegant and pristine marquee on the island where the guests were treated to a delicious menu, after-which there was dancing until late. A fantastic time was had by all!