the essential country wedding Soulton Hall
Tariffs and Details for 2013
Soulton Hall, Wem, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY4 5RS web: www.soultonhall.co.uk email: enquiries@soultonhall.co.uk tel:01939 232 786
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Firstly⁄ Congratulations! Secondly.. A little about weddings here, and the aims of this short document⁄
For this reason, we tend to start with a blank sheet of paper, and work up the plans with you. And we abhor the concept of ÂpackagesÊ. A brief sketch of Soulton Hall
That said, you need to have a good handle on your budgets, and know with reasonable clarity what things cost: this is an important part of general business ethics. So⁄ with the information in here, you should be able to sit down and arrive at a reasonably good idea of where you are going.
We are at the heart of our own farm, have a wellregarded restaurant; an impressive conversion of its original Tudor Moot Hall/Banqueting House, for celebrations; rooms Âfit for a princessÊ (The Times); and further accommodation in cottages and annexes. We have been welcoming guests and celebrations since the 1970s. You can find out a good deal about us on our website and via our social media.
We have invested hard in all the equipment you are likely to need (this includes table linen, napkins, etc as well as staffing) and do not make separate charges for this. We also include VAT up to 20 per cent. We are also one point of contact for your main requirements.
Your wedding – Your way Perhaps you are thinking you would like a small celebration of your commitment; perhaps you have always wanted to have a wedding on a grand scale; or perhaps you were both wanting to do something a bit⁄ different.
We are aware that couples in the early stages of visiting venues can find what is/is not included, and the structures confusing. This is something we are anxious to avoid here. Hopefully we do – our contacts are on the front page if you have any questions.
It is important that the celebration you have here is the celebration you want to have. And above all it is important that it is fun. We will listen to you. –
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Rooms for Ceremonies
In Soulton Court Long Room, in Soulton Court, can accommodate 130+ guests for larger ceremonies. There are 6 huge glass doors in this room, with a view over the white garden lawn and terrace.
In Soulton Hall In Soulton Hall we can welcome ceremonies for up to 50 guests. Generally, these are in the Buttery.
Additionally, within Soulton Court, we have the Tallet, with a new bespoke oak staircase, original roof trusses and oak floor.
We have also registered the Soulton Hall bar, and the Lydia Grace Room. These are comfortable with up to 40 guests.
With its Âpop holeÊ window, it makes for some interesting and unusual photograph opportunities. This room can accommodate up to 80 guests.
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Rooms for your Celebrations Soulton Hall As a genuinely ancient building (and not a Victorian pretence), Soulton Hall is limited to not more than 30 covers. On occasions, we host smaller wedding breakfasts here, and then have a big celebration for 150-200 in Soulton Court afterwards.
above the Long Room, of exactly the same size, giving us yet further options for your exclusive use.
Rooms over the course of your celebrations More often than not, wedding celebrations here are over a weekend. This allows couples, friends and family quality time with each other.
The interiors are pleasant, and even if this cannot be the location of your wedding breakfast, Soulton Hall will welcome your guests for overnight accommodation, There is also the Buttery, a private dining room for 10 or so, which can pride privacy for non-exclusive weddings.
Keep in mind the generous number of comfortable rooms in Soulton if you are thinking about quiet, low key evening, perhaps with soup and sandwiches after your immediate party have arrive, settle in and, perhaps, help you with your final finishing touches.
Soulton Court The Long Room in Soulton Court can accommodate a maximum of 80 on round tables, or 101 on straight tables. This room has a massive double fronted log burning stove, and an amazing amount of natural light from all the glazed doors. Very shortly, we hope to have a further space –
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Outside Spaces for Celebrations and Ceremonies and you should be aware that there is an additional hire charge for the chairs.
Setting We are blessed with some fantastic ancient buildings, and to still be actively running the 500 acre farm which has been so much a part of SoultonÊs History. There is a lot of space around us. This advantage plays a significant role in allowing us to be as flexible as we are. Space for dodgems, Easter egg unhunts, bouncy castle – whatever you like (subject to our approval⁄).
Marquees About 6-12 times a year, a large marquee goes up on the Soulton Court Terrace, joining via 5 massive doors on to Soulton Court in a very integrated way. This allows us to welcome groups of 130 or so. This is an additional cost, but is very considerably less expensive than a free standing marquee. These have, by the way been comfortable in quite extreme weather: even down to -6 centigrade.
Yet another option is a marquee on the white Garden lawn. This can accommodate up to 450 guests.
Outside Ceremonies: Ceremoni es: 450450-yearyear-old walled garden Our Walled garden has been licenced for ceremonies, as well. We would always suggest that we have a wet weather contingency in one of our rooms, if you are thinking about this option,
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Country House Weekend Weddings, Summer Time Over the summer (May-October inclusive) wedding celebrations here at a weekend are on an exclusive country house weekend basis, over Friday night, all of Saturday and into Sunday.
allows our team to focus exclusively on your weddings needs. In the past this has gone as far as to include snow clearance, stepping in for a florist with bridal bouquets etc.
This allows you all to get the most out of your celebrations, and the precious time together which these especial celebrations set apart in an everurgent world.
Accommodation
⁄in Soulton Hall, Cedar Lodge and Carriage House
We find this allows you the privacy and freedom to celebrate as you want, as well as the time to decorate the rooms are using and settle in properly before Âthe big dayÊ. It also avoids the uncertainty about traveling on the day itself, and allows the opportunity to kick back very informally with your closest friends family, without needing to consider photographers, and the demands of seeing all your guests.
These 8 rooms will only be available to people in your party on the Friday and Saturday. You may prefer to leave the rooms open to your guests to book direct. Where we take this approach, the rooms are charged out according to the tariff published for that time. In the event that a room is not occupied, we will make a charge of £120.00 per room per night for the unoccupied room. In practice we have never done this, as all the rooms get taken, but obviously we will take the rooms of the market for anyone other than you or your guests.
⁄in our cottages The cottages are not automatically included with a wedding booking: people staying in them are normally self-catering and they are just far enough away not to be disturbed. They are available on a weekend basis (Friday-Sunday) and are often a useful addition to accommodation. Exclusive Exclusive Use We have an exclusive use fee for weekend weddings of £2,750.
Please advise us separately if you require cottages at the time of booking. Alternately, your guests can make arrangements direct.
This ensures total privacy in your enjoyment of our historic buildings, walled gardens and setting, by closing our restaurant for the period, ensuring we have no other guests of commitments, and
Breakfast for all cottage and hall guests can be served in Soulton Hall.
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Week Time Weddings, Year Round Civil Ceremony Room Hire Monday-Thursday, year round, rooms are available in Soutlon Hall or Soulton Court, licenced for a civil ceremony. A fee of £520.00 is charged for weddings ceremonies held here on those days, which includes setting the room up for your guests, and facilitating you with interview rooms with the registrar etc. This is not available on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Evening entertainment Should you wish to have a band, or other evening entertainment for a wedding during the week, we are happy for this to happen. But would ask you to take all 8 of the rooms in Soulton Hall, Carriage House and Cedar Lodge, alternatively, we will charge £900.00 to take these rooms of the market for the general public. This is because it is important to us that everyone using Soulton Hall enjoys their experience, and ÂregularÊ guests have a right to expect quietness here. Private Reception Reception Room Following a marriage here (or elsewhere) on these days we are pleased to offer a private room for a three course bespoke wedding breakfast. If this is for fewer than 16 people, a charge of £250.00 is made, or alternatively, we may serve other guests in that room.
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Sunday Weddings, Winter During the winter months (November-April inclusive) wedding celebrations here at a weekend are can be on an exclusive use basis on a Saturday for one night.
You may prefer to leave the rooms open to your guests to book direct. Where we take this approach, the rooms are charged out according to the tariff published for that time.
Exclusive Exclusive Use We have an exclusive use fee for the Saturday wedding of £1,070.
In the event that a room is not occupied, we will make a charge of £120.00 per room per night for the unoccupied room. In practice we have never done this, as all the rooms get taken, but obviously we will take the rooms of the market for anyone other than you or your guests.
This ensures total privacy in your enjoyment of our historic buildings, walled gardens and setting, by closing our restaurant for the period, ensuring we have no other guests of commitments, and allows our team to focus exclusively on your weddings needs.
⁄in our cottages The cottages are not automatically included with a wedding booking: people staying in them are normally self-catering and they are just far enough away not to be disturbed. They are available on a weekend basis (Friday-Sunday) and are often a useful addition to accommodation.
In the past this has gone as far as to include snow clearance, stepping in for a florist with bridal bouquets etc. Accommodation
⁄in Soulton Hall, Cedar Lodge and Carriage House
Please advise us separately if you require cottages at the time of booking. Alternately, your guests can make arrangements direct.
These 8 rooms will only be available to people in your party on the Friday and Saturday.
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WhatÊ hatÊs included? included? We include a great deal with our pricing. We have invested very hard in making sure we have all the couples generally need to celebrate. For instance, we have: • 300+ banqueting chairs; • a large assortment of trestle and round tables; • several thousand glasses; • all the plates and other crockery you are likely to need; • cutlery; • napkins and table linen, together with their laundry; • heating and fuel for fires and log burners (only to be used by our team); We make no charge for the use of any of this inventory. In addition, we provide a well-stocked bar with staffing. Too much information? The reason for elaborating on this is that there is no standard way of setting out a wedding tariff. Indeed they are frequently not published upfront at all. It is important that you know we include this, and important when making comparisons to understand weather separate charges are made, as if a venue does not provide these, hire charges can mount up, it also adds to work load in your preparation. We do not include setting up of marquees, or ceremonies outside, though both happen here reasonably often, and we are happy to assist you with advise.
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Catering Tariffs 2013 2013
(per person, unless otherwise stated) The Wedding Breakfast Breakfast Bespoke set menu, three courses, waiter served
£45.00 adult £32.00 children 8-12 years £14.00 children 2-8 years £33.50 £29.00
Cold Buffet (two courses) Hot Buffet
Drinks For budgeting purposes, we have found that most celebrations are adequately provided for at a wedding breakfast with one bottle of red and one of white between 8 or so guests; obviously we can review your partyÊs requirements during the day. House wines are currently (January 2012) around £16.00 per bottle. Our wine list is available in request, in electronic form. We reserve the right to make reasonable adjustments, for instance following the March Budget. PimmÊs Reception
£5.00-£8.00 (this depends on your instructions and your partyÊs consumption)
Optional Extras Canapés (selection of three) Canapés (selection of five) Tea/coffee service Cheese
£8.65 £9.75 £3.85 £8.20
Late Late Evening Refreshments BBQ Platter of English and Welsh Cheeses
from £14.00 £71.00 per platter (serves about 20 guests)
Port Please ask for list Sandwiches (2 rounds)
£7.10
Informal Friday Night Suppers To be discussed during detailed wedding paling. Price Guarantee These prices are inclusive of VAT at up to 20 per cent. We reserve the right to pass on increases in VAT above this level, since this is being written in 2010, we reserve the right to alter 2012 catering prices in case of dramatic changes in commodity prices – to date this has never been necessary
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A couple of Frequently Asked Questions⁄ What is your disabled disabled access like? In Soulton Court, it comes up to a very high standard: indeed it is used for local authority events. In Soulton Hall, there are sadly some significant barriers, which cannot be removed. There are ground floor bed rooms available. It is not a problem, but always best to talk it through. What will it look like set up for our wedding? One of the challenges associated with being as flexible as we are, is that it can be difficult to show couples Soulton as they plan to use it. We think it is very important to try to avoid showing people around as celebrations are in progress – so you are likely to see us more as we prepare, tidy up or set up. Mostly people who want to look around are quite pragmatic about this – and understand that they would like the same courtesy. However, there are now literally hundreds of pictures on Facebook now (link at the bottom of our homepage). Often coming for dinner during the week allows us a bit more of an opportunity to show you about. 80-90% of couple will do this before booking in any event.
What are the biggest and smallest weddings you will do? We have had celebrations for 450. We have had celebrations for 2 (with two dogs). This is an adaptable place, and both were comfortable.
Can we have quite an intimate wedding and wedding breakfast, and then, say, 200 for a BBQ later? Yes. In general, if you are getting married here, the facilities are yours to use as suits you best.
What about music? In general, we leave this to you. You can have a live band, or a DJ. Some couples like live music during their ceremony. This is quite a personal part of your day, and we think the best outcomes come from allowing you to make your own arrangements. There are plenty of sockets! We take the same view about flowers.
How many people can you accommodate to sleep? We were just coming to that. Please see the next page⁄ How many weddings have you ÂdoneÊ? Not so many that we canÊt remember each one. More than enough to have what we need and our work well.
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Accommodation: a proper English Country House weekend We can accommodate 30 or so. Not everyone wants a country house weekend approach to their wedding. But many of the couples/families we are looking after do want this. There is certainly a lot to be said for getting the most out of having everyone together, and this can be difficult if you have only a few short hours with your guests. There is also quite a bit to be said for having bridesmaids or family of friends involved in decorating rooms the day before, and sleeping contentedly at your venue the night before knowing everything is set. We have a number of choices for accommodation, including stand-alone cottages, which are often a good fit for families or friendship groups, as well as being more economic for your guests. Rooms in and around Soulton Hall These are ÂcharacterÊ rooms in the Elizabethan Manor House. Very individual, there are four in total.
ShooterÊs Lodge A modern, single story house, with three bedrooms (each either twin or double) en suite. Very close to the hall. Again this cottage has a kitchen and sitting room, as well as a dining area.
PloughmanÊs and HerdsmanÊs A pair of Victorian semi-detached houses, sleeping 5 people each. Both cottages have two double rooms and a single room. And again this cottage has a kitchen and sitting room, as well as a dining area.
Also on the Soulton Hall site (so an easy walk for your celebrations), there are two double rooms in the Carriage House (one with a sitting room). There is a large four poster room in the Cedar Lodge. In addition, there is family accommodation in the Cedar Lodge (two double rooms, a sitting room with sofa bed, sharing a bath room). KeeperÊs Cottage A lovely stone cottage in our private woodland. Sleeps 6 in total (two double, one twin). Has kitchen, sitting room and small dining area.
More Detail More detail can be found via our website. For an overview, or detailed sheet for room allocation purposes, please refer to the ÂAt a glance pageÊ. –
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Church & Religious Celebrations
Anglican: St LukeÊs Weston Although we are strictly in the parish of Wem, Soulton Hall has a long and continuing association with St LukeÊs Weston-under-Redcastle. It is a classic country church.
Other faiths and traditions We are delighted to facilitate, as far as we can, all aspects of your celebrations which are important to you. This includes religious and cultural observances, so far as our wedding licences and the requirements of a registrar allows; we have, for instance held a Nilah ceremony here.
The church has welcomed non-parishioners. The vicarÊs telephone number is 01630 68 54 91 – it is always best to attend as service as a way of making contact. Travel to/from Weston has been been known to happen by horse and carriage. If you are local, and want a Church of England service, you will of course want to make contact with your own vicar.
Rom Roman Catholic: Shrewsbury Cathedral Most Roman Catholic weddings we have been involved with have used the Catherdal in Shrewsbury. You can find their website here.
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A few things make Soulton quite a distinctive place, and differentiate our work in important ways. Many couples getting married here are interested in these aspects of our work:
Provenance
Care of our Heritage
As farmers, and with a well-regarded restaurant, we know that the quality of the ingredients we use has a big impact on the quality of a meal. You are most welcome to book a table here to try our food before booking a wedding.
Soulton has a history stretching back, though the hands of a Tudor Lord Mayor of London, and a Saxon adversary of King Knut to the Bronze Age, and we are privileged to care for a number of lovely old buildings, as well as important archaeology.
We start from scratch for all meals, using quality ingredients, and grow a respectable amount of food in the gardens and farm. A saddening number of venues cater in a very different way. Your wedding breakfast should be of excellent quality.
Our buildings receive the best care we can give them. For instance, Soulton Court has a new oak staircase, built for us by the same craftsmen who worked at Balmoral.
Environmental Sustainability
Farming and Countryside Stewardship
For a number of years, we have been investing hard in greening our activities. We now produce 120% of our 2011 annual electricity requirement from our on PV array. At the time of writing, we are preparing to transfer to ground source heating, which would virtually eliminate our need for non-renewable energy.
Soulton Hall is at the heart of a 500 acre farm. We farm this land, in addition to welcoming guests to Soulton Hall. We are proud of our farming heritage, and are conscious always that we should farm in a responsible way, which is respectful of our wildlife. A particular highlight is our 50 acre bluebell woods, and the 1.5miles of brook and river we look after: home to an impressively divers range of wildlife.
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Hopefully the last page gave you some idea of how and why we go about our work here. We work hard to re-invest in Soulton, and social media has allowed us the opportunity to share this progress, and our future plans, with our guests and friends over time. If you want to know more you and have a look at these resources. You can access them all from our homepage (www.soultonhall.co.uk)
Blog
This is a surprisingly useful resource: many photographers, venue decorators, musicians etc share examples of their work at Soulton Hall. It updates in real time, so you can see extra facilities as they are created.
This gives insight into major projects and an enhanced level of detail from other social media, as well as occasional posts about such details as our connection to King Cnut, our greening plans, or our Bronze Age archaeology.
You can access this here.
You can access this here.
Flickr Twitter
Flickr us share images of our farm and its work, the changes in aspect of the house and cottages as we move through the seasons, etc. We also provide some insights into the Âbehind the scenesÊ aspects of our work, and preparations for special occasions.
Shorter insights; you can access this here.
You access this here.
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Going ahead and making a booking We are thrilled you have decided to go ahead and celebrate with us. Having decided you would like to go ahead and celebrate here, we suggest you first telephone to confirm dates. At this point speaking to Shropshire Registration Service (via switch board on 0345 678 9000) is a good idea if you are getting married here. If you are having a church service, you will have no doubt spoken with you vicar, of if you are using our own church (with long associations with our home and family) at Westonunder-Redcastle, Rev Beech can be reached on 01630 685 491. Details of Bride, or First Party to Partnership
Details of Groom, or Second Party to Partnership
Name: _________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
Email (often the best way of moving your plans on):
Email (often the best way of moving your plans on):
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Address:
Address:
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Mobile:
Mobile:
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Landline:
Landline:
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_______________________________________________ (Please provide details of a parents/other significant people in your lives if you feel we should have them or they are going to be contributing to your plans)
(Please provide details of a parents/other significant people in your lives if you feel we should have them or they are going to be contributing to your plans)
Rough outline of your plans Date(s) of celebrations:
Please give a brief indication of the food you are thinking of arranging with us:
________________________________________ Do you require a civil ceremony here? Do you know for how many and in which room? ________________________________________
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How many people will attend the wedding breakfast?
We understand that we will need to see that all the rooms on the Soulton Hall site are taken if we are having a disco/live music at night.
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How many people will attend the evening celebrations?
We understand that you have some terms and conditions published along with this form, just so we all know where we are:
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Please see that cheque is enclosed, or you have made a bank transfer for the deposit indicated on the relevant page of these details.
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Terms & Conditions All weddings booked at Soulton Hall shall be subject to the following VII. Cancellation by Soulton Hall Soulton Hall may cancel bookings under the following circumstances: terms: if Soulton Hall or any part of it has to close due to circumstances outside of its control e.g. fire, flood, etc; I. Confirmation and Payment Schedule (a) if the client becomes insolvent or enters into liquidation To secure a booking we require written confirmation from the or receivership; client of the booking, a copy of our terms signed and accepted by (b) if the Client is in arrears with payments due to Soulton the client, and a non-refundable payment in instalments as follows Hall for ten days or more; (refer to booking form in this document for more detail): (c) Death, serious injury or illness of the Proprietor or an (a) for Exclusive Use of Soulton Hall: immediate member of the Proprietor's family. a. on booking 50% of exclusive use charge; b. six months before Wedding Day 25 per cent In such circumstances the Soulton Hall may at its desecration refund any advance payment but will have no further liability to the Client. of the exclusive use charge; VIII. Insurance and Damage c. three months before the Wedding Day the We strongly recommend that all clients arrange wedding insurance 25% balance of the exclusive use charge is cover. For Exclusive Use weddings we require a copy of the policy. due. (b) for non-Exclusive/Daytime Use of Soulton Hall £330.00 The Client will be liable for any loss or damage sustained to Soulton Hall, cartilage and furnishings by themselves or their guests or is due on booking. Any extra costs incurred on the wedding day are to be settled in full children agents vehicles or dogs associated with their party. The client shall pay to the before departure. Proprietor on demand the sum required to make good or remedy II. Catering and Guest Numbers such damage including compensation for any loss of business while The final number of guests attending together menus should be the damage is repaired. In the event that these rights are triggered, provided fourteen days before the wedding date. they are capable of transferring by subrogation to our insurers at III. Corkage the relevant time. There is no corkage service at Soulton Hall. IX. General IV. Marquees G eneral (a) Soulton Hall will take reasonable steps to fulfil the When a marquee is erected in the grounds of Soulton Hall it will be reservation to the best of its ability and in accordance by private arrangement between the marquee provider and the with the details provided, however, it reserves the right client. The marquee should be erected no more than three days to provide alternative services of at least equivalent before the date of use and should be removed not more than three standard at no extra cost. days after the date of the wedding. (b) Ceremonies only are not available here: we expect to V. Use of Soulton Soulton Hall by Clients and their Guests cater for celebrations here, as this is a full service venue. The Client and guests attending the wedding shall: (c) Whist the Proprietor has taken all reasonable steps to (a) comply with all licensing, health and safety, fire ensure that the information contained in its brochure, prevention and other general legal regulations relating to leaflets and other advertising is accurate, the rights to Soulton Hall – Our health and safety policy, fire risk alter, substitute or withdraw any service, facility or management policies contractor compliance amenity without notice if necessary are reserved. requirements etc are mostly published at (d) Neither Soulton Hall nor its Proprietor is responsible for www.soultonhall.co.uk/soulton/policies.html ; in any way for arrangements made by the Client with the (b) comply with all specific rules relating to the use of Registrar, bands, florists, or other providers of services at Soulton Hall; the wedding. Such providers of services will be regarded (c) consume no food or drink at Soulton Hall that has not as agents of the client and must report to a member of been supplied by Soulton Hall without the prior Soulton Hall staff on arrival. Agents may not damage or permission of the Proprietor; mark Soulton Hall its fixtures or fittings and may not take (d) not act in an improper or disorderly manner, leave any part of any plant growing in the gardens or estate of promptly at the appropriate time and comply with Soulton Hall. It is the responsibility of the Agent and the reasonable requests made by the Proprietor or Client to see that they are properly equipped to perform employees of Soulton Hall; their task and the Client shall indemnify Soulton Hall if it (e) children and others with special requirements are is required to assist an Agent beyond what is reasonable. welcome at weddings, but parents and carers should be (e) In the event of a client organising a marquee on the aware that there are potential hazards in Soulton Hall White Garden lawn it should have a connecting cover to and in its grounds; we will not accept any liability for Soulton Court in order to comply with health and safety personal injury excepting those criteria established in law. regulations. Soulton Halls must communicate its assent VI. Cancellation by the Client to this in writing. In all circumstances, notification of cancellation must be made in (f) Any band (no more than six pieces) or disco must be writing (letter or email) and shall be effective from the date it is situated in the Long Room, Soulton Court or the received by Soulton Hall. The following cancellation terms apply: Buttery, Soulton Hall to comply with noise regulations. (a) Cancellation over three months in advance: all payments There will be no music after 12:00midnight and music then due by operation of paragraph I above will be shall at all times be of a reasonable volume. forfeited; (b) Cancellation between the three months and the wedding X. The Contract All rights and duties for Soulton Hall created in a contract will date: the total cost (not including estimated catering costs) but including any transfer to Soulton Hall LLP when constituted. Contracts are made cancellation charge. made by a subcontractor to Soulton Hall for the under the law of England and Wales, and both parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Client's wedding will be uncured. If another ooking is obtained from a third party on no less favourable terms. –
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