Elm Occasions is a limited company that manages Kenton Hall Estate. Elm Occasions Ltd makes available for hire its facilities as detailed below. These terms and conditions aim to protect all parties setting out a clear understanding of contractual obligations of both the client and venue when confirming a booking.

Definitions: The ‘company’ and ‘we’ means Elm Occasions Ltd. The ‘venue’ refers to Kenton Hall Estate. The ‘client’ and ‘you’ mean the party who hires the venue for an event.

1. Venue Hire

1.1. The venue is not licensed for civil ceremonies.

1.2. The venue is the moat surrounded garden setting. The hire of the venue includes this area only. The hire includes exclusive use of the site along with WC facilities and electric.

1.3. The venue may require the client to sign an inventory.

1.4. Non-legal blessing ceremonies can be held at the venue for an additional cost.

1.4.1. The Woodland Blessing area is hired as seen and includes wooden benches and wood chipped aisle.

1.4.2 As a result of ongoing woodland management there may be some changes to the natural woodland blessing area.

1.4.3. Electricity is available within the woodland. The hire of the woodland blessing area does not include a PA/sound system. The client will need to hire in a PA/sound system if required and all equipment will need to be PAT tested.

1.4.4 We accept no liability for your woodland blessing being unable to go ahead due to adverse weather conditions on the day. 

1.5. The client may wish to arrange its own insurances in respect of the costs of cancellation and its liabilities under the terms & conditions or otherwise arising from venue hire.

1.6. Location and layout of the marquee or temporary structure must be agreed in advance.

1.7. Detailed plans for marquees and other temporary structures layout must be approved by the company.

1.8. All temporary structures and non-fixed items must be removed from grass after each event. No items may be left on site.

2. Hire Period

2.1. Access to the venue is permitted from 9.00am to 6.00pm on the day before your wedding. 

2.2. Additional set-up timings during the week prior to your wedding must be pre-arranged.

2.3. Access to the venue is via the driveways on Kenton Hall Estate. Access to the site is via a footbridge across the moat. Resulting in poor weather conditions access may be re-directed.

2.4. All decorations and fixing methods must be agreed in advance, if damage occurs through unauthorised fixings a cost will be implemented.

2.4.1 Decorations brought in and assembled by you must removed by the agreed time with the company.

2.5. Please note that only eco-friendly confetti may be used. The following are not permitted: fireworks, sky lanterns, metal or paper confetti, confetti canon or rice.

2.6. The company is unable to receive/store deliveries until the day of your wedding, unless agreed in advance. 

2.7. Final hire timings must be agreed 4 weeks in advance. The finish time of all weddings must not exceed 11.30pm. The site must be completely vacated by 12.00am.

2.8. The client is responsible for the arrival and departure of all guests in an orderly fashion.

2.9. The client or an appointed person must remain at the venue until the last non-resident guest has departed.

2.10. If the venue is not vacated by 12.00am, the company reserves the right to charge the client for any expenses incurred as a result of the delay in vacation.

2.11. Should guests act in an improper or disorderly way, the company reserves the right to remove disorderly persons or in extreme circumstance terminate your wedding. Should this occur, no monies will be refunded; the manager’s decision is final.

2.12. The client shall ensure that all its property and the property of its guests are removed by an arranged time at the discretion of the company.

2.13. All cars are left at the owner’s risk.

2.14. Cars are permitted to stay on the property overnight, by prior arrangement.

3. Bookings

3.1. All initial and subsequent telephone and viewing reservations must be confirmed in writing by you, this must include a firm date and provisional guest numbers. A booking form will be sent to you and needs to be signed and returned with the deposit. A formal meeting will then be required within four weeks of receiving your deposit to finalise requirements.

3.2. The contract is formed by the booking form and these terms and conditions.

3.3. All bookings are considered provisional until both the contract and the deposit has been received. Once the contract is signed, and minimum numbers agreed, this will then constitute a legally binding contract.

3.4. The contract will detail the maximum numbers agreed at the time of booking. Final numbers must be given four weeks prior to the wedding.

3.5. A deposit of £950 is required to confirm the booking; it is non-refundable and non-transferable.

3.6. Any variation in booking, guest numbers and/or arrangements must be confirmed in writing.

3.7. The venue shall not be used for any purposes other than what is stated on the booking form.

3.8. Full pre-payment is required for all weddings.

3.9. 50% of the outstanding balance is due 6 months prior to your wedding.

3.10. Final payment is due 6 weeks prior to your wedding.

3.11. In addition to the final payment a £500 security deposit will need to be paid, this deposit will be kept and drawn if damage occurs. If damage is found, we will notify the client the amount for damages. 

3.12. VAT is non-applicable.

4. Cancellation

4.1. If you must cancel your booking for any reason, we reserve the right to make a cancellation charge.

4.2. The company will endeavour to re-sell the venue, if successful; we may waive a proportion of the cancellation charge. 

4.3. Cancellation charges:

4.3.1. Your deposit is non-refundable.

4.3.2. 6 months prior – 50% balance

4.3.3. 2 months prior – 100% balance

4.4. The company reserves the right to cancel an event under the following circumstances:

4.5. Kenton Hall Estate, or any part of it including the farm, is closed due to circumstances beyond the companies’ control. In this event a refund of any advance deposit will be paid but the company would have no other liability.

4.6. If the client is more than 30 days in arrears with any payment.

4.7. If the company becomes aware of any alteration in the client’s financial situation.

4.8. We have the following cancellation policies in place in response to the covid-19 pandemic:

4.8.1. If your date is affected by lockdown and government restrictions that legally prevent your wedding from going ahead then your contract becomes frustrated. In this scenario, we would cancel the event and offer a full refund of payments made to date. 

4.8.2. If you wish to cancel your wedding at any stage prior to your date, when guidance has been issued that your wedding date will be able to go ahead, even with restricted numbers then our cancellation policy applies.

4.9. Transfer of a booked date by the client. If the client wishes to change the date of their event (as specified in the booking form) to a new date, then clauses 4.13 – 26 (inclusive) shall apply.

4.9.1. All requests for the transfer of the event date must be notified in writing and are subject to availability.

4.9.2. A request by the client to transfer the event date may only be revoked with the written consent of the venue. 

4.9.3. The client acknowledges that the amounts (including, but not limited to, any venue hire fees), may change as a result of the transfer of and to the new event date.

4.9.4. The venue’s then prevailing terms and conditions apply to all bookings. The new event date will be booked under the venues’ then prevailing terms and conditions and will supersede any previous terms and conditions of Kenton Hall Estate.

4.9.5. The following fees and charges are payable by the client in respect of any transfer of the event date:

4.9.6. in any case, an administration fee of £50, which is due and payable by the client at the date the venue sends to the client a new booking form in respect of the new event date pursuant to clause 4.13 above.

5. Suppliers

5.1. The company reserves the right to approve any externally arranged services. The client is responsible for informing the company of all the suppliers in advance.

5.2. You are responsible for all your suppliers prior to and on the day.

5.3. All electrical and audio-visual equipment must comply with the IEE Regulations and Safety Standards current at the time of the event. Utility connection and consumption charges will be payable by client where appropriate. 

5.4. The company cannot be responsible for any contracts between the suppliers and the client.

5.5. The company cannot take responsibility for and payments from the client to their suppliers on the day.

5.7. The company may impose an additional charge for the removal of any items left on-site, by the client or one of their suppliers.

5.8. The client should agree a photography arrangement with the venue in advance of your wedding. If you would prefer the venue to not use any of your photographers’ images in the venue marketing, please notify the company in writing.

5.8.1 The venue staff reserve the right to use any photographs taken at your wedding for venue marketing.

5.8.2 The company reserves the right to approach your photographer directly and agree the use of images for marketing the venue.

6. Catering & Bar

6.1. The client shall use one of recommended catering companies unless otherwise agreed on booking.

6.2. The client will deal directly with the caterers to choose relevant packages and services.

6.3. The client must agree in advance any additional supplier requirements such as meals, drinks, seating areas etc.

6.4. The client must make their own drinks and bar arrangements.

6.5. Barbeques, fryers & similar equipment are not permitted on the lawn at any time. They must be stored and used in the designated area as detailed by us.

6.6. There must be appropriate flooring in all structures using barbeques and frying equipment to provide necessary solid protection to against spillage e.g. fats or fuels.

6.7. No ice or any type of beverages, are to be poured on any grassed areas/beds or borders in the Garden.

6.8. Additional facility e.g. fridges, tents, other storage must have a floor to protect the pathways and their size and position must be agreed upon in advance.

6.9. All items must be cleared after the event and all rubbish removed from site.

7. Glamping Accommodation

7.1. The Glamping site rental will be agreed on booking.

7.2. The Glamping site holds a maximum of 20 guests.

7.3. No camping or caravanning is permitted.

7.4. Additional Glamping hired in must be organised directly with the supplier.

7.5. The check-in time needs to be agreed with the company in advance.

7.6. The site needs to be vacated by 12 noon on the day after the wedding unless alternative timings have been agreed in writing.

7.7. The site should be left clean and tidy.

7.8. Any unreturned keys will incur a replacement charge. 

7.9. You are expected to wash, dry and return dishes, cutlery etc to their original storage place and put waste into the appropriate bins.

7.10. The company cannot accept responsibility for damage to, or the loss or theft of personal property. 

7.11. Lost property will be returned by post at your expense by request only.

8. Health and Safety

8.1. The maximum capacity for the venue is 200; this number cannot be extended under any circumstances. 

8.2. The client must not bring into the venue any hazardous or dangerous items that may harm any persons.

8.3. Any accident or injury must be reported.

8.4. All electrical equipment brought into the venue must comply with regulations and must be PAT tested. The company disclaims all responsibility for all claims and costs arising out of any such equipment that does comply. 

8.5. There is to be no use of ladders.

8.6. There is strictly no smoking within any tent structures.

8.7. The fire assembly point is in the car park.

8.8. Highly flammable substances shall not be brought into, or used, in any part of the venue.

8.9. No internal decorations of a combustible nature shall be used without consent.

8.10. No unauthorised heating appliances shall be used.

8.11. Litter shall not be dropped; it must be disposed of in the waste bins, this includes cigarette ends.

8.12. Except in the case of trained dogs for the blind, animals shall only be permitted in the venue unless by prior arrangement.

9. Child Safety Policy

9.1. The company has a childcare policy in place for the protection of all children at the venue.

9.2. The company policy advises that if there are more than eight children of walking age (over 18 months) in attendance, a professional crèche must be employed.

9.3. The company including any member of its events team will not be responsible for the care of or supervision of children.

9.4. All children under 12 years of age must be always supervised by an adult.

9.5. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure all parents/guardians with children in attendance have read and understood the companies Health and Safety Policy.

9.6. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians and therefore the clients to always ensure the good behaviour of children.

9.7. It is a requirement of the company for clients to provide the names and ages of all children attending their wedding in advance. These details are to be submitted to the company at least one month prior to your wedding.

9.8. Any catering requirements for children will need to be organised independently with the caterer, the company does not take any responsibility for any allergy or dietary requirements of children in attendance.

9.9. The company reserves the right to ask any children who are not keeping good order or under the influence of alcohol, in the opinion of the Event Manager to leave the venue at any time during the event.

10. Liabilities

10.1. The client shall not sub-hire or use the venue or allow the venue to be used for any unlawful purpose or in any unlawful way.

10.2. The company shall provide electricity, water, drainage and sewerage at the venue. The company shall not be responsible for any disruption to such services or the consequences thereof unless disruption is due to the companies’ negligence. We do not accept any responsibility for eletrical equipment provided by you or your suppliers. If it is unsafe and causes any damage to the electric supply then the client will liable.

10.3. The client shall be liable for and shall indemnify the company from and against.

10.4. All expenses, losses, claims or proceedings arising under any statute or at common law as a result of personal injury to or the death of any person arising out of or during or caused by the occupation of the venue by the client save to the extent that the same is due to the negligence of the company its employees.

10.5. In respect of any injury or damage whatsoever to any property in so far as such injury or damage arises out of the occupation by the client of the venue, to the extent that the same is due to any act, omission or neglect of the client or its guests.

10.6. Any loss or damage to the venues or companies’ property and/or fittings (including any items hired by the company for your use).

10.7. Injury to anyone including the company’s staff arising because of your event.

10.8. Personal and guest possessions including presents and gifts received during an event are left at entirely at the client’s own risk.

10.9. The company shall be responsible and liable for:

10.9.1. The effective supervision of the venue.

10.9.2. Injury or loss and damage only where and to the extent we have been negligent. Otherwise, there shall be no liability whatsoever. We regret that we cannot be responsible for the security of your property, though we will do our utmost to look after it.

10.9.3. The orderly and safe admission and departure of persons to and from the venue within the Estate.

10.9.4. The orderly and safe vacation of the venue in case of emergency.

10.9.5. The preservation of good order and decency in the venue.

11. Complaints

11.1. The client should notify the company in writing of any complaint in as soon as is reasonably practicable, giving full particulars of that complaint.

11.2. The company shall on receipt of a written complaint, use its reasonable endeavours to investigate thoroughly and report back to the client, or procure such an investigation. The client shall notify the venue in writing again, as soon, as is reasonably practicable, if it is dissatisfied with any investigation, report or remedy from the company.

All conditions are subject to the law of England and Wales. This list is not exhaustive and may change without notice.

Kenton Hall Estate Terms & Conditions 2021-2024. Version 6: Updated February 2023