Guest post: How Maunsel House wedding venue in Somerset has dealt with the pandemic

Credit: EJPhotography

We hand it over to the beautiful and exclusive Maunsel House wedding venue near Taunton, to find out how it has adapted during the coronavirus crisis...

The Government guidelines of just 15 guests being able to attend a wedding have crushed thousands of couples' dreams of a big wedding. The wedding industry has faced increased hardship by this decision and venues like ours, who are used to hosting large weddings with more than 150 guests each weekend, have been left empty and lonely with these pandemic rules.

Maunsel House has not been given the title of the "Party House of Somerset" lightly. It has earned it! These last few months have meant a house normally full of laughter and music has been silenced by the ongoing pandemic. We were dubious as to how the venue would feel with a small amount of guests, but after hosting a few micro-weddings in the latter half of 2020, we are pleased to say that we were completely wrong. Yes, guests may be sat in bubbles and leaving the table requires a mask – something Maunsel's 700-year existence has never been seen before – but the familiar sound of laughter and joy has started to come back into the house through these beautiful, intimate weddings.

One of our wonderful couples, Josh and Thaissia, changed their original wedding plans to meet the 30-guest guidelines and then had to rearrange to just 15 guests in a short space of time. But what a perfect day it was, and we are so pleased that they had the most wonderful day and look forward to welcoming them back to Maunsel in 2022 for their full-scale wedding celebrations.

"The team at Maunsel has been absolutely brilliant from the outset from our original pre-COVID plans all the way through to our (twice) replanned mini-wedding for 15 people. We genuinely had the most amazing day and couldn't have asked for anything better. Everything ran so smoothly; the team were wonderful both on the day and the night before. The food was absolutely gorgeous and it felt incredibly special just having our chosen few there. Despite everything going on lately it did not take away from the charm of the house and we are really glad we went through with our mini-mony. We're very much looking forward to coming back in 2022 for our bigger reception."

Fifteen guests can be the perfect number for an intimate wedding. With your nearest and dearest only, you share the most special day of your life with those most important to you. Our ballroom or dining room are perfect locations for a wedding breakfast where you can chat with each person at your wedding, without the pressure of having 100 other guests to please. Maunsel is a beautiful location in the winter months as the house provides a warm contrast to the winter chill with roaring fires which along with the love filled by those closest to you provide the ultimate setting for your intimate winter wedding.

Find out more at www.maunselhouse.co.uk