Hazel Gap Barn
Earlier this week I visited another dog friendly wedding venue, this time Hazel Gap Barn in Nottinghamshire. Located near Budby on the Welbeck Estate, Hazel Gap Barn has become a popular wedding venue that will no doubt appeal to many couples. I’d like to thank Georgia for agreeing to show me around the venue and giving me lots of useful information about Hazel Gap Barn.
Venue Information
Hazel Gap Barn has been a wedding venue since 2017 and is just one venue in the popular Cripps & Co group. It’s a sole use wedding venue with a very good reputation and highly rated on Google and many wedding websites. The venue is situated around a central courtyard. As you turn off the main road onto the driveway you can see the courtyard in front of you. First impressions are very good, the grounds, courtyard and fountain show that some thought has gone into this wedding venue. On each side of the central courtyard is a large red brick barn. Each barn in connected by a more modern building that is the main entrance and where the main bar is located.
You will see a fountain in the middle of the courtyard which will no doube be popular for wedding photographs. The car park is located to the right of the venue with plenty of space for all your guests. The grounds all around the venue are very well cared for and provide even more opportunities for outdoor photographs. On an actual wedding day the venue has outside fire pits where marshmallows can be toasted. These fire pits also tend to be popular with photographers to get some more relaxed images later in the day.
One of the large barns is used for the wedding ceremonies though couples can get married in a local church and just have their reception at Hazel Gap Barn if they wish. The barn is larger than many dog friendly wedding venues and can accommodate up to 150 guests. This barn is also where the evening celebrations will take place and with the chairs removed the venue can accommodate up to 250 guests. The barn does have a couple of large windows but the interior is darker than many venues. The twinkling fairy lights add atmosphere but your wedding photographer may decide to use some additional lighting for portraits taken during the ceremony. Modern cameras have no problems with low light levels but the difference in light levels in different parts of the barn are quite noticeable.
The wedding breakfast takes place in another room, again with a capacity of 150 guests if round tables are used throughout. If couples want the top table to be a long straight table the capacity is reduced to about 110 guests. This dining room leads out to the grounds at the back of Hazel Gap Barn. The image below shows this dining area but it would of course look different on an actual wedding day. This room has far more natural light than the ceremony barn on account of having windows that run the full length of this room.
Hazel Gap Barn has a late licence until 1am but once the party is over it should be noted that there is no overnight accommodation on-site. The venue can recommend a range of local accommodation though, including some that is on the Welbeck Estate. The next section will discuss accommodation in more detail.
Accommodation near Hazel Gap Barn
Whilst there is no accommodation at Hazel Gap Barn itself there are lots of other local options to choose from and some of these options are dog friendly!
- The Welbeck Estate. The estate has a wide range of accommodation from small two bedrooms cottages right up to Cuckney House which can sleep up to 40 people. Many of the options on the Welbeck Estate are dog friendly and we can look after your dog at your accommodation late into the night. Alternatively you may decide you want us to look after your dog at your own family home overnight which is our Platinum package.
- Local hotels. Some hotels mentioned on Hazel Gap Barn’s website include Forest Lodge Hotel, Ye Olde Bell Hotel & Spa and Worksop Hotel.
- Houses & Cottages. A large number are mentioned on their website including Bridleways Holiday Homes, The Sherwood Hideaway, The Willows B&B and a number of properties that are featured on Airbnb.
With so many choices locally you are advised to do your own research to find the right option for yourself and any guests who may require overnight accommodation.
Hazel Gap Barn Reviews & Summary
The number of reviews for Hazel Gap Barn is impressive considering that they have only been open since 2017 (and weddings did not occur during Covid). This is in part due to how popular the venue is but also the fact that they have no on-site accommodation means they can perform more weddings in a typical week than some other venues.
When looking at reviews for Hazel Gap Barn I notice similar comments cropping up again and again. People seem very impressed with the venue itself as a setting for a wedding but the staff also get lots of praise. The food seems to be a particular plus point that’s mentioned regularly which is a good thing since couples are not allowed to use outside caterers when booking a wedding at Hazel Gap Barn. Many couples prefer the in house catering option as it’s less suppliers to deal with and makes planning your wedding slightly easier. I think you can be confident that your guests will enjoy the catering that’s laid on at Hazel Gap Barn!
Anyone looking to get married in this part of the country who is looking for a dog friendly wedding venue is likely to have Hazel Gap Barn on their shortlist. I found the staff very welcoming to people wanting to schedule a visit to look around and they also have open days from time to time. For more information you might want to visit their website, link below.
