Shortmead House
I recently had the good fortune to look after Bonnie the Cocker Spaniel at a new (to me) dog friendly wedding venue, namely Shortmead House in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The wedding of Rebecca and Joseph took place in early May in what turned out to be a lovely sunny day.
Shortmead House History
There has been a Shortmead House going back to the 16th century but the current Georgian House that stands today dates from the 1790’s. In the 19th and 20th centuries the house was auctioned and each time some of the land was sold. Currently the site covers 24 acres. Shortmead House and the grounds were in need of work and the current owners began to restore it to what you see today. It has a bridleway through the estate that’s open to the public and they have open days and a membership scheme allowing the public to become members of Shortmead to support the future development of the estate.
Shortmead House Weddings
Couples looking to get married at Shortmead House have a few location options for their ceremony and reception. In summer months many decide to have an outdoor ceremony. The reception can also take place outdoors in a large marquee as indeed happened for the wedding I attended. The capacity for an outdoor wedding is typically a maximum of 120 guests, for both the ceremony and formal reception / wedding breakfast. For a less formal outdoor reception the capacity can increase to 190 guests. The image below shows the outdoor ceremony taking place but the main image at the top of this article illustrates the outdoor space in more detail since you can also see the marquee, The Thatch and the swimming pool.
For indoor weddings the capacity is generally smaller. The Regency Room is for a ceremony of up to 26 guests or couples can use The Stables which are for up to 85 guests. When it comes to the reception / wedding breakfast the capacity of The Stables drops to 50 for a formal reception and up to 70 guests for an informal reception.
I want to mention The Thatch and the swimming pool in particular as these two areas are the things that are pretty unique to Shortmead House. The Thatch on a warm summer day feels very much like an overseas Cabana. It’s a great space that makes guests feel relaxed and will give any wedding images taken an almost ‘destination wedding’ feel. The fact it’s located so close to the swimming pool only enhances this feeling.
Finally the swimming pool, how often have you attended a UK wedding where you can take a dip in a swimming pool? No other UK wedding venue springs to my mind. I can imagine some couples trying to decide between venues decide on Shortmead House for this feature and the relaxed ‘vibe’ it seems to give to weddings.
It should be noted that Shortmead House does not have any overnight accommodation. They can of course recommend a range of accommodation providers close to Biggleswade to suit all budgets. For couples marrying at Shortmead House who book my dog chaperone service, they typically book my Gold or Platinum packages where they require that I look after their dog until 11pm or until the following morning (typically at the family home but sometimes also a local dog friendly hotel).
If you would like to know more about Shortmead House I would suggest you visit their website, link below.
