Notley Abbey

From the bottom of our hearts, we would both like to say thank you for everything you have done for us in the run up to our wedding and on the actual wedding day itself. You have given us the perfect day for the rest of our lives and we are so grateful. The professionalism of all the staff, the dedication to the little details and the quality of service made our day incredibly special, and it ran like clock work which for a worrier like me was very reassuring. We will always remember our incredible wedding at Notley Abbey and so will all our guests, so thank you once again.

We had such a wonderful day on Saturday - the best day of our lives!! Thank you so much to you and all of the staff for making it happen for us!

Just to say that we really really enjoyed our big day at Notley Abbey so thank you very very much to Jess and the rest of the team for making it happen. We will cherish the memories for the rest of our lives.

We had the most perfect day on Saturday - every single thing was better than we could have possibly imagined. The staff were unbelievably helpful and professional, the food was delicious and there wasn’t a single guest who didn’t comment on how wonderful the setting was. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for making our wedding experience so special. We and our families had the best couple of days which is testament to you. Ann, Jess, Annette and everyone worked so hard to make it seamless and unforgettable. We received so many compliments on the services and how each and every staff member was so kind and helpful. We will remember it forever!

Saturday surpassed all our expectations and was literally the best day ever. Kieran and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we couldn’t have asked or wanted anything more. The staff on the day were so attentive, professional and friendly and were always walking around with a smile on their faces. Our guests commented on how wonderful the staff were and you guys really did smash it.

We just wanted to pass on our thanks and appreciation for a fantastic day on Saturday. The team on the day were brilliant from Caitlin, Jess and Antonio to the waiting/bar staff. The venue looked incredible and the food was delicious. Our guests frequently commented on how great the day was and we really appreciate everyone's efforts in making it such a brilliant day.

Notley Abbey takes no introduction as an incredibly breath-taking venue. The driveway is literally to die for and the historic property with modern touches is every bride’s dream. What the pictures don’t tell you however is how incredible the staff are at Notley and how they are the true selling point to this venue. From the first time we viewed the venue right up to our big day the staff at Notley were absolutely flawless and they held our hands throughout the whole process making sure that we were stress free at all times. Everyone told me before the wedding not to be disappointed is something goes wrong as nobody will notice on the day. I can honestly say that not a single detail was out of place and that was totally down to the staff at Notley. The waiters and waitresses were the most professional young people I have ever come across and this was commented on by all of our guests. We would absolutely recommend Notley Abbey to anyone that was considering this venue. The venue, the staff, the food absolutely every detail exceeded all of our expectations.

Notley simply helped us achieve the most perfect vision of our day. Everything went so smoothly, everyone was happy and we didn’t have to think about anything.

We held our wedding at Notley Abbey - one of the Bijou wedding venues. The venue is beautiful and all aspects of the planning of the wedding and the day itself were managed extremely well - except for one aspect. Prior to the day we had chosen our day time meal as a result of the tasting day that was held, which was extremely good, as was the meal itself. However, no tasting or even photographs were available to help us chose our evening buffet, despite us asking to see at least some pictures. On the day we were disappointed by the poor quality of the evening buffet and we received some rather upsetting negative feedback from guests. Essentially we had ordered Focaccia with different toppings together with roasted vegetables. Our hearts sank when we saw the very thick blocks of bread topped with a very thin layer of topping. The vegetables appeared to primarily consist of rather mushy red peppers in small bowls. As we were having a lovely day and did not want to detract from our enjoyment, we did not complain at the time, or even admit to each other that we had been disappointed. After we returned from honeymoon we made a complaint to Bijou, asking for some financial compensation - given that the day cost us nearly £20K! Bijou then seemed determined to tell us why there wasn’t a problem without actually inquiring into our concerns to find out exactly why we were dissatisfied. They made constant reference to their internal quality control processes and the fact that the food was actually eaten and they then got stuck on the fat that we had not said anything on the day. As we pointed out, our guests were extremely hungry by that point and we did not want to start complaining on the day of our wedding. Bijou seemed determined to deny that they had an unhappy customer and effectively accused us of lying because we had not complained on the day. In the process Bijou revealed themselves to be a somewhat arrogant and profit rather than customer centric organisation, which was a shame given most aspects of their service were very good.