Beware Before Booking!
Our Disappointing Experience with Orchard Leigh Estate –
At first, my partner and I were impressed by Orchard Leigh Estate during our initial visit. However, this quickly changed once we paid our deposit. From that point on, the service completely deteriorated. We were handed a mountain of paperwork with minimal guidance, leaving us to navigate the process alone. While we understand that planning a wedding involves details, we felt as if our role had shifted from clients to mere numbers.
Communication was extremely poor. Despite numerous emails, they consistently addressed me by the wrong name; calling me Richard - my name is in the header, "To" section AND on the bottom of every email!! Aside from payment requests, it was near impossible to get a response or any meaningful engagement from their team. This lack of professionalism led us to cancel our wedding. As a result, we lost around £2,000, despite our efforts to request a partial refund through a polite, well-worded complaint, which was entirely ignored.
Since canceling, we’ve visited other venues and spoken with experienced wedding coordinators. To our surprise, several of them openly frowned upon hearing that we had considered Orchard Leigh, with some even stating that they refuse to assist clients who choose to get married there due to the venue’s reputation. That alone speaks volumes about their standing in the industry.
In summary, we feel we were sold a dream during our initial consultation, but once the deposit was paid, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Losing £2,000 is not just frustrating; it’s a lesson we hope other couples won’t have to learn.
Please do your research thoroughly before booking with Orchard Leigh Estate. We sincerely hope others avoid the disappointment and financial loss we experienced.
