I've had the pleasure of staying at dozens of hotels, B&B's, and historic estates in England over the years, but nothing has ever come close to my stay at Combermere Abbey. Nestled in the beautiful rolling fields along the Cheshire/Shropshire border, the estate is pure magic from the moment you arrive at the front gates. Gliding down a long drive, flanked by fields full of charmingly plump cows, you are greeted by Combermere's magnificent historic buildings.
If you want to have your fairytale Princess moment, the North Wing at Combermere Abbey is the place to be.
The estate, most well known as a spectacular fairytale wedding venue, has 9 (dog friendly!) holiday cottages within it's Grade II listed stables as well as one stand alone cottage, all of which are impeccably decorated. The real stand out experience, however, is their honeymoon suite in The North Wing. If you want to have your fairytale Princess moment, the North Wing is the place to be, and it also happens to be where I stayed for two nights!
The ground floor has a full living room, dining room, and kitchen where the fabulously talented Stephan, the Combermere House Manager, cooks breakfast for the guests every morning, and he's also available on site until 5pm to cater to guest's requests. He surprised us with pancakes to start our breakfasts as a little nod to the good old US of A, and they were delicious! (He also showed me his secret to making the perfect poached egg, which I now utilize every time I make eggs for breakfast!)
The upstairs contains two enchanting suites - The Salamanca Suite, aka the honeymoon suite, and the Bhurtpore Room, which can have two twin beds or a king sized bed upon the guest's request. The Bhurtpore Room's rich wood paneling and red accents make it just as cozy as it is elegant, and it presents yet another perfect place to have a cup of tea and gaze out onto the lake.
The Salamanca Suite, dressed in cream and blue, has what I would describe as the iconic Princess bed, with a grand headboard and super king-sized mattress where you can wake up to morning views of the exceptional landscape. The suite also has one of the most impressive bathrooms I've ever seen, with soothing blue walls and a central tub, which delivers 180 degree views of the countryside. And if that wasn't enough, the walk through closet, which is big enough to hold several wedding dresses, (and yes, I tried!) joins with a separate drawing room. During the restoration of the North Wing, which is Grade I listed, the powers-at-be allowed the team to turn the exterior Tudor-era walls inward, so guests in the drawing room could admire the craftsmanship and history!
Combermere Abbey is my number one pick for a wedding venue!
I often muse with friends about the best places to get married, despite the fact that I'm single at the moment, and I never had a real number one pick until now. Combermere Abbey offer some incredible options for all sizes of weddings, and there are just so many stunning places to take pictures and celebrate with friends and family!
Everywhere you look, there is a picture perfect moment waiting to happen, which is why I would recommend it for content creators too! If you and your friends love taking photos and videos for social media, Combermere offers TONS of opportunities. I worked with two separate photographers for the photoshoots we did here, and we all agreed that you could spend three weeks taking photos there and you still wouldn't scratch the surface of what the estate has to offer.
You can take a look at more fabulous photos of the venue below! Brides-to-be, would you pick Combermere Abbey to say "I Do," because I certainly would!