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FAQ's - PRICES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS
How much does it cost to hire the Fort?It’s very different according to the time of year (see TARIFF). Mid-weeks are by far the best value at any time of year as you get an additional day and night, and they are often a thousand pounds or so cheaper - and your guests will come! Everyone thinks they won’t, but they do - all our midweek's are booked out each year - often by couples that start off thinking their guests won’t want to take the time off. What’s included in the price?The Fort is hired out rather like a glorified self-catering holiday cottage - bigger and grander, of course, but similar in that you have the whole place to yourselves (sleeping 20), and can do pretty much as you like. The price is for the hire only, and includes for the use of the whole place for a weekend or mid-week break, and does not include for any catering or staffing. The Fort has much of the apparatus of a hotel, i.e. Civil Wedding Licence, Drinks Licence, Fire Certificate and so on, but we don’t charge corkage, and we don’t charge for extra people staying. The only compulsory extras are gas and electricity (done by meter reading) and wedding insurance, and there are a variety of optional extras. There aren’t any employees to boss you about, but there are key people who are available by separate arrangement (i.e. you pay them directly) to move furniture and beds if required, decorate the Fort and generally help and advise you to get what you want. They have a wide experience of the 500 or so weddings we’ve already held here, and you can meet some of them when you come, as almost all of our customers do, to view the Fort. Are there any extras to pay on top of the tariff price?Gas and Electric is charged separately, we read the meters when you arrive and again when you leave - the average cost is around £150, but can vary depending on how cold the weather is. The tariff is for the exclusive hire of the fort and the accommodation - The ceremony fee is paid direct to the registrar office, usually between £295 - £310 depending on whether you choose a mid-week or weekend wedding, bank holidays can also be more expensive. Catering, decoration, flowers and photography is also paid direct to the supplier you choose. Are there any hidden extras?We try and keep these to a minimum, and you will be pleased to hear that the only extra charge we make is for the gas and electric costs. However there may be other costs payable to the suppliers themselves. Drapes - this is for the large muslin drapes that decorate the main hall should you wish them. These are included in the cost of the hire of the fort and are at no extra charge to yourselves. Catering Fee - There is no catering fee payable whether you choose one of our own recommended caterers or if you choose an alternative to the ones on our list. We know from experience that things run more smoothly with a caterer who has been at the fort in the past, all our recommended caterers have been to the Fort on many occasions and know how the Fort works, where all the crockery, glasses and cutlery are, and most importantly are familiar with the cookers and dishwashers at the Fort. Most people choose one of our recommended caterers for the main reception and self cater for the remainder of their stay. Insurance - We insist on having wedding insurance, this protects yourselves against various things which might occur during the build up to your wedding and during the wedding itself. This is payable to the insurers direct (which ever one you choose). You can see our recommended insurers on our Wedding Contacts page. Fire Escape - We have a permanent fire limit of 100 persons in the fort at any one time, this includes staff, children and babies, so you should be looking at around 90 actual guests to stay under this limit. This limit can be raised to 140 persons - including staff, children and babies, but this means we have to fit an additional fire escape. We need to know if you are likely to go over the 100 persons as it is a legal requirement and cannot be exceeded without prior agreement for over 100 persons, and cannot ever be over 140 persons under any circumstances. We do not charge for the fire escapes, so there is no need to worry about just going over the 100 persons mark. What will the prices be next year?The same as this year - if you book early enough! We generally work out our prices for the following year each autumn, though we try to be flexible. The prices don’t automatically go up, and never by a fixed formula. Sometimes (when we’ve had difficulties with a certain period) they have even gone down! If this happens in a period you’ve already booked - and this is unlikely, by the way - we will reduce your agreed price. Do you do last minute discounts or special offers?Yes - have a look at our special offers page. This is how we generally fill one or two awkward bookings that won’t seem to get themselves booked up. It generally means a bit of a panic for those who do book these up, but it can often work well for the occasional shotgun wedding (or last minute foreign posting etc). What can we do?We try an allow most things at the fort and help with any unusual things - we once had a pet rabbit attend a wedding, we have had lots of dogs as bridesmaids and pageboys, and the arrival of the bride and groom by speed boat and helicopter. You can choose your type of entertainment from live bands to discos, flowers from the most exotic to none at all. We have had fancy dress weddings (lots of men in tights and friar tuck!) So if you are unsure just ask it may be allowed. What can't we do?We do not allow music in the gardens, this can be very annoying for our neighbours. Fireworks without prior permission as we are on the coast and near farm animals, displays which are given permission have to abide by certain criteria. Exceed our fire regulation limits of persons at the fort. If you are unsure whether it will be allowed please get in contact with us. Do we need insurance?Yes wedding insurance is compulsory at the fort, we can provide you with details or you can arrange your own insurance and provide us with a copy of your insurance certificate. It is important to make sure that the insurance knows that you have the fort for a weekend or mid-week not just for one day, we ask that you take out the insurance as soon as you book the fort. We also insist on £5,000,000 public liability cover. Insurers we recommend are indentified on our Wedding Contacts page. Can we bring a dog or two? Can we bring other pets?We do allow well behaved dogs and other pets within reason, please do ask prior to bringing them. All we ask is that you clean up any mess that is left in the gardens and be considerate to the surrounding livestock in the area. Can we have fireworks?Please see the FAQ's Reception Party Please see FAQ's General Can we have candles?Yes we do allow candles, both inside the fort and on the lawns. However if you are using drapes or other decoration please ensure that they are kept well away from the candles. Do we have to clean the Fort before we leave?We have contract cleaners to clean the fort between bookings, so you do not have to change beds, clean bathrooms and floors etc. We do ask that you return any furniture which has been moved to its original position. This can be done by yourselves or you can contact our maintenance manager Fred Buss on 01752 822830 for assistance, Fred charges for his services by the hour - please discuss estimated cost with Fred himself. How many people can the Fort take?We have a permanent fire limit of 100 persons in the fort at any one time, this includes staff, children and babies, so you should be looking at around 90 actual guests to stay under this limit. This limit can be raised to 140 persons - including staff, children and babies, but this means we have to fit an additional fire escape. It is a legal requirement and cannot be exceeded with out prior agreement for over 100 persons, and cannot ever be over 140 persons under any circumstances. Is there a charge for the additional mattresses?We have an additional 10 mattresses which we leave available for your use, we do not charge for these but they do not have any bedding supplied with them.
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