Hosting a magical wedding on a budget
We want to make it affordable for couples to host multi-day weddings with a relaxed, fun and festival-like atmosphere.
There are an average of 275,000 weddings a year in the United Kingdom. That means that every week, more than 5,000 couples say I do approximately at the same time. We understand that everyone wants their big day to be unique and magical but that often means having to break the bank.
SIMPLY, MAGICAL
Selgars Estate is perfectly suited to couples who want to do something different in a beautiful nature setting. Our approach is to keep things simple and get everyone involved and participating in the experience. When something needs to be done, we all do it together. This is what builds community and makes a wedding more fun for everyone involved.
Selgars Mill is a beautiful converted 19th Century mill house with cottages, set in eight acres of secluded grounds in the Culm Valley in Mid Devon. We have indoor overnight accommodation for up to 30 guests and seasonal (Mar-Nov) outdoor glamping accommodation for up to 60 guests. We also have the capacity to host nature conferences and community gatherings for up to 300 participants with the use of neighbouring camping fields for DIY camping.
There are plenty of glamorous countryside venues across the UK with luxurious boutique rooms and five star hospitality. However, most couples cannot afford to spend £30,000+ on a multi-day wedding, especially during a recession. So often due to the cost of booking a venue everything gets packed into one day. We want to make it affordable for couples to host multi-day weddings with a relaxed, fun and festival-like atmosphere.
A MILL AWAY FROM HOME
Selgars is also a self-catering venue. We don't employ chefs or a catering team on site but we do have a network of wonderful chefs and catering organisations that you can hire on demand such as Co-exist community kitchen in Bristol. Thanks to that flexibility and the versatility of our spaces, it is very easy to make your day(s) as you envisioned it: whether it is a picnic in the forest, a barn banquet, saying yes on the wooden bridge or a wedding night in the cosy wagon by the river!
GREEN WEDDINGS
We also try to be as eco-friendly as possible. Nature is our backdrop and we care for it as much as our buildings. We are a zero to landfill site. We separate food waste (cooked and raw), non recyclable waste, dry recyclables (plastic, paper, cardboard, cans) and glass. Bins are provided for each type of waste inside each property.
We also strongly encourage a vegetarian ethos and all of our catering partners specialise in cooking vegetarian menus. If having meat and fish is a deal breaker then we want to work with you to make sure that the fish and meat is sourced in the most ethical and sustainable way possible. We don't want to enforce hard rules on our guests but we do want to have a heart to heart conversation with you about whether meat and fish is a necessary choice for your event and how we can source it in the best way. If you decide to opt for self-catered we can also help you source great ingredients from local producers and retailers. We also grow some greens, vegetables and tomatoes on site in our edible garden.
We love dogs and welcome your furry friends with open arms. We also have plenty of space for you to store your bikes and encourage our guests to travel by bike and rail as much as possible. We are on National Cycle Route 3. Tiverton Parkway mainline train station is a 12 minute cycle ride away. The route connects to the Grand Western Canal which is a cycle path and can be taken into Tiverton.
If you are dreaming of a multi-day 'festival style' nature wedding then Selgars could be a great option for you.
GALLERY
About Us
We run two spaces, one city space in East London called House of Transformation and the other in the Mid Devon countryside called Selgars Estate. We have found that increasingly media and tech businesses are looking for spacious, nature inspired meeting and event spaces that go beyond the conventional coworking space or private office space. We don’t need more desks with screens. We need more spaces that feel like home. Spaces that are cosy, colourful, welcoming and creative. This is what we have built at the House of Transformation.
Our vision was always to combine our city space with a nature venue. A couple of months ago this dream came true when we signed a lease for Selgars Mill. Selgars is an ideal venue for hosting nature immersions, strategic offsites and team retreats as well as weddings, wellness retreats and family holidays. We have very affordable pricing and plenty of coworking spaces, bedrooms and indoor and outdoor event spaces that can cater for a wide range of activities and experiences.
When it comes to the design of your event, from our experience, keeping it simple is what works best. Comfortable beds, beautiful nature, some wellness activities, some hands-on arts and crafts, some live music, sitting around the fire at night, hiking, sports and good local seasonal food.
Written by Anton Chernikov
Anton is a designer, consultant and entrepreneur who has been working at the intersection of tech, sustainability and real estate for the past 12 years. He is the founder of House of Transformation and Selgars and the co-founder of re:build and enchanted. He is looking to connect with tech founders and investors to discuss the role that creative spaces and nature offices can play in helping founders build a strong team culture.