Micro wedding with kids - need inspiration

[Gagamama2]

Getting nowhere with organising our micro-wedding and need inspiration / some venue suggestions in the South East. Please help!!

We have spent the past two years procrastinating about organising a “proper” big wedding and so have decided to do registry office plus meal with just our three kids (6, 8, 10) and our parents in June. Then hopefully do a big party or something with siblings and friends next year.

The issue I’m having is that I want the meal afterwards to be special in some way, and be fun for the kids who won’t want to sit for hours in a formal restaurant. But I can’t find anything that works. I have looked into woodland “wild” dining, and also a hotel that does a wild cooking over fire type private table thing in its grounds, but both aren’t open for under-12s.

Please can people share their micro weddings that involved kids and how they made the day feel special.

Richmond - Bingham River house they can. Play in. The garden after Meal

You could also hire a small catered river boat and do a cruise as a family and eat on that

LOVE these ideas, going to look into them now. Kids would love the river boat and it would be beautiful watching the countryside go by…

South East is a massive area can you narrow it down a bit to the county or counties.

Catered narrow boat.

Surrey or West Sussex ideally. Hampshire, Kent, Buckinghamshire also ok. Happy to drive a couple of hours if someone is recommending a nice hotel we can stay at for the night

The Pig have fabulous hotels and may well be able to do something special.

Might be too far but Oxford River Cruises do lovely private trips with a picnic or afternoon tea, and the river there is absolutely beautiful.

A boat tour/meal was exactly what came to mind here too!

Amazing, thank you. Not too far out at all, the registry office there looks nice as well.

Yes I looked into the pig but only online…you have to book 2 night stays at the weekend which is a bit of a problem with other logistics going on. But maybe could book two nights and just use one of them. Have you ever stayed there? Is there much for children to do? I saw some fire pits on one of their photos

Had also looked into Beaverbrook hotel but very expensive to stay the night there (about £1000). And I wasn’t sure what vibe the restaurant had for kids. Whether there was a playground or grounds they could run about in without annoying people.

Have stayed at Studland and the Sussex Downs one. Have also eaten at The Pig Brockenhurst. All have fabulous grounds but not sure what they have for children. Studland has private dining and huts to sleep in as well as usual rooms.

Beaverbrook is gorgeous but the main restaurant feels very formal so I think you’d feel uncomfortable with kids. There’s other options though - The Garden House is probably the best one with kids and there is a park and a great pool.

It wouldn’t be my pick though as I think overall it’s a bit fusty.

Depending on budget Leeds or Hever castle are both great to stay at. Leeds also has Go Ape. Depending when you go Hver has some very cool glamping, set up like a jousting competition. I just had a Quick Look on the website and can’t see it as an option yet for this year but thinking that it’s because it’s too bloody cold at the moment!