THE
DREYS
A beautiful woodland wedding venue with the added bonus of a stunning indoor space. The Dreys has an incredible vibe to it and is why it's one of my favourite wedding venues!
The Dreys Wedding Venue
The Dreys in Sittingbourne has quickly become one of my favourite wedding venues in Kent. As a wedding photographer, The Dreys, set against a beautiful Kent woodland, provides so many opportunities for photos . Add to that a really relaxed vibe and the great team behind The Dreys then for me, it’s got to be one of the best places to get married in Kent in 2023.
I was fortunate enough to capture the wedding of Vicki and Ant at The Dreys this year, here’s their story along with what I hope will be some helpful tips and information for any of you currently planning your wedding day at The Dreys or thinking of choosing The Dreys as your wedding.
The Dreys -Useful Information
Address
Rumstead Lane, Stockbury
Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7RT
Telephone Number
01622 236550
Email Address
info@thedreys.co.uk
The Dreys Wedding Venue Price (correct as of January 2023)
Venue Hire - £8000 - 13,000 depending on the day of the week, peak periods etc.
Per person fees for food and drinks - ranging from £60 - 90+ per person.
Included in the Venue Hire fee is all of the following
- The Wedding Dolls planning services and on the day wedding coordination
- Exclusive use of the entire venue. The 2 marquees, barn area plus their gorgeous vintage furniture indoors and outside with styling throughout.
- Petal confetti for every guest
- 15 Glamping units & 10 spaces for pitch your own campers with locally sourced cooked breakfast the following day. This is a massive selling point of The Dreys in my book, the accommodation is absolutely gorgeous.
- Bar and evening reception to 12am Saturday, Friday 12am and 10.30/11pm Sunday - Thursday
- Fire pit, perfect for chilling out next to in the evening
- Dining tables, chairs with seat pads, table linens, crockery, cutlery, glassware, etc
- All staffing, cleaning, waste
With all of this included, for couples it leaves you only needing to source your photographer, videographer if you're having one, florist, band/dj and any additional entertainment you might want like photobooths, magicians etc.
Accommodation and Hotels Near The Dreys in Kent
The Dreys offer on site accommodation for the couple and guests absolutely perfect to save you having to get a taxi at the end of the night. The wooden cabin for the couple is absolutely magical and the 12 bell tents and 2 shepherds look so comfortable. Before the day The Dreys will provide the couple with a secret code which can be shared with guests to enable them to book their accommodation before the wedding day. You can find the full details of accommodation offered by The Dreys here.
In addition to on site accommodation there are a selection of nearby hotels within a few miles including The Black Horse Inn in Thurnham (me and Claire have visited here and it's lovely!) , Mercure Maidstone and Tudor Park (a great hotel, especially for golf fans!).
Is The Dreys a Licensed Wedding Venue?
Yes, The Dreys is licensed for legal ceremonies in The Woodland and The Barn or you are free to choose a humanist/blessing if you'd prefer.
Here is a link to Kent County Councils Wedding and Civil Partnerships Page with details of fees etc.
Here is a link to a directory of Kent Celebrants you can choose from. A few I've worked with over the years I'd really recommend are True Blue Ceremonies , Lonan Jenkins and Helen Noble
The Dreys Venue Capacity
150 to the ceremony / 250 evening reception (80 / 100 for weddings April to early May)
Accessibility
The venue is a woodland site but I have to say they have really taken into account making the venue accessible for everyone. There are wooden walkways around most of the venue and disabled toilet facilities. The onsite team will also bend over backwards to make sure everyone who needs assistance is given it.
Car Parking at The Dreys
There is dedicated a hard standing car park with plenty of spaces.
Vicki and Ant's Real Wedding at The Dreys
Getting Ready and the Ceremony
After having her hair and make up done at a friends house by the super talented Natalie Richardson and Lucy Holland, Vicki, her bridesmaids and her dad Ian made their way to The Dreys in A Perfect Day VW Hires beautiful vintage camper van.
The Dreys is a woodland wedding venue, meaning you have the opportunity to get married in an absolutely stunning woodland location. The Dreys has the added advantage of also having a purpose built, permanently sited, weather proof area that can be used for the ceremony should the weather not play ball! I’ve been lucky with the weather when shooting at The Dreys but the barn area would in my opinion be equally as beautiful a spot to get married should the wedding day be a bit rainy which is a really big advantage for couples.
The woodland ceremony and barn ceremony areas can both accommodate up to 150 guests. The Dreys do recommend however that should you be getting married between April and early May that you limit guests to 80 people so as to enable your guests to be comfortably accommodated in the heated marquees.
Vicki and Ant had a beautiful day of weather so their ceremony was held in the woodland. It provided a really calm, relaxing atmosphere and the festoon lights running through the woodland really created such a cool look.
Vicki and Ant's ceremony was officiated by Lonan Jenkins wearing the coolest suit I've ever seen : ) The amazing flowers come from the best florists in Kent Jo Jo Blooms and Sue Davies Flowers
The Confetti
Who doesn’t love a good confetti shot and The Dreys provides a perfect spot : ) After the ceremony myself and your wedding planners, The Wedding Dolls, swing into action like a well oiled machine to guide your guests to the right spot whilst you enjoy a couple of minutes together. I have to say, having The Wedding Dolls helping keep everything ticking along is a real bonus for couples (and photographers!) at The Dreys!
The Drinks Reception
After the confetti shot Vicki and Ant got to enjoy their drinks reception, meet their guests and share a drink, hug and canape with all their loved ones.
The Dreys Wedding Photos
After a drink and some time with their guests Vicki and Ant wanted to spend 15 or so minutes getting a few portraits of the two of them together. As with a lot of the couples I work with, they didn’t want to spend ages away from their guests having photos and were a bit nervous about having their photo taken but they knew they wanted some photos of the two of them together.
As a wedding photographer The Dreys provides a stunning backdrop for some creative portraits. The woodland area, covered in festoon lights is a great choice but there are also some lovely open spaces with views of the Kent countryside which I chose to use to give their portraits a bit of depth and difference. The light on the day was really nice and I know they were over the moon with their portraits. We then grabbed a few family portraits, plus a few with their lovely dog (dogs and pets are all welcome at The Dreys!) in the shade of a tree before Vicki and Ant were able to chill out before their meal with a few drinks and canapes.
Vickis dress is bespoke made by the incredibly talented Poppy's Perspective who also made the flower girls and Ant's and the best mans suit is from Abitto
The Wedding Breakfast and Wedding Speeches
The Dreys has a lovely permanent marquee with wooden floors that provided a stunning backdrop for Vicki and Ants wedding breakfast and speeches. Vicki and Ant's food was from Hungry Hog BBQ with a cheese cake from The Cheese Shop Tunbridge Wells You can find full details of the meal options available at The Dreys here.
The Dreys Wedding Venue - The Evening Reception
The Dreys is a really great place for a party. Vicki and Ant opted for a live band in the barn area but you can also choose to have a DJ, plug and play your own device or a mixture of all 3. There’s also a lovely fire pit area which provides a great spot for guests to take a break from the dance floor, marshmallows and sparklers.
Vicki and Ant's Advice on Getting Married at The Dreys
Vicki and Ant's wedding was recently featured on one of my favourite wedding blogs Whimsical Wonderland Weddings
"The vision for the day was to be relaxed, rustic and boho! Lots of gin fizz, ring warming to get the guests involved, storytelling ceremony, music and lots of dancing."
Their wedding definitely lived up to this vision and The Dreys was the perfect wedding venue for it|! To read their full feature on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings click here
Vicki and Ant's Wedding Suppliers
PHOTOGRAPHER - ME!
PHOTOBOOTH - THE STORY TREE BOOTH CO
FLORIST - JOJO BLOOMS / SUE DAVIES FLOWERS
CAKE - THE CHEESE SHOP TUNBRIDGE WELLS
BRIDAL DRESS - POPPY'S PERSPECTIVE
MEN'S OUTFITS - ABITTO
ENTERTAINMENT - (BAND – SKY NIGHTS) ENTERTAINMENT NATION
STATIONERY DECOR & HIRE - HOPEANDCOTTONHOME
HAIR - NATALIE RICHARDSON
MAKEUP - LUCY HOLLAND MAKEUP
TRANSPORT - PERFECT DAY VW HIRE
FOOD/DRINK - HUNGRY HOG BBQ
PLANNER - THE WEDDING DOLLS
CELEBRANT - LONAN JENKINS
