Delamere Events occupies Cherry Orchard Farm on Abbey Lane at Oakmere, right on the edge of Delamere Forest, and the whole site is arranged around a private lake. The main structure is a run of giant tipis and marquees that can be built up or scaled back to suit the size of your party, with starlight ceilings overhead, chill-out areas off to the side and fire pits outside for when the evening cools. A large window wall was added recently, which means the lake and the panoramic views across the Cheshire countryside are part of the room rather than something you have to step outside to see.
It is a blank canvas in the best sense. Hire is exclusive — the whole venue is yours for the day — and the catering is built around what you actually want rather than pulled off a standard list, running from champagne and fine dining through to catered barbecues and food trucks. There is a wood-fired pizza operation, The Pizza Parlour, that can be booked for the evening, a cocktail menu, and lawn games scattered about the grounds for the long afternoon stretch. The lakeside offers several different spots for arrival drinks, photographs and the ceremony itself.
One important practical point: the grounds are not licensed for legal marriage, so couples give their legal notice and sign the register elsewhere, then hold a blessing here with a celebrant. In practice this bothers far fewer people than you would expect — the paperwork happens quietly at a register office beforehand and the day itself is entirely yours to design, with the ceremony you want, in the spot you want, at the hour you want.
Playing under canvas
Tipis are among the most forgiving rooms a band can play. The canvas soaks up reflections, so nothing rings or turns harsh, and the height under the poles means a drum kit and a brass section have somewhere to breathe; the sound tends to feel warm and generous rather than loud. Because the structures are built to fit your numbers, the stage position and the dancefloor are decided as part of the layout rather than squeezed in around fixed furniture — tell the venue you are bringing a band when you plan the plan, and the dancefloor can sit centrally with the fire pits and bar radiating off it.
The shape of the evening
The day drifts from the lakeside to the tipis and back again, with drinks and games outside for as long as the weather allows and dinner under canvas as the light goes. Evenings here generally run to around midnight, which leaves plenty of room for two full sets after the speeches and a proper singalong at the end, with the fire pits doing the work between them. Being a farm site, load-in is vehicle-accessible right up to the tipi and parking is not a problem — worth agreeing the finish time and power arrangements with the team in advance so your band arrives with everything it needs.
Bands available in Cheshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Cheshire.
- Cheshire Wedding Bands
- Cheshire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Cheshire
- Wedding DJs in Cheshire
- Corporate Entertainment in Cheshire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.