Moreteyne Manor is one of those places that has stayed quietly in the same hands long enough to feel properly looked after. A secluded 16th-century Tudor manor house in Marston Moretaine, it has been run as a family business for some 30 years by Mark and Jacqui Hickman, with their daughter and son-in-law now part of it too, and that continuity shows in small ways — in how the gardens are kept, in the fact that the person showing you round is the person who will be there on the day.
The setting does a lot without trying. Mature trees and hedges screen the house from the world, and a moat runs round it with ducks in residence, which is either charming or extremely charming depending on how you feel about ducks. Ceremonies can take place out on the lawn or inside among the beams and low doorways, and the grounds give photographers far more to work with than the modest approach suggests. Inside, a cosy entrance lounge gives guests somewhere to land and relax before things get going, and the bar and restaurant rooms handle private dining.
Food is a strength, and unusually varied for a venue of this size. The kitchen team will do canapés and a full three-course sit-down, or go entirely the other way with a live barbecue or a hog roast from a local butcher, and there are fork and finger buffets in between. The manor takes one wedding at a time and books exclusively, so there’s no other party murmuring away through a wall — the house, the gardens and the moat belong to you for the day.
Where the band plays
This is an intimate venue rather than a barn-sized one, and that shapes the music in a good way. A Tudor manor with beams and plaster is a naturally warm, forgiving room: a three or four-piece can fill it comfortably, and an acoustic-led band or a compact soul line-up will sound rich without anyone reaching for extra volume. A very large brass-heavy outfit would want a conversation about space first — it’s worth confirming the room dimensions and the power available when you book, as with any historic house.
Ceremony and the hours before dinner
An outdoor ceremony on the lawn wants amplification for anything more than a solo instrument, simply because open air swallows sound. Indoors, the opposite is true, and a single guitarist or a string trio is plenty. Through the drinks reception the guests naturally scatter — some by the moat, some in the lounge, some hovering near the canapés — so a roaming acoustic act does more to pull the afternoon together than a fixed stage would.
How the evening runs
Evenings here typically wind up around 11pm, which makes the running order matter a little more than at a venue with a late licence. Get the first dance in reasonably promptly after dinner and you’ll have two proper sets with a full floor rather than one rushed one, and the last song still lands while everybody is in the room rather than drifting to the car park.
Bands available in Bedfordshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Bedfordshire.
- Bedfordshire Wedding Bands
- Bedfordshire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Bedfordshire
- Wedding DJs in Bedfordshire
- Corporate Entertainment in Bedfordshire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.