Every wedding at Eleven Eighty has its own story.
Normally, this is where I’d tell you mine. I’d share the little moments I noticed, the details that made the day unique, and why this wedding stayed with me.
But every now and then, a couple sends us feedback that’s simply too good to rewrite.
After their wedding, Aubrey and Peachy shared pages of reflections about why they chose Eleven Eighty, what surprised them most, what they’d do again, and the advice they’d give to couples planning their own day.
Rather than putting my own spin on it, I thought I’d let their words do the talking.
Why did you choose Eleven Eighty as your venue?
We’ve always loved the South Coast, so when we started looking for a wedding venue, we knew that was the area we wanted, if it fit within our budget. One thing that was non negotiable for us was having our furbaby there to celebrate with us, so finding a pet-friendly venue was a must.
Then we stumbled across Eleven Eighty. We browsed their website, looked through the photos, and read all the wonderful reviews. We instantly fell in love with the rustic countryside charm and knew it was exactly the vibe we were looking for.
The funny part is, we booked it without even visiting the venue in person! Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions we made.
We finally visited about a month after booking, and we had absolutely no regrets. As soon as we arrived, we knew we had made the right choice. The venue was even more beautiful in person and was exactly what we had imagined for our wedding.
We also got to meet Richard and Clare, who welcomed us so warmly and gave us a tour of the property. They made us feel very comfortable from the very beginning, and after meeting them, we felt even more confident that Eleven Eighty was the perfect place for our wedding.
Can you Describe your experience – did it live up to your expectations?
It absolutely did! It was beautiful and rustic and has its own charm – the perfect look we were going for. Even though it was built in the 1800s, Richard and Clare have done an incredible job maintaining it. The property is so well cared for while still preserving its unique charm.
So many of our guests asked us how we found the venue because they absolutely loved it. We also chose not to go overboard with the styling, as the venue is already so naturally beautiful that it really didn’t need much decorating.
One of the things we loved most about Eleven Eighty was being able to stay in the on-site accommodation. It made our wedding week so much more relaxed for us and our families, as no one had to worry about travelling between the ceremony and reception.
It also gave us extra time to spend together beyond the wedding itself. A day before our wedding, we arrived at the accommodation, we got to share dinner, enjoy a few drinks, laugh, catch up, and create new memories together. One of our favourite moments was gathering around the fire pit, roasting marshmallows on a beautiful winter’s night. Those simple, quiet moments with our loved ones ended up being some of the most special memories.
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
Our wedding day turned out to be absolutely beautiful, with clear blue skies despite it raining for almost the entire week leading up to it. We were stressing about the weather right up until the day itself, but Richard was so kind and reassuring. He reminded us that there was always a backup plan and back up locations in the venue for ceremony if it rained and that we would work it out together. That gave us so much peace of mind.
Everything came together perfectly the catering, the band, the florist, and every other supplier. It truly felt like everything we needed was already taken care of for us.
One thing we really appreciated was how well Eleven Eighty and their trusted vendor partners worked together. You can tell they’ve done many weddings as a team and know the venue inside and out, which made the whole day run so smoothly.
Our guests kept telling us it was one of the most beautiful and fun weddings they had ever attended. We genuinely believe that’s because, behind the scenes, Eleven Eighty (Richard) and all of the incredible vendors were taking care of everything, allowing us to simply be present, enjoy every moment, and celebrate with the people we love.
Our favourite part was simply seeing all of our family and friends enjoying themselves. Everywhere we looked, every corner of Eleven Eighty was filled with people laughing, chatting, and making memories. Some were roasting marshmallows around the fire pit, others were dancing the night away in the beautiful old barn school hall, relaxing on the couches with a drink in hand, or enjoying the outdoor lawn games. It was exactly the kind of celebration we had hoped for relaxed, fun, and full of genuine connection. Seeing our favourite people spread throughout the venue, each enjoying the day in their own way, was incredibly special. It made us realise that everyone felt comfortable and free to celebrate however they wanted. We truly couldn’t have asked for anything more.
For us brides, the ceremony area is honestly so beautiful. The green grass, the big trees, and the blue skies made the perfect backdrop for our ceremony. It already has so much natural beauty that we didn’t feel the need to add lots of decorations.
Would you have done anything differently, or do you have advice to others planning their big day?
We didn’t do everything ourselves. Some parts of our wedding were DIY, while for others we chose to book trusted vendors recommended by Eleven Eighty, and we’re so glad we did. One thing we would definitely recommend is booking your vendors early. We loved every single one we chose from Eleven Eighty’s partner list. Hungry Monkey, Brilliant Blooms and Richard’s drinks crew were all amazing. They already knew the venue so well that we didn’t have to explain where anything needed to go. They just got on with it, which made the whole day so much less stressful for us.
We would also recommend asking your family and friends to help with the setup the day before. Give everyone a specific task and show them photos of how you want everything to look. We found that having reference photos made it so much easier because everyone knew exactly what they were doing, and it saved us from answering lots of questions on the day.
If you can, stay at the accommodation on the property. It was honestly one of the best decisions we made. We didn’t have to travel anywhere and we got to enjoy more time with our family and friends before and after the wedding.
One thing we are really glad we did was take lots of photos and videos of the venue before the wedding. We took photos of the ceremony area, the reception space and pretty much every corner of the property, then shared them with our vendors so they had a clear idea of where everything would go. We also planned out our backup ceremony location just in case it rained. We ended up having beautiful weather, but knowing we had a plan B ready gave us so much peace of mind.
Describe the Vibe, Feel and Styling of your day
We wanted our wedding to feel warm, relaxed and personal. Our vision was a rustic countryside winter wedding with a touch of romance and elegance, while still feeling fun and full of life.
We kept the styling simple and let the venue shine. The beautiful green surroundings, old buildings and natural scenery were already so stunning that they didn’t need much decorating. We chose warm, earthy colours for our flowers and asked our guests to wear a colour palette that complemented the venue, which tied everything together beautifully.
One of the things we loved most about having a winter wedding was how the venue transformed from day to night. During the day, we were surrounded by lush green grass, big trees and blue skies. As the sun went down, the fairy lights, chandeliers and warm glow throughout the venue created such a cosy and romantic atmosphere. It felt magical without trying too hard.
More than anything, we wanted everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy the day. There were people dancing in the old barn school hall, roasting marshmallows by the fire pit, chatting over drinks, playing lawn games and relaxing around the property. Everywhere we looked, every corner of Eleven Eighty was filled with laughter and people making memories. That was exactly the atmosphere we had hoped for.
Any special shout outs?
We honestly could not recommend Eleven Eighty enough. From the moment we booked the venue until the day we checked out, Richard and Clare made us feel so welcome. They genuinely care about every couple and went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly.
A special shout out to Richard, who was always happy to answer our questions, offer suggestions and reassure us whenever we felt stressed, especially with the weather leading up to the wedding. Knowing we had someone so experienced looking after everything behind the scenes gave us so much confidence.
We also highly recommend working with Eleven Eighty’s trusted vendor partners. We chose Hungry Monkey, Brilliant Blooms and Richard’s drinks crew, and they were all fantastic. Because they know the venue so well, everything ran seamlessly and we barely had to think about the logistics on the day.
If you’re looking for a venue that feels relaxed, beautiful and full of character, where your guests can truly enjoy the whole experience rather than just attend a wedding, we couldn’t recommend Eleven Eighty more. It gave us the wedding we had always dreamed of, and we will treasure those memories forever.
