Our Wedding Visit to Tregenna Castle

On our most recent trip to St ives to find a suitable place to get married, we couldn’t wait to visit Tregenna Castle. Perched high on the top of Tregenna Hill overlooking the town and out to sea, we had placed this venue top of our list for its fabulous location, plus the pictures we had seen on their attractive website convinced us that this was going to be the ideal place to celebrate our wedding.

Tregenna Castles Beautiful Landscaped Grounds

Our initial impression of the castle was as we expected. The venue is in a superb location. The views down and across St Ives are stunning and the grounds and lawns are immacutlately kept. We visited in late September and so the front exterior of the castle was covered in bright red Autumn foliage and it looked absolutely beautiful. What we had seen up until this point was enough for us to believe that after much searching, this was going to be the place in which we would finally get married.

The Vivid Red Foliage in September

However, upon entering the castle, our perceptions slightly changed. Inside, the reception looked a little dated and old fashioned. The two function rooms are at the front of the hotel. The first for smaller weddings is the Godrevy Room, named after the Godrevy lighthouse that can be seen from the windows, which also have sea views. This looked a bit shabby, dull, dark and uninviting. We were so disappointed as this was the room we had hoped to hire. Once in the room, the sea view is not obvious and I feel that once inside, you could be celebrating in a hotel anywhere, but in a less attractive room than some of the others we had seen. The marriage and/or reception room is one of the most important factors to us and this really did effect our opinion of the venue.

The second and bigger function suite is called The Trelawney Room. This was much larger than the Godrevy Room and felt a little brighter and grander. However, it still looked like it needed an update. Maybe it’s just my loathing of garish patterned carpets which so often appear in hotels.  There are no sea views from this room but there there is definitely enough space for a large wedding and I could imagine it being  made up to look quite special. It’ s definitely less oppressive than the Godrevy room.

The Beautiful Secret Landscaped Gardens at Tregenna

We had an appointment with Katie, the wedding coorinator who was very friendly and helpful. She explained that the rooms are due to be refurbished next year, 2010. This was great news to us and so we asked if we could see one of the honeymoon suites. Unfortunately, on walking around the hotel, we noticed that the hallways are also in need of redecoration. We have visited some old hotels in which age is the most attractive feature but these are usually kept in a good state of repair. I am attracted to period features and I was expecting Tregenna to be full of history and elegance. However, we felt that the appearance inside hotel was a tad shabby and old fashioned, not in keeping with the exterior which is absolutely beautiful, especially from the front.

We viewed three bedrooms, all of which were supposed to be superior but unfortunately, appeared to us as bleak and not what we had expected. We had been warned by a local that they were not going to be up to scratch but we didn’t expect them to be so charmless and generic – probably our mistake as this is a large hotel after all. The size of the bedrooms was good but the decor seemed drab and in need of a revamp. The bathrooms were basic, uninviting and very clinical. Whist the bedrooms are not of the utmost importance in our view, when added to the general lack of care for the interior, really does make me think whether Tregenna would be suitable for us.

The Marriage Pavillion

I feel that this venue could be amazing with some TLC.  The exterior and location is fantastic and there are lots of facilities available such as a spa and a lovely gym that looks almost new. Another main attraction to this hotel is the golf course. The initial appeal of Tregenna for us was the fact that couples can be legally married outside in a beautiful pavillion with views of the sea in the backround. This almost swayed me to forget the interior but of course being weather permitting and should the day turn nastly, the marriage would take place in one of the rooms inside anyway. Also, the ceremony would typically last 20-30 mins and the rest of the day would be inside which I feel would be such a waste of the views.

The Castle Golf Course

The castle does have amazing gardens and some great looking self catering places to stay. This was another reason we decided on Tregenna as a wedding consideration. The photographs in and around the grounds, with the sea views and the secret garden would be stunning. Again, this would be weather permitting and we decided that should it rain, most of the positives which seem to rely on the outdoors, would be lost. I have included the most beautiful photos here. They are all of the outside which I believe is the selling point for Tregenna. My interior snapshots can be seen in the gallery.

The Fantastic View of St Ives from the Castle with Apartments

The views from some of the locals seem to be that the owners of Tregenna are relying too much on its location to worry about the interior or in fact the quality of service. This I can’t comment on as we didn’t dine or stay at the castle and we did find Katie lovely so we have no complaints there. I also visited Trip Advisor before we went and noticed some of the negative comments but went with an open mind. If the rooms are due to be refurbished, Tregenna may in fact be getting its act together, in which case, I would still like to return for a second visit. The castle has so much potential and I am sure it can be and has been the site of many a great wedding. I would still consider a holiday here but for the wedding venue we had hoped for, I am not so sure at this stage.

I have written this post for anyone who is considering Tregenna as a possible wedding venue as I would have liked to have read a few personal opinions and seen some photography before I went.  This blog is also my own wedding diary that I use for reference and a scrapbook of places I have seen and considered. It is not meant to encourage or put anyone off getting married at the castle or offend anyone that has been married there either and this is of course my own personal view at the time of visiting. Please feel free to post any comments that agree of differ with mine. I would love to hear about other peoples experiences of Tregenna.

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