High House is the epitome of an English Garden wedding venue, and is situated in the heart of a vineyard. Paths weave through beautifully tended lawns and flowering borders, and roses drape from trellis. A heart-shaped lake and an ornamental pond with an arched bridge and weeping willow complete the picture.

High House had a large farmhouse and annexe, where the owners lived, a Grade II barn, a permanent marquee and a vineyard. It had grown gradually over the past 10 years into a successful family owned and run wedding venue.

We worked with the owner to obtain planning consent to change the farmhouse into ensuite accommodation for wedding guests before purchasing the entire property and business, which the owner’s daughters have continued to run under Xenia’s ownership.

Its growth had been limited by a lack of flexible reception spaces for use in the winter, limiting bookings to just 7 months of the year and impacting on job stability for the team. We also felt that couples from further afield would appreciate the vineyard surrounding High House, if it could be incorporated into the venue more.

Future plans involve £2.6 million of enhancements. The vision of these have been showcased in high-quality CGI across social media and website and include a new vineyard entrance, replacing the marquee with a glass Orangery and extended terrace, and extending the Stable Bar to add an indoor reception space that would enable High House to operate year round as one of the most popular wedding venues in Essex.