People ask us; what made the best party/wedding at Talton Lodge? Can you guess what we say?

There is no one great event, but some stand out because they got the critical ingredients for a great event or party right. The short answer is; pleasure all the senses. And in no particular order, by that we mean...

It's all about the music -

Good live music at Talton Lodge and Talton House always makes a great party. The tone of an event or party is really set by good music (excuse the pun). The best has been where there have been loads of talented musicians playing live throughout the day like at a festival. The best is when it starts intimate, acoustic and draws people in without screaming for attention and then ends with a virtuoso finale. A musical procession up the drive from Talton House to Talton Lodge makes a mardi gras New Orleans twist and signals the end of the formalities and the start of the hair down partying.

Food of course

It's near the top for us as it's why we started the Talton Lodge and Talton House business in the first place. Food is at the heart of hospitality as it is a primal symbol of sharing, generosity, welcome and love. Offering good food that has been prepared with soul and sourced carefully makes everyone happy. It's a wordless welcome. Each layer of food at each stage of the day and night has to fit with the mood of the guests so they feel like you are reading their thoughts when the next offering arrives. We recommend serving canapés with drinks on the Talton House lawn when people arrive, as drinking on empty in the day is not wise. It also means you can cut the starter course with the main meal as our canapés are numerous and delicious. Next up a big spit roast or some kind of feast cooked over wood works wonders - fish vegetables or meat, as we humans associate the slow cooked, fastidious, time consuming effort with a celebration. Paella or wood fired pizza or a chili and rice are revitalising at the end of the night and each can be as good for vegetarians as omnivores.

People matters

Doh - No people no party -

It's such a good feeling when people together trigger an atmosphere of bonhomie and festivity. On of the best things about a wedding is that's it one event in your life that brings all the people you love together all at the same time.

Of course, in families and work-places and even amongst friends there's often an historical issue, that can cause anxiety amongst the event organiser or bride and groom. In our experience this rarely comes to anything. It's easy to avoid conflict if the party is big. So just tell the potential warriors how proud and happy it would make you if they were able to bury their hatchets under their big ole party hats for the day. The discussion forms a kind of contract. As organisers we are quite good at keeping an eye on potential conflict by timing a diplomatic well timed "a propos nothing in particular" question or advice.

The beauty of the venue, the lovely staff and all the other stuff that stimulate all the pleasure senses...like bonfires and hula or stroking a pig

We've done hearing and we'd done taste & smell so just come see Talton Lodge and House...... We all really want you to have a good time. We're all intelligent empathetic people and we like people who come here to have an amazing time. We've done our best to turn the place into the most alluring, party enticing, brilliantly beautiful fun place to enjoy. Not one single party has met with anything other than enthusiastic thanks. Come see us so you can feel the atmosphere even if you can't quite put your finger on it. www.taltonlodge.com