Surprisingly, February has been a bit of a whirlwind month, busily preparing the venue and gardens for our first few weddings of 2023 and we’re making use of this relatively quieter time to make sure all the larger-scale jobs are completed.

The daffodils and crocus have been slowly making an appearance over the last couple of weeks, finally a little bit of colour to say that Spring is definitely on its way. We’ve had the most spectacular display of snowdrops over in the woods to the East of the Priory, it really is something to behold and so pretty in the sunshine.

There’s plenty of ongoing work in the gardens, both at the Priory and Farmhouse where Baz, Gordon and Nigel have been mulching, scarifying and tidying. The nearby woods have been given a blast of daylight, with some much-needed tree felling.

As a result of the felling, it has created an aesthetically-pleasing display of stacked logs, much to the various wedding photographers’ delight – perfect, rustic background material for our newly-weds!

Early February saw the exciting launch of our new website, which we’re very pleased with. Enquiring couples can now easily book a viewing with us at the click of a button. There’s lots more information available about the different services we offer, from formal dinners to marquee weddings, holiday stays and….Seasonal Suppers

…which leads me nicely into telling you that it’s only one week to go until our first Seasonal Supper takes place on Saturday 11th March. There are just a handful of tickets left, so if you like the idea of dining somewhere ‘a little different’ and enjoying a delicious supper of locally sourced produce, then this is the ideal Saturday night for you! Tickets are priced at £65 each and can be purchased online here.

Over to our first wedding of 2023, this was for the lovely Suzannah and Gary who gathered 23 of their closest family and friends for a small, intimate wedding here at Butley Priory. The day began with a civil ceremony in the Great Hall, followed by drinks and delicious canapes in the Drawing room – all while we discreetly transformed the hall for their wedding breakfast.

Suzannah and Gary chose a fabulous display of twigs, foliage and fairy lights for the main mantelpiece, with sage green runners for the tables, creating a very natural, countryside-inspired theme.

After the wedding breakfast, guests enjoyed drinks from the Pilgrims bar, while listening to sounds from My Big Fat Wedding Disco.

James Davidson Photography

Later in the month, it was followed with a much gentler affair, this being our annual charity Bridge fundraiser for Home-Start in Suffolk raising an incredible £1,670. Around 55 guests joined us for an afternoon of bridge with delicious tea & cake. Our housekeeper Kimmy did a fine job of keeping everyone replenished and took on the task of selling out the raffle tickets. Some fabulous prizes to be had, kindly donated by Hilton Macarons, Snape Maltings, Pinney’s of Orford, Orford General Store and The Crown & Castle Hotel. We thank them for their kindness and generosity.

As we head into March, there will be a series of talks from local historians and archaeologists in support of Orford Museum. These take place from 16-19 March at Butley Priory starting with Jack Cooke, who talks about his latest book The End of the Road – a journey around Britain in a dilapidated hearse to unearth some of the quirkiest graves, tombs and burial sites that Britain has to offer.

Suffolk county Archaeologist, Edward Martin, leads a talk on the Bronze Age in Suffolk, Angela Care Evans explores the historical significance of the discovery of Sutton Hoo and Professor Mark Bailey discusses the impact of the Black Death in Suffolk in the 1330’s…plus many more interesting talks on offer. Tickets are from £12 and you can find out more info here.

Suffolk Sandlands welcomes its first cohort of guests in March for some metal detecting & treasure-hunting. There are five tours taking place across this year, which are all filling up rather nicely. As before, our guests will enjoy relaxing at Butley Abbey Farmhouse following a day spent in the field. Hosts Andy and John are raring to go again, and we await to see what will be unearthed!

Excitingly, there are a few photography shoots taking place. First up, we’re looking forward to welcoming back Lacuna Child for their children’s-wear photo shoot. The Priory will then be transformed as it becomes the chosen venue for a styled wedding shoot which we can’t wait to see…and finally, the team will be front of camera for some new portraits for the website. You’ll finally be able to put a face to a name. Lights, camera….action!

See you in March!