Review: The Roffen Suite, Rochester 3rd Oct 09

This was the very enjoyable wedding reception of Leanne and Nicky Bucknor, a night of Soul, Funk, Latest Charts and Reggae. For the wedding venue hunter in the Rochester area on a tighter budget this may be just the place you are looking for! The members lounge is not huge by any means but the food is good, the service friendly and the furniture is contemporary and comfortable. On the night i used uplighting to give the room a nice cosy feel which worked very well. The dancefloor isnt huge by any means but guests will have plenty of room to dance on the carpeted areas. If you are hoping to enjoy a sit down meal this particular room wont be able to accomodate as it isnt large enough for anything except a buffet but if thats all you are looking for then its perfect. There is a downstairs bar area and nearby access for smokers. The acoustics of the room are very good and the enviroment had a nice welcoming feel to it.

Phil (Choice)
www.choicedj.co.uk

Review: The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells 26th Sep

David Mooneys 40th birthday celebrations went into overtime at midnight as we played an hour over our time thanks to a hugely enjoyable and successful evenings partying. The Beacon is a great venue and an ideal location to host any type of celebration. If your considering hiring the Beacon for your wedding it certainly boasts some spectacular views of rolling countryside. The function room which is totally seperate from the main bar and restaurant has its own private bar and marquee add on which works well if guests want to sit and eat or chat away from the dancing. The staff are very friendly and the food delicious, look out for the BBQ option!

Phil (Choice)
www.choicedj.co.uk

Review: St Augustines Priory, Ashford 12th Sep 09

A stunning and relaxed englished venue with a marquee attached onto the priory and superb photo opportunities. The food was exquisite and the meat cooked to perfection, without a doubt the best meal i have eaten this year anywhere. The staff were friendly, organised and everything ran to schedule. The disco room is also a lovely setting for the evening entertainment and looked stunning with the uplighters i set up on this occasion, i also added water effect lighting which complimented the room very nicely. The one big bonus you get is the black and white acylic dancefloor which cost around £500 to hire, you also get the option to have fairy lights over the dancefloor if you wish (personal preference i suppose). One other thing if your looking for a nice little english touch, the staff also set up croquet on the lawn adjaceant to the drive and guests can indulge themselves in this pasttime if they wish to do so

Phil (Choice)
www.choicedj.co.uk

Review: High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells 14th & 15th Aug 09

High Rocks is a fantastic venue run by some lovely people and there are a number of rooms to choose from to stage your wedding breakfast, reception and civil ceremony. You have the rocks for great photograph opportunities and the staff are friendly and helpful. The food is value for money and with the potential to stage your whole day under one roof it is ideal in most respects, the bride can even arrive by steam train.
High Rocks can be hired for sole Wedding use, ie other Functions but only one Wedding, or totally exclusive Wedding use with the whole venue available for hire.


Phil (Choice)
www.choicedj.co.uk

Review: The Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells 19th Sep 09

The Spa Hotel situated in historic Tunbridge Wells is a quite beautiful venue, the grounds were fantastic for daytime photos, the staff friendly and helpful, the food divine (the bride and groom provided me a meal so I can vouch for it 100%). From my point of view as a performer the Royal Suites acoustics had it all and complimented my 2000watt sound system perfectly. The groom said to me at the end of the night that the sound was "perfectly balanced and as crystal clear as if i was listening to it on my iPOD" so i took that as high praise indeed. There was a large staged area which i filled nicely with my light show and i highlighted the arched windows wih uplighting. Definately one of my if not my favourite venues this summer.

On this occasion we also had a jazz band playing on the lawn during the photographs which was really nice. When the guests entered the wedding breakfast i had arranged for jazz to be playing throughout the meal and following the speeches the bar opens straight away so the reception moves swiftly into place without oo much of a delay due to only 2 or 3 tables needing to be removed. The dancefloor is an oblong shape but suits the room very well and is carpeted over during the day. The night i was there I heard afterwards that there had been some gatecrashers from another wedding party down the coridoor who preferred the music but they were apparantly removed straight away. Although The Spa Hotel has the facility to host 3 weddings on the same day you do still feel like it retains a feel of exclusivity unlike some other venues i have been to that feel more like "wedding conveyer belts" which makes you feel less special.

There is also a lovely lake which is perfect for photos and i also noticed the photographer take some aeriel photos from a staircase running up the rear of the building.

I would highly recommend this venue plus it is ideal if you have any issues with wheelchair access.

Phil (Choice Entertainment)