862hannahg
Google
My husband and I, along with many of our family and friends, stayed at Relais for our wedding. We had actually visited Relais as a potential wedding venue but ultimately decided it wasn’t quite “us” — it felt very formal and lacked the warmth and more casual feel we were looking for. Nevertheless, we loved the setting and chose the hotel as our base for the celebrations, excited to share the experience with our guests.||About a month before the wedding, we visited in person to make meal reservations and to inform the team about a few late check-ins due to travel. During this visit, once it became clear that I was a bride but that our wedding would not be held at the hotel, we were told, “There can’t be two brides — we already have a wedding booked that day.” We were also asked whether I would be wearing a wedding dress, as apparently only one bride was permitted on the property that day. We explained that we intended to be completely discreet, and that my father would simply collect me from the entrance.||The exchange left us both confused and quite upset — particularly as we had informed the hotel by email five months earlier that we would be staying there as a bridal couple. The situation felt unnecessarily uncomfortable during an already emotional and busy time. Although the secretary assured us he would speak with the director and follow up, we never heard back.||On the day of the wedding, as I was about to leave for the venue, I was chased out the front door by a member of staff asking where my car was — even as my father was reversing in to collect me. It was an awkward and disheartening moment that reinforced the feeling that our presence as a bridal couple was somehow unwelcome.||However, we would like to sincerely thank the female staff, who were consistently kind, warm, and congratulatory — their genuine care meant a great deal to us. Unfortunately, that same warmth was not always reflected by some of the male staff, which was disappointing.||While our wedding day itself was absolutely wonderful, our experience at the hotel left us feeling somewhat unwelcome — as though we were not valued in the same way as other guests. It did cast a small shadow over what should have been a completely joyful occasion.||That said, our family and friends thoroughly enjoyed their stays. They praised the comfortable rooms, the great food, and the beautiful setting.||It’s a shame that what could have been a perfect experience was overshadowed by a misunderstanding that could so easily have been handled with more empathy. Relais is a beautiful property with so much potential to create truly memorable stays — we only wish our experience had reflected that more fully.
