You climb Thornhill Road out of Cardiff and the city drops away below you. By the time you reach New House the whole capital is laid out through the windows, with the Bristol Channel beyond it on a clear evening. Most weddings here run in the Wyndham Suite or out in the garden marquee, and both are built around that view. The light coming in low across the room as the first dance lands is hard to beat from a stage.
New House Country Hotel at a glance
New House is a Grade II-listed Georgian country house, built in the 1730s by the Welsh industrialist Thomas Lewis and sitting up on the side of Caerphilly mountain above Thornhill, a few minutes north of Cardiff. It’s run as a wedding and country hotel by the Town & Country Collective. Couples have two main rooms to choose between - the Wyndham Suite, which holds up to 200 and has the Severn Estuary views and a first-floor terrace, or the Garden Marquee for a similar number out in the grounds, with the Glass Pergola handling ceremonies looking back over the gardens and the city. Catering is in-house, and there are en-suite bedrooms on site including a bridal suite, so the day can start and finish in one place.
Setting up at New House Country Hotel
The weddings we’ve played here have been out in the Garden Marquee, and the load-in is one to know before you book a band that hasn’t done it. Access is via a rear drive - we reverse up to it, then carry the gear down a pathway into the marquee and all the way down to the far end where the band sets up. That last stretch is around the tables, often with guests still lingering after the wedding breakfast, so it’s not a quick wheel-off-the-van job. We build the timing in so the kit is in and line-checked without anyone feeling crowded.
We bring our own PA and lighting and run in-ears - no floor wedges, which keeps the far end of the marquee clean. The band lives at the bottom of the room with the dancefloor in front, so the breakfast tables clear back towards the entrance and the dancing pulls down to our end as the evening turns over.
Recommended band size at New House Country Hotel
For a wedding running up to 200 in the Wyndham Suite or the marquee, we usually play New House as a 5-piece or 6-piece - vocals, guitar, bass and drums with keys, or keys and a second vocal on top. Both rooms have the height and the footprint to take a bigger line-up if you want one, so a brass-led configuration works here for the right party.
How a wedding day flows at New House Country Hotel
Ceremony in the Glass Pergola or the suite, drinks reception out on the terrace or the lawn with Cardiff spread out below you when the weather plays along, wedding breakfast, then the evening turns over into dancing. The view is the venue’s strongest card and the reception spaces are built to use it, so the daytime has a relaxed, open feel before the room tightens up for the night.
Our usual wedding shape is a chilled first set of around 30 minutes - first dance, any father-daughter dance, more of a cocktail-hour feel - then two 50-minute dancefloor sets blended together in our own style. DJ playlists cover the gaps and run on after we finish. The New House team are easy to work with on the day and keep the pacing moving, which matters when a room is turning over from breakfast to party. Music finishes to the venue’s licence, so if you want to push late, raise it with them early.
What we know that helps your day
The marquee does double duty - wedding breakfast and the evening party happen in the same room - so there’s a turnover in the middle where tables clear and the dancefloor opens up at our end. It runs smoothly when the day’s timeline gives the staff room to reset, so it’s worth not squeezing the gap between breakfast and the band too tight. The other one is the hill. New House sits high enough that the weather up there can be its own thing while Cardiff stays dry below, so if you’re leaning on the garden or the marquee, make that call with a proper eye on the forecast rather than assuming it holds.
What couples say about us at New House Country Hotel
We had The Brotherhood at our wedding at New House Country Hotel, Thornhill, Cardiff on 7/5/23, they were absolutely amazing! All our guests commented how good they were. Good communication leading up the big day and very friendly people. We couldn’t have chosen a better band. Would highly recommend!
- Dan Sacchi, May 2023
The Brotherhood are South Wales’ premier wedding band. Check our availability for your date at New House Country Hotel.
