wake venue in suffolk: planning a wake, celebration of life or funeral tea at the harbour room, levington.
Wakes, Celebrations of life or Funeral teas-n every one in a deeply personal occasion and every family has an idea of how they would like to honor the memories of their late loved one, with the people that they held closest.
At The Harbour room we understand that no two gatherings will be the sane and in In this post, I will cover some of most frequently asked questions and explain how we can help.
Personal touches
Firstly- we understand that every family has a different idea of what a wake should look like. Some families organise vibrant gatherings with photo boards, live music, favourite food and drinks, special trinket items, items to take away, art made by the deceased; where some prefer a quieter gathering with simple buffet with tea and coffee.
Every time we will be happy to accommodate and will always offer your time to visit us beforehand to set up or advise us where you would like items to be placed for your arrival. We also can leave space for any flowers that you would like to bring from the service.
Putting a number on it
One of the most common questions we hear is “How many should we cater for?”
Unlike other events, a funeral wake isn’t normally an event you would RSVP to, so we completley understand that trying to put a number on catering can be extremley difficult.
To make things as straightforward for you we try to give as much flexibility as possible, not needing final numbers for catering until three days before. If there is left over food, we will always encourage you to take it home and offer takeaway boxes as standard. If you have a few extra guests arrive, we can provide extra plates and cups for tea and coffee to ensure everybody feels welcome.
Catering options
All of our catering is freshly prepared on site and with this, it means we can easily adapt menus for dietary requirements, preferences or family favourites. If you head to our Menu page, we offer a range of options include A standard, premium, afternoon tnea and grazing buffet, but if there is something you would prefer - please do just ask. Unfortunatley we do not offer a dry hire where you can cater yourselves, however, if we do allow you to bring items to be added onto the buffet- recent additions have included the persons favourite biscuits and werthers originals.
Exclusive use
Unlike a lot of other venues, we offer exclusive use for you and your guests, this includes our beautiful venue, private toilet facilities, sun drenched patio area with seating and a staffed fully licensed bar. Having this private space, means that you are your guests can feel relaxed and able to have the space to be able to remember your loved one, without Joe Bloggs holding up the bar or the main landline ringing every five minutes. Our experienced team will be more than happy to help with anything and will ensure you and your guests are cared for.
Music, Readings and Slide shows
As mentioned above, there is no right or wrong way to hold a a funeral wake and we will accomodate wherever possible. We have a small bluetooth speaker which you are more than welcome to use, others have brought tv screens or laptops for slide shows. If you would like to have readings then do let us know so we can ensure no music is playing or background noise is interfering.
Accessibility and Parking
Although we are tucked away in Suffolk Yacht Harbour, we are only a five minute drive from Seven Hills Crematorium, we are easily accesible from the A14 and links to the A12 are close by. We can easily be located from Felixstowe, Ipswich, Woodbridge and Colchester. Parking is available in the harbour itself, we just ask that guests leave space for the cranes as the harbour is busy working all year round. We have ramp access and disable friendly toilet facilities too.
The Booking Process
If you would like to book with us, we offer a super simple booking process and have no hidden costs. We ask for a £100 deposit to secure the date of your booking with an estimate of number of guests. We then do not need formal numbers until three working days before your event, giving you plenty of time. We also offer last minute bookings if we have availability. Invoices can be sent direct to the organiser or, we are happy to liase with funeral directors or solicitors.
Get in touch
Call us on 07919561783, send an email to bookings@theharbourroom.co.uk or send an Enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We can cater for guests seven days a week, and will always try to accomodate your date.
We understand that organising a funeral can be very overwhelming and it is a difficult time for you and your family. We try to make organising a wake as less stressful as possible and will try and accommodate all requests where feasible. When you are ready please get in contact to ask any questions, organise a visit or see if a date is available.
KB