"we married two weeks ago and kept our reception in the pilot, and honestly we and our guests have only good things to say. we would recommend the venue for everyone. when we were looking for a place to keep the reception, we knew that we wanted a small place with a relaxed atmosphere, so the pubs were immediately at the top of our search list. the pilot immediately impressed us how to place in the opposite to many others that we contacted, they were super fast to respond to any email and really helpful with the information they have provided. they even worked through a re-do of their high-time brochure at the time when we were in planning mode, but they kept us in the loop and were fabulous to help us make the right decisions of the different feeds and drinks they have developed. a new event manager, teck, came on board during this time too and we honestly couldn't be happier about how he did a phenomenal work all the time. the food is delicious, and the portion sizes are huge (especially if you consider that buffets and cakes are served on the evening meal).) we were very happy with the quality and options available, both on the high-time menus and that we could add in other bites from the pub menu even if needed. we also have to visit for a food tasting in advance, and were very impressed that also for the teck all stops with decorated table, printed menus pulled out and even after photos that we had made to ensure that the presentation of foods on the day adjusted to what we saw, we were not fussy about it, but we were certainly impressed by tecks thinking forward and love to detail. there is also an online ordering system, so we all make our menu choices and guest names before the time that dispatch in this whole long list very convenient. teck also let us throw our cake from the day before the high season and pick it up the day after that, which made the coordination super easy for us. as for the venue itself, the Wavesley function room at the back of the pub garden is beautiful. as a rebuilt old stall it has large shiny doors that are perfect for a hot summer day, and they can also book the private use of a garden section. this section is covered, which means not worry about sun or rain, as it works big either away. we had planned to bring a few simple decorations with us for the table, although when we arrived teck had already some really tasteful candles and flowers for us that worked only so much better than what we had planned, and we were really grateful for its excellent styling skills! the room size is also really comfortable as it is large enough to be flexible with the table layout, but small enough to still feel like an intimate place. we had a large asymmetric U-shape, and this turned out brilliant, as it left a beautiful empty space for mingling and high-time games. Finally, we cannot mention that in the night, we had several employees dedicated only to our event, and the absolute stand-out star was ian. he was both superprofessional and happy to be with our sweating and fun, amazingly attentive to all guests, constantly in the eye on all foods and drinks, make sure that no glass ran dry and check with us how the evening generally went. ian was an absolute shade, so friendly and thoughtful, and everyone was hoping he was a highlight of the event. overall we recommend 100% the pilot for any high-time or function, their employees are excellent (especially teck and ian) and their contemplativeness, attentiveness and positiveity will organize their event so easy and a joy when it happens."
