A NEW wedding venue has opened in Worcester - with a quirky theme that with have brides and grooms 'buzzing'.

Oakfield Gardens will allow couples to get married in the former horticultural training site at The River School on Droitwich Road.

After World War Two the school was known as Oakfield Teacher Training College for Horticulture for 35 years.

Visitors came from around the world and at least eight other horticultural colleges are believed to have been founded by people inspired by it.

Business manager Pete Graham has been in charge of creating the new venture as a way of raising extra revenue for the fee-paying school.

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And with seven beehives on site but out of public view, there is a chance for couples to have small jars of honey from the hives as favours.

The couples may even be able to get into the spirit of the theme and potentially could don beekeeping suits for their wedding photos.

The pandemic forced Mr Graham to switch his life DJing around the world in glamorous locations such as California to stacking shelves in Co-op in Kings Norton.

His sister, who has children at the school, mentioned a teaching vacancy.

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"I had taught before and didn't really enjoy it but I thought about it, applied and had an interview.

"I turned up to the school and met the headteacher. I said the grounds were phenomenal and suggested they did weddings."

Though he didn't get the teaching job, the school were keen to hear more about his ideas for the site.

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"My past experience working on events in the UK and my passion for doing something bigger saw them being me on board."

Mr Graham will be responsible for using the site for events outside of term time to maximise its potential.

Now he is excited to welcome couples to this Saturday's wedding fair.

He said Oakfield Gardens are perfect for couples looking for a rustic, boho outdoor wedding venue.

There are two luxury tipis and nine-acres of beautiful Worcestershire gardens.

"It's so beautiful here and because it is a former horticultural site there are lots of rare trees and flowers which will make great backdrops for the wedding."

Covid forced many weddings to be postponed and venues facing a backlog of nuptials.

As a new venue, Mr Graham said they were hoping that they could help couples struggling to find somewhere for the dates they wanted.

"Our main problem is exposure as a new wedding venue but I am excited and hopeful."