Attitude’s ultimate wedding venue guide
Looking to tie the knot? As featured in our Love & Marriage special issue, we select the best places and spaces you’ll want to spend your special day…
The Whitehall Hotel – Lancashire
Crisp, white, and minimalist are the key words in this Lancashire hotel. You’ll be treated to the works – glimmering glass chandeliers and an overall rustic feel. Dinner is served in a choice of mouthwatering menu options – we’ll be over here scoffing the profiteroles and eyeing up the Best Man. Warning: Wedding guide comes with frighteningly saccharine poetry and an unfortunate choice of font.
Yes Downton Abbey is filmed here. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to find dead Turks in your bed if you get hitched in this veritable mansion. Seasonal menus, State Rooms, even tours of the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition (no, us neither) are on offer, surrounded by 5000 acres of countryside. And you finally have an excuse to dress Auntie Doris up as Maggie Smith.
Fairlawns Hotel and Spa – Birmingham
‘We just love WEDDINGS!’ reads a caption on this West Midlands hotel’s website, with a touch of aggressive cheer. Fear not though, as the owners are wonderfully practical and experienced, offering huge amounts of support alongside their beautiful rooms and candlelit terrace. ‘Elegant and unfussy’ they call themselves. We like.
– Civil Ceremony Room Hire from £350.00
Rudding Park Hotel & Spa – Harrogate
Everyone loves the Yorkshire Dales, and this beauty is well set among the rolling hills. It boasts its own traditional chapel to get wed in true style, but more importantly there’s a spa, with steam rooms and ‘beauty area’ which sounds delightfully vague. Oh, and the menu includes pigeon. Country life, eh? Prices for Civil Ceremony and Wedding Reception for 50 guests start at £6,750.
Ashton Court Mansion – Bristol
Not technically in Bristol, this North Somerset Mansion has a variety of lounges, halls and music rooms all to be pressed into use – a red carpet unfurls you towards the altar, while outside avenues of trees and circular driveways are all begging to be the backdrop to the wedding pics. There’s even some old fashioned staircases to stand on. If that’s your thing. Prices for 2015 ceremony £475.00, reception prices from £59.95 per guest Sunday to Thursday all year round & Saturdays throughout January February & March.
It was here that George Clooney broke all the gays’ hearts and married a hugely successful human rights lawyer. Who was female. Putting that aside, you can see why he picked this place, the suites are lined with gold leaf, mirrors and chandeliers which apparently glisten with daylight. There’s also a ‘Day After’ option, but no mention of Bloody Marys or ibuprofen. – Packages available for April – September from £95 per person on a Friday or Sunday (min. numbers of 60 adults) to £110 per person on a Saturday (min. numbers of 80 adults)
Blairquhan Castle – South Ayrshire
Yes it’s unpronounceable (‘Blair-cue-an’ we’re reliably informed), but this beauty is a 200 year old bona fide castle. Handcrafted furniture and an option of castle bedrooms or self catering cottages mean you’re in for a luxurious stay. There may be no spa, but the Scottish scenery cannot disappoint and Helen Mirren filmed ‘The Queen’ there, so there’ll still be a little bit of stardust in the rafters. – Prices and fees for exclusive use of Blairquhan Castle start at £3,150
You can either get married in the Orangery with its elegant high ceilings and arched windows or go the whole hog and wed Royal style. We need not talk of the grandeur and architecture, but you can have the reception in the Long Library surrounded by thousands of books. What better way to begin your married life than in the company of knowledge and leather binding. Especially leather. – Prices for Special offer valid for selected dates in January – March 2015: £12,300 including VAT
Apparently this is the castle on the Scottish five pound note, so you know you’re in the money. Serving 18th century realness, this Scottish castle has Georgian interiors, gardens and dungeons. Not to mention a pond that could easily precipitate a Mr Darcy in Wet Shirt moment. Oh, and it’s on the edge of a cliff. #dramatic.
Langdale Chase – Lake Windermere
Get married by the side of Lake Windermere itself amongst the glory of nature. Or, as likely, if it’s a bit too chilly and your fiancé is prone to falling into water, get married inside this beautiful hotel, the grand staircase is the aisle itself and the surroundings are dark elegant oak. The hotel also offers excellent deals, one slightly nauseatingly named ‘Soul Mates Package’. We’re saying nothing.
For those minimalist Londoners among you, Icetank is Mecca. Painted entirely in white with a projector hanging from the ceiling, this extraordinarily flexible location means you can hang gaudy piñatas or keep it plain and simple. Perhaps while wearing white suits and black sunglasses. Style, dahling. A great choice if you’re thinking of a frosty winter wedding.
You mightn’t leap at a venue that calls itself as ‘a vegetarian guest house’, it’s a bit too like your lactose-intolerant friend who uses it to introduce himself to strangers. But this Welsh mansion is yours to hire – fully – so you can merrily run around the place brandishing carrots. There is quality catering (veggie, of course) and the owners seem keen to help you plan it all out. -To hire Over the Rainbow exclusively for the whole weekend (or 2 days in the week) for your ceremony, this will be: £2,385 (valid up to end of 2015).
Pavilions of Harrogate – Harrogate
While unnervingly proud of their free parking, Pavilions of Harrogate is plumply ensconced in the Yorkshire countryside with a variety of rooms to use and twenty wines to satisfy your wedding day thirst. They also offer an experienced duty manager to act as toastmaster – an enigmatic role to be sure, but we can pray he’s attractive. – All inclusive from £4,250 for 50 day guests and 100 evening guests.
Thames Luxury Charters – London
It’s finally time to put one over on Gav and Steve who got married in that damn aquarium. You can get married in a boat! These floating masterpieces offer to cater to your needs perfectly, with excellent catering and impeccable service, not to mention all the ‘tasteful’ photos you can do with the ship’s mast. Oh, and you’ll be floating down the Thames in one of the most famous views on earth. No biggie.
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Promising luxury, vibrancy, and seduction, The Lowry hotel in Manchester gets off to a good start. They offer wedding venues in their Banqueting Suites and have in-house wedding planners and DJs galore, not to mention they suggest you take wedding photographs on Calatrava’s signature bridge. If bridges are your kinda thing. Food wise they boast an ‘escabeche of sea bass’ among their menus. Absolutely no idea.
Finding anywhere in Cornwall that isn’t optimistically termed ‘cosy’ can be a struggle, but at The Green there is space galore. You can hire the whole venue – estate and five star accommodation or rent the smaller house – or even smaller cottage. This charming venue has a ‘Wedding Barn’ which sounds delightfully indicative of barnyard antics. Interestingly, it was the first venue in all of Cornwall to hold a gay wedding – on the day the law changed. – Exclusive use available from £4000, prices vary considerably if choosing just house or cottage.
Fancy somewhere a little bit more out of the way? This Yorkshire venue smacks of the more historic times with its Ye Olde Inne feel. Don’t be fooled, it’s a well equipped elegant wedding place, with the Orangery or Master’s Room to tie the knot in. The menu is good food that wouldn’t look out of place in a gourmet pub and most importantly there’s a giant hot tub. Priorities, after all. – Wedding packages start from £1200.
Risley Hall Hotel – Derbyshire
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Dating from the eleventh century, this Manor House stands proud among seventeen acres of gardens and the marriage feast takes place in The Baronial Hall. Subtle, it ain’t. According to their guidebook they have a ‘brigade’ of chefs (the mind boggles) and a full spa including a heated indoor swimming pool. If nothing else, your cuticles will shine. – Wedding packages start from £2999
Where would a gay wedding guide be without a venue in Brighton? The gay capital has plenty to boast, but drakes – with an annoyingly de-capitalised ‘d’ – excels. Their main attraction appears to be the first night bedroom (a bath in front of floor to ceiling windows, presumably for that emotional public reveal), but a sea facing lounge for the ceremony and exclusive use of the fine dining restaurant seem very attractive. – All-In wedding packages start from £10,000
You have to love any hotel that advertises its ‘cheeky hydro hot-tub’ on the home page, and this Soho beauty does just that. While not exactly big on the wedding scene, they do wonderful parties in The Cinema while you can nip upstairs for a more risqué celebration on the roof terrace. It has a mobile Champagne fridge, so you can feel like a decadent celebrity while supping your bubbly of choice. Dom P. for us please. Extra bubbles.
When you come to London there are so many places to stay, but none have quite as much on offer as Park Plaza Westminster. Situated a stones-throw from The Houses of Parliament this four star hotel along the Southbank has views looking over Westminster Bridge, the London Eye and Big Ben. With on site function rooms, a spa, a number of bars and restaurants and over 50 suites and 500 rooms, Park Plaza Westminster isn’t just the perfect place to hold your wedding ceremony, but for staying on for the honeymoon, too. This wedding venue offers two large function suites with contemporary decor, which can be styled to your preferred theme; the hotel’s experienced wedding organisers can help plan your day right down to the last detail, ensuring a flawlessly delivered celebration. As night falls, you can escape to the tranquillity of a luxurious suite with iconic city views, bringing the party back to you with huge terraces and, of course, 24-hour service.
There’s no need to leave the hotel for dinner with award-winning French restaurant Brassiere Joël by head chef Walter Ishizuka on site. We recommend the steak, followed by a number of their finest cocktails and plenty of champagne – it is your wedding after all. Start your first day as a married couple in the Mandara Spa, we enjoyed a couples massage which is perfect to unwind and relax after the hectic few days leading up to the wedding. With lots of singles and couples treats on offer you’ll be sure to find something to suit your needs. Make your wedding unforgettable with everything Park Plaza Westminster has to offer.
The Grand Railway Hotel is situated right next to Trafalgar Square, and is a perfect setting to tie the knot with your dearly beloved. Beautiful high ceilings, historic opulence and intimate splendour in every room means you’ll feel like you’re in an episode of Dynasty, just make sure there are no Moldavian terrorists lurking about ready to pounce. The magnificent lobby boasts a sweeping marble staircase which is the perfect place to pose for wedding photographs. The lavish hotel also allows you the freedom to choose every detail of your ceremony and reception. All rooms are licensed for civil ceremonies.
If you fancy christening this fab new hotel with a wedding of your own, get cracking now. Opening in Summer 2015, it is an impressive pile in the very heart of London’s west-end, boasting 1920s Art-deco style throughout. The perfect place for weddings as small as 90 guests up to 500. And what’s more, if you’re stuck for ideas, the hotel has its own dedicated wedding planner to help you create your day.
Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey – Los Angeles
A great place for a wedding abroad, especially if you plan on going big, as it can cater for up to 600(!) guests. If you want to get married outside (it’s actually not legally possible in England), there’s the idyllic Rose Garden, which has everything from a sweeping double staircase, a stone waterfall with a koi carp pond to a wrought-iron gazebo. Or there’s the Marina Court, which offers a tiki torch lit ceremony with marina views, and the Ballroom Terrace. Taking things indoors, there are several options from the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom – the hotel’s premier space, accommodating 500 guests – the Marina Vista, which boasts a private verandah with panoramic views, to a selection of salons. Wherever you are in the hotel, you always feel close to the water and it’s impossible to feel anything but relaxed. The full-sized bedrooms come with Juliet balconies, again overlooking the water, and there’s an incredible Club lounge, which provides you with food all day (including homemade cookies from the pastry chef, which we recommend) and plenty of drinks – it’s perfect for the morning after the big day. Wherever you spend your special day, you can be sure that the staff will be looking after everyone with meticulous care.
History is everywhere in this 1575 coaching inn, which houses beams from an Elizabethan galley, an 18th-century wig store and an original Georgian ballroom. It’s in the latter that you can hold your lavish betrothals. If that doesn’t sway you, its George Grill is an acclaimed restaurant serving fresh seafood and local meats. We think our stomach just rumbled.
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Located near Gretna Green – the village where 18th-century couples would elope to get married without consent (Mr Wickham and Lydia Bennet, anyone?) – this elegant stately home will make you come over all Downton. The wedding room is a blend of marble and oak, complete with a huge mirror in front of which you can say your vows (and take a selfie) and there are formal gardens and parkland in which you can also exchange your vows.
It seems somehow appropriate to get married in the place where all marriage records were kept until 1970 and was therefore the lynchpin of many a good Agatha Christie novel. Weddings here are a grand affair with entrances into the public terrace promised, while the reception can be held in the Navy Board Rooms. Aye aye, sailor. Wedding packages start from £4,000.
Bring out your inner thespian by getting married in the Balcony Room, which overlooks the famous Shakespeare theatre and St Paul’s, or in the Underglobe, hidden under the Globe itself. You can choose from a wedding package all sweetly named after famous Shakespearean lovers, although Romeo and Juliet seems a little misplaced… Venue hire starts from £2,400.
Danesfield House, Buckinghamshire
It was here that George Clooney broke all the gays’ hearts by marrying a hugely successful human-rights lawyer. Who was female. Putting that aside, you can see why he picked this place, the suites are lined with gold leaf, and the mirrors and chandeliers apparently glisten with daylight. There’s also a Day After option, but no mention of Bloody Marys or ibuprofen. Packages from £95 per person.