10 of the best marquee wedding venues
A marquee or a venue with a permanent outdoor pavilion means you can invite everyone you love to join your celebrations
Marquee wedding venues
If your wedding has a long guest list, a marquee or a venue with a permanent outdoor pavilion means you can invite everyone you love to join your wedding celebrations.
1. Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire
With more than 200 years of rich history, Eastnor Castle beneath the Malvern Hills has a trio of richly decorated spaces for different sizes of ceremony, from the Gothic Drawing Room and Octagon Room (80) to the Great Hall (150). You can also exchange vows outdoors in the grounds or at the pretty stone church a short walk away. Eastnor is yours on an exclusive-use basis, so you’ve got the run of the castle and gardens, plus an option for a large marquee on the Lower Terrace, which means you can ramp up the guest list to between 150 and 600 guests.
2. Stanbrook Abbey, Worcestershire
The Callow Great Hall at Stanbrook Abbey was once the original chapel and its soaring ceilings still create a majestic atmosphere for a wedding ceremony (up to 200). Or try the more contemporary, neutral shades of St Anne’s Hall for a smaller guest list (100). If it’s an outdoor setting you’re after, the tranquil Willow lake is super romantic for an al fresco ceremony and, afterwards, you can dance the night away at the permanent Garden Pavilion, with up to 300 for a wedding breakfast and 400 for the party.
3. Bartholomew Barn, West Sussex
A marquee on the gorgeous front lawns at Bartholomew Barn near Kirdford gives you flexibility in numbers, or you can choose to have a ceremony and a wedding breakfast in the oak-beamed barn itself for up to 120. Cute little surprises on the site include The Potting Shed, a private sitting area and bathroom (perfect for a happy couple to freshen up throughout the day) and the octagonal Summer House, another tranquil bolthole for guests who want to escape the dancing, or just enjoy the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
4. Dundas Castle, Edinburgh
There’s been a castle on the same site since the Middle Ages and the impressive Dundas Castle you see today has been standing for two centuries. Its stunning courtyard can host a civil ceremony for up to 200 guests and the same number can party in the Pavilion Marquee until the wee small hours beneath the decorated lights and drapes. For smaller gatherings, you can have a ceremony in the Croquet Room for 80 or The Great Hall within the auld keep for 110.
5. Gants Mill, Somerset
The philosophy at the charming Gants Mill near Bruton is to make you feel as if you’re celebrating in a marquee in your own garden. After your ceremony – both the Gazebo and the Conservatory are licensed for weddings and civil partnerships – all the attention moves to the traditional marquee for the reception and dancing. It’s your wedding, your way, so you can choose your own caterers and there’s no corkage, so you can ship in your own wine! As part of the fun, guests even get a tour of the ancient mill, which is still working.
6. Audleys Wood, Hampshire
Enjoy the great outdoors throughout your celebrations at Audleys Wood with a ceremony beneath the wooden Garden Gazebo and drinks on the terrace or in the grounds. Then there’s the evening do in the Garden Pavilion for up to 200 (which can also host your ceremony if you want to keep all the action in one place). For smaller gatherings, floor-to-ceiling windows in the Conservatory makes a romantic spot to say ‘I do’ in front of 120 guests.
7. Monkey Island, Berkshire
Accessed by a footbridge, Monkey Island is a magically romantic private island on the River Thames at Bray, just five miles from Windsor. Its capacity for indoor wedding breakfasts and receptions is 200, but it can also comfortably host 300+ revellers in its exquisite marquee on the Temple Lawn, which is also the spot for outdoor ceremonies (weather allowing). For many centuries, this was a fashionable retreat for high society, and today still offers your guests the chance to stay over in one of many stylishly designed contemporary bedrooms or suites (up to 40 with exclusive use).
8. Ripley Castle, North Yorkshire
With centuries of elegant history, Ripley Castle in Harrogate is a grand setting for a marquee reception, with beautiful lakes and a deer park with ancient oaks. The ceremony itself can take place in a variety of rooms that celebrate different stages in the castle’s history, from the 16th century oak-panelled Library to one of the later Georgian rooms. There’s a maximum of 120 for a seated wedding breakfast indoors and 200 for the evening, unless you choose the marquee option.
9. Hoar Cross Hall Spa Hotel, Staffordshire
The magnificent ballroom is a lovely spot for a civil ceremony for up to 120 at Grade II-listed Hoar Cross Hall, or you can take the opportunity to have a religious service at the stunning Church of the Holy Angels nearby. There’s a choice of locations for your reception and space for up to 180 in the main building in the evening, or up your numbers to 200 with a marquee. Nearly 100 bedrooms means that many guests can also stay over and join you for breakfast and a big day debrief the next morning.
10. Dunchurch Park Hotel, Warwickshire
Up to 200 friends and family can witness you saying your vows at this stately Midlands house. One of the loveliest spots for a ceremony at Dunchurch Park Hotel is The Carriage Ring in front of the manor house’s Edwardian façade – the place where the carriages would turn when delivering their grand guests in days gone by. The big selling point for large weddings, however, is the permanent Mawsons Marquee, complete with a private bar, which can host 80-400 for a seated wedding reception and 500 in the evening beneath its starlit canopy.
