Royal Welsh College of Music Wedding Venue
A bespoke wedding venue in the heart of Cardiff.
Set in the grounds of Cardiff Castle
Dedicated and highly-experienced Weddings Officer
Help you plan your dream wedding within your budget
Situated on the river running down to Cardiff Bay
Nestled amongst beautiful Bute Park
Dog friendly in all outdoor areas, including out AHC Courtayrd!
Prices & Key Facts
Prices
Price Band: ££ - £££
Based on a typical wedding reception for 80 guests, including venue hire, wedding breakfast, drinks package and evening buffet.
Capacity
Guests for a ceremony: 200
Guest Capacity (min/max): 20 / 300
Guests for sit down meal: 20 - 200
About Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
A stunning wedding venue based in Cardiff, South Wales, and nestled amongst Bute Park and the historic Cardiff Castle grounds. A bespoke venue which can be moulded into the wedding venue of your dreams.
The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is set in the grounds of Cardiff Castle, bordering one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the UK.
The college houses two unique buildings, forming one of Cardiff’s most sought-after locations for that very special day. The first is Cardiff Castle’s historic stables building. Its open-air courtyard and two elegant rooms accommodate up to 80 guests. Situated on a magnificent tree-lined avenue, you and your guests can arrive within Bute Park by car, horse and cart, or even water taxi!
The second is the magnificent glass-walled hall and terrace overlooking the park - a magnificent backdrop for your photographs and your champagne reception! For larger weddings of up to 200 guestss, the hall leads to a world-class concert hall and theatre, perfect for a ceremony with a difference. Together with the glass atrium, bar and dance floor, up to 300 guests can enjoy a truly wonderful evening reception and party at this highly sought-after venue.
From 2023, we are also delighted to be able to host blessings in our Atrium Foyer for up to 120 guests! We're also very excited that for those of you who would like to tie-the-knot outside, we'll also be hosting ceremonies on both our open-air terrace (50 guests) and open-air courtyard (100 guests).
The Details
Type of Ceremony
Civil ceremony licensed
Humanist / Celebrant weddings
Receptions Only
Outdoor Ceremonies
Venue Setting
City
Woodland
Town
Venue Type
Castles & Palaces
Exclusive use
Schools, Colleges & Universities
Unique & Unusual
Intimate Venue
Historic
Outdoor / Garden
Additional Facilities
Dance floor
Live music permitted
Discos permitted
Wedding coordinator
Licensed bar
Bespoke weddings
Dog friendly
Good Disabled Access
Outdoor ceremonies
Catering Options
Inhouse Caterers
Vegan
Contact & Location
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Castle Grounds, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ER, Cardiff, United Kingdom
FAQs
Yes! We only host one wedding at a time and only out of term-time, therefore your venue will be exclusively yours! We also employ door staff for the evening on your behalf, who are always very polite and welcome your evening guests with a smile.
Yes - we have four licenced locations across our venue for your ceremony.
Yes we can! We can host outdoor ceremonies on our open-air terrace or our historic courtyard. Our floor-to-ceiling windows in our entrance foyer will also bring the outdoors in during your wedding breakfast and drinks reception!
We do charge a small fee for corkage. Our corkage is only charged on consumption and covers all glassware and serving staff.
Our in-house Catering Manager will discuss your ideal menu and can suggest ideas to inspire you for the day and evening. We supply all tables, chairs, cutlery, crockery and linen.
You'll work closely with the on-site wedding coordination to organise a timeline for your wedding day. You'll have access from the morning of your wedding and we recommend 4-5 hours for set-up. Our wedding coordination will be on-hand to aid with set up so that the happy couple don't have to worry about a thing!
Our bar is licensed to serve until 00:30am.
As a music college with no immediate neighbours, there are no noise restrictions for live bands!
No firewords or flames are allowed on the premises. Sparklers are allowed at the entrance to the venue for a great photo opportunity (see our instagram for examples! @RWCMDweddings).
Biodegradable confetti is allowed and we have many locations for your confetti throw moment!
No naked flamed are allowed on the premises.
We do not have a honeymoon or bridal suite however we are able to offer a private room with toilet facilities, shower and sofa for the bride and groom to retire to for a moment of reflection and freshen up.
We do! Your four-legged besties are allowed in all outdoor areas of our venue, including the historic Anthony Hopkins Centre Courtyard! Take a stroll through Bute Park where your photographer can get some amazing snaps of your pooch, before retiring to the AHC Courtyard for some champagne and paw-secco!
Unfortunately we aren't able to accomodate overnight guests however we are in the heart of Cardiff with the city centre only being a 15 minute walk away so there is an abundance of choice for overnight accomodation.
The city centre is only a stones throw away for all your accomodation needs!
Our experienced technical team can create bespoke lighting and sound effects for your ceremony, reception and party.
A wide range, from quartets to jazz bands. We have some of the most talented musicians and all are available through our ‘Hire a Performer' service.
We have spaces for blue-badge holders and there are large car parks adjacent to the College (free after 8pm). We are city centre based so we are very accessible with taxi and public transport links to your accomodation.
We are not registered for official ceremonies in the foyer, however we are able to conduct blessings in the Atrium Foyer. (However, watch this space for 2024...!)
Our Sustainability Commitments
We are a sustainably conscious venue, with a pledged to be 100% carbon neutral by 2040. We source our ingredients locally to reduce our carbon footprint, and strive to reduce our food waste by working with our couples to make sure that we don't over-cater for the evening reception. We also have lots of add-ons to borrow or hire so that our couples aren't purchasing may of the same items, which could be reused (such as painters easels, a royal mail post-box, and chrome number stands).
Customer Reviews
8 reviews