For the ultimate in romance, couples can marry inside the ruined medieval castle or in an 18th-century pavilion beside a lake in the wooded grounds. The magnificent rolling landscape offer an exquisite & picturesque backdrop for wedding photography.
As a country, the UK is well known for it's historical buildings, and none of these is more magical than a castle. For those hoping for the ultimate fairytale wedding day, then a castle wedding venue is the best location to get married. With historical beauty, Gothic fortresses and banqueting halls, having a castle wedding is the ideal way to feel like royalty on your special day.
Most castle wedding venues in Wiltshire will have a civil ceremony license, allowing you to get married legally in one of their rooms or in the grounds. If you want to marry in the castle grounds, make sure you confirm with the venue that they are licensed for outdoor ceremonies. If your chosen castle venue aren't licensed to hold civil wedding ceremonies, then you can always enquire about holding your civil wedding ceremony at a registry office nearby or having a humanist ceremony, before having an unforgettable wedding reception at the castle.
Many castles have a chapel or church on site, which is where its inhabitants would have religious services. This means that you may be able to have a religious wedding ceremony without leaving the castle grounds! If there isn’t a church or chapel on site, then there may be one close by. When making your enquiry with your chosen castles make sure you ask whether it is possible to have a religious wedding ceremony on site.
If you are looking for a wheelchair friendly wedding venue, then you will be impressed by how accessible castle venues can be. Most castles will be a tourist attraction in their local area and is therefore important that wheelchair users can be accommodated. However, there may be steep towers or areas where this isn’t possible. Be sure to ask your venues ahead of time if accessibility is top of your priorities list.
You may be surprised at how affordable a castle wedding venue in Wiltshire can be. Even huge palaces and historical monuments don’t always need an enormous wedding budget, so it’s always worth enquiring. For those on a strict budget and need to save money on your castle wedding, then opting for a midweek package or marrying in an off-peak season is a brilliant way to cut costs.
Castles in Wiltshire are perfect for couples who don’t want to do lots of decorating at their wedding venue. After all, they’re often sumptuously decorated in the first place. With striking artwork, historic suits of armour and unique architecture, a castle's original decor is impossible to reproduce. However, as they’re often listed buildings, there may be restrictions as to how you can decorate. It may not be possible to hang certain decorations, with many castle's not permitting paper confetti.
A classic fairytale wedding theme works wonderfully for a castle venue. Think horse-drawn carriages, ball gown wedding dresses, shimmering chandeliers and deep red roses and you have the perfect castle wedding theme.
If you’re a history lover, then a medieval wedding theme is also perfect for a castle. Castles in Wiltshire often have recommended entertainers such a falconers and dancers that are ideal for this, and a fabulous medieval feast will have your wedding guests in love with your castle wedding.
We also find that Christmas is a beautiful time for your castle wedding, as castles are often richly decorated for Christmas with candles, trees and traditional touches. Take advantage and have a beautiful winter wedding in a castle!
Elaine has over 8 years of experience working with wedding venues, and advises many of the top hotel and venue brands on their wedding marketing. She has a deep understanding of statistics that can accurately predict the online populaity of a particular venue and she is happy to share that knowledge with wedding couples and venues.
