Fairy tales and romance are two descriptions that spring to mind when thinking about castle wedding venues and none could be more romantic than the turrets and towers of Castell Coch, at Tongwynlais, just a couple of miles north of Cardiff in the Principality of Wales, UK.
This gothic-style castle, named in the Welsh language meaning ‘the Red Castle’ is precariously perched high above the surrounding landscape and, lit up at night, presents a delightfully romantic image for travellers driving north along the A470 towards Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil.
Drawing Room at Castell Coch
Its entrance is through a driveway of overhanging trees and wooded glades that present a darkened vista to those approaching the castle. In the springtime the ground is carpeted by crocuses and myriads of daffodils that give way to the indigo carpets of bluebells each year: a popular place for local people to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
The castle itself was never actually built as a home, fulfilling the dreams of the 3rd Marquis of Bute as a country retreat when he arranged for its building in 1890, based on a design by W. Burges. The charity Cadw now maintains the upkeep of Castell Coch as part of their Welsh heritage and historical monuments.
The Civil licence was granted to Castell Coch as a legal venue for weddings to be solemnised, although, in the case of Castell Coch, there is no adequate space for the reception to be held. The lavishly decorated drawing room is the room licensed for wedding to take place, with room for just 30 guests.
For weddings held here between Mondays to Fridays the wedding will cost £470, whilst Saturday or Sunday will cost £570. This covers the hire of the drawing room only and nothing else. You have to make additional payments to the Registrar to perform the actual ceremony as well as various other payments to allow a civil wedding ceremony to take place.
Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire
castle wedding venues
Whereas Castell Coch is clearly one of the most romantic castle wedding venues in Wales, Sudeley Castle makes a similar claim to being one of the most romantic castle wedding venues in England. The home of Lord and Lady Ashcombe, Sudeley Castle sits nestled snugly amongst the gentle hills of the Cotswold countryside in Gloucestershire, England. Perhaps not as overtly fairytale as Castell Coch, this castle is certainly in a league of its own and it is clearly a glorious location for any bride and groom to spend their special day.
Each one of the many rooms are sumptuously appointed, truly elegant and richly decorated, the whole castle set amongst 1200 acres of gardens and well-maintained parkland which makes it a perfect location for photographs to be taken. Sudeley Castle was the location of the very private wedding of Liz Hurley to Arun Nayar on 2nd March 2007. Weddings can take place in the Library which has room for 50 guests, the Banqueting Hall that can hold up to 80 guests, or the Chandos Hall which has room for up to 50 guests. A Plethora of Castles
There are so many venues you can choose as castle wedding venues and, if you have plenty of money available, the choice of castle wedding venues is enormous. While I have only discussed two very special castles in this article, most of the other castle wedding venues are run along very similar lines, most offering function facilities as well as being available as licensed premises for civil weddings to be held. Scotland, especially, has innumerable castles although there are stately homes and fairytale settings dotted throughout the British Isles, any one of them suitable as a delightful backdrop for the perfect wedding.
Are you planning a Castle Wedding, then visit 5starweddingdirectory.com for many more options.
This article is copyright 5 Star Wedding Directory
