The Wedding Atlas · United Kingdom · Hertfordshire
Getting Married in Hertfordshire
Country houses and parkland estates in the county north of London. Hertfordshire lies immediately north of Greater London and keeps a rural character: chalk downs, river valleys and market towns. Its wedding venues are mostly country houses and estates, from Elizabethan and Jacobean manors to Georgian houses in parkland, Victorian country house hotels and converted farm estates.
Part of the Hertfordshire destination guide.
- Best months
- June, July, August and September
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Hertfordshire on the map
Choose an area to see the venues we list there. Every name is a plain link to its listing.
Hertfordshire
The 6 venues we list in Hertfordshire. Tap a pin to open a venue.
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Our selection
Where we would start
Three of the 6 Hertfordshire venues we list, chosen by our editors to show the range.
Brocket Hall
An 18th century stately home near Welwyn with three wedding locations on one Hertfordshire estate, set around Broadwater Lake and Paine Bridge
Fanhams Hall Hotel
Fanhams Hall is a Grade II listed Jacobean manor house in Hertfordshire, offered for exclusive-use weddings with a civil ceremony licence and landscaped grounds.
Hanbury Manor, A Marriott Hotel & Country Club
Hanbury Manor is a Marriott hotel and country club in a Jacobean mansion with 161 bedrooms, a spa and a championship golf course in Hertfordshire.
People who work here
The owners, wedding directors, planners, photographers and chefs behind weddings in Hertfordshire.
Gaetano Di GiacomoFounder, wedding videographer and photographer, Gaetano Di Giacomo Media Production
Tessa WilliamsFounder, creative director and lead planner, A Touch of Nevaeh
Mirna ConwayFounder and Luxury Bridal Makeup Artist, Makeup By Mirna
Toyin (Tutan) OpebiyiFounder, Tees Bakery
Natalie PorterCake designer and owner, Immaculate Confections
Josephine ParkhillFounder and designer, Josephine Scott London
Mike ReadingsWedding DJ, DJ Mike Readings
Amie BoneCo-founder and designer, Amie Bone Flowers
Claire FestaBaker and cake designer, At Your Wish Cakes
Adrian NealPhotographer, The Studio Without Walls
David ReesFounder and Managing Director, Just Smile Ltd
The Function BandThe band, The Function Band
Tai AdedayoFounder and wedding photographer, Lovexposed Photography
LinaWedding photographer and co-founder, Lina + Tom Photography
TomWedding photographer, filmmaker and co-founder, Lina + Tom Photography
Abigail LucyFounder, creative director, planner and designer, Abigail Lucy Luxury Weddings
Charlotte EliseFounder and planner, Charlotte Elise Weddings & Events
Hannah PerryFounder, Conifer Events
Helen EriksenOwner and Creative Director, Helen Eriksen Wedding & Event Design
DenisCo-founder, Denee Motion
Melinda GillFounder, wedding planner and designer, Luxus Events
Fizz and Groove DJDJ and founder, Fizz and Groove
Jane RiddellWedding planner, Planned for Perfection
Victoria WalkerDirector, Linda Abrahams & Co
Stuart WoodWedding photographer, Stuart Wood Photography
Aimee DunneFounder, Aimee Dunne
Bruce RussellFounder and event planner, Bruce Russell Events
MelanieLead planner, Cranberry Blue
Dale AlexanderFounder and Creative Director, Dale Alexander Events
Charlotte Ricard-QuesadaFounder and Creative Director, La Fête Bespoke Event Planning
A Wedding in Hertfordshire
Country houses and parkland estates in the county north of London
The county suits a wedding where most guests live in or near London. Thameslink trains from St Pancras and the Great Northern line from King's Cross serve its main towns, and the M25 and the A1(M) cross it, so many guests can travel on the day. Guests flying in use Heathrow, or Luton on the county's northern edge.
Because the county is close to London, transfers are short, fewer guests need a room for the night and a weekday date is workable. The areas below describe where the venues sit.
Choosing a setting
Choosing a wedding setting in Hertfordshire
Elizabethan and Jacobean Manor
Hertfordshire has many Elizabethan and early Stuart manor houses, built when the county lay close to the royal courts. Several around Hatfield and Brocket Hall are hired exclusively for events. Their interiors keep original oak panelling, plaster ceilings and formal knot gardens.
Georgian Country House
Houses of the mid to late eighteenth century set in parkland, with avenues, walled kitchen gardens and converted stables. Many host civil ceremonies as well as full weekend hires.
Victorian Country House Hotel
Country houses and hotels built as the railways reached the county in the nineteenth century. Several now host weddings with rooms, a spa and in-house catering, so one venue can look after the whole party.
Converted Barn and Farm Estate
Working and converted farms in open countryside, with barns, courtyards and farmhouse rooms. There are fewer of them than in Kent or the Cotswolds. Several lie close to the A1(M), which helps guests coming from north London and the Midlands.
Historic Abbey and Priory
The county holds several monastic buildings. St Albans Abbey is now the cathedral, and there are ruins at Sopwell and Redbourn. Some converted priory buildings are private venues with licensed ceremony rooms.
Photo: Brocket HallThe season
Weather for outdoor weddings
Very good for outdoor celebrations from June to September, and good in May. Spring and autumn are cooler.
How typical weather and daylight suit an outdoor wedding celebration in each month. Every month can be wonderful for a wedding, especially indoors; this guide is about the weather you are likely to meet outdoors.
The word describes typical weather and daylight for an outdoor ceremony and photographs in that month. It says nothing about whether to marry then. Seasonal guidance is based on historical weather averages. Conditions vary by location and year, so couples planning outdoor celebrations should always consider an alternative indoor setting.
Outdoor ceremonies in Hertfordshire work from May to September, with June to September very good. April and October are cooler with shorter days. The hills around Harpenden are a little cooler than the south of the county.
Sunset is around 9.21pm in mid June and 7.16pm in mid September. October can be attractive for autumn celebrations, although earlier sunsets make ceremony and photography timings particularly important: the sun sets at about 6.07pm in mid October and about 4.41pm at the end of the month, after the clocks go back. In mid December it is about 3.51pm.
Getting there
How guests arrive
Rail and road both serve the county. The M25 and the A1(M) cross it. Estates away from a station are usually reached from the nearest station by a minibus arranged beforehand.
Thameslink from St Pancras and King's Cross. Serves St Albans, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City, and suits guests travelling from London without a car.
Great Northern from King's Cross. Serves Hitchin and Stevenage, for venues in north Hertfordshire. King's Cross is also the London terminus of the East Coast Main Line from Edinburgh, Leeds and York.
London Heathrow (LHR). The usual airport for guests flying in from outside Europe, reached by road along the M25.
London Luton (LTN). On the county's northern boundary, with flights from many European cities. It is convenient for venues in north Hertfordshire.
Where guests stay
Under one roof, or nearby
Guests stay in country house hotels, spa hotels and estate cottages around the county, mostly a short drive from the venues.
Rooms at the venue
Several Hertfordshire estates and country house hotels sleep part or all of a wedding party on site, and some are hired whole for the weekend.
Hotels near the venue
Where a venue has no rooms, guests usually stay in hotels a short drive away. Spa hotels in the county are also used for the days before a wedding.
Photo: Micklefield HallFood and drink
Eating and drinking in Hertfordshire
Food in Hertfordshire is shaped by its market towns, farm shops and gastropubs, and by a brewing tradition in the Lea Valley.
St Albans Charter Market
A market held in St Albans on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with regional produce that includes Hertfordshire cheese and watercress grown in the chalk streams of the Lea Valley.
Hertfordshire brewing
A family brewery in Hertford has brewed there since 1827. A local ale is an option for the bar, and the brewing tradition draws on barley grown on the Chiltern fringe.
Good to know
Before you book
Rail from London
Hertfordshire's main towns, including St Albans, Harpenden and Welwyn Garden City, are on the Thameslink line from St Pancras. London guests can usually travel on the day, so fewer of them need a room for the night. The M1, the M25 and the A1(M) serve the county by road.
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a major Jacobean house and a visit for guests with a free day. It opens seasonally and closes for private events, so the estate calendar needs checking before a visit is suggested to guests.
A commuter county
Many Hertfordshire towns are commuter towns, and their weekday and weekend character can differ. Couples who prefer a more agricultural landscape can look to north Hertfordshire around Hitchin and Baldock, where the market towns are more independent.
From The 5 Star Edit
Stories from Hertfordshire
Visits, real weddings and planning notes from our editors.
Questions couples ask
Before you decide
Is Hertfordshire closer to London than the Cotswolds?
Yes. Hertfordshire's towns are on the rail lines out of St Pancras and King's Cross, while the Cotswolds are reached from Paddington on a longer journey. For a guest list that lives mainly in London, that can mean guests travel on the morning of the wedding instead of the day before.
Do guests need to stay overnight?
Often not, if they live in or near London, because the main towns are on the rail lines from the capital and most venues are a short transfer from a station. Guests from further away, and the wedding party, usually stay at or near the venue.
When is the best time of year for a Hertfordshire wedding?
May and June bring long days and moderate temperatures, and the river valleys and parkland are in leaf. Most guests live near London, so a weekday wedding is workable, because few of them need a room for the night.
How do guests travel to a Hertfordshire wedding?
Thameslink from St Pancras serves St Albans, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City, and the Great Northern line from King's Cross serves Hitchin and Stevenage. Estates away from a station are usually reached from the nearest station by a minibus arranged beforehand. Guests flying in use Heathrow, or Luton on the county's northern edge.
What kinds of venue can a Hertfordshire wedding use?
Hertfordshire has many Elizabethan and early Stuart manor houses, and several around Hatfield and Brocket Hall are hired exclusively for events. There are also Georgian houses of the mid to late eighteenth century set in parkland, and Victorian country house hotels with rooms, a spa and in-house catering, so one venue can look after the whole party. Converted barn and farm estates lie in open countryside, and some converted priory buildings are private venues.
Meet Aura
A planner who has read every venue in Hertfordshire
Tell Aura the setting, the season and the size of your day. She shortlists the venues and professionals that fit, and explains why.
More Wedding Destinations
This guide draws on the venues' own published details, official sources and the knowledge of our editors. Entry and legal information can change, so confirm it with the authority that will marry you before you book.