Getting married at an English castle
 

We are thinking of getting married next fall in England. We want to do the whole castle thing and are looking for a castle that not only has overnight stays but also specializes in wedding and will do the reception and catering for you as well.<BR><BR>I found a website about Amberly Castle (about 75miles from London). IT looks terrific, anyone have firsthand experience or have other sugestions? We will be a party of less than 20. Our parents and siblings will be accompanying us for a weekend stay at the castle and then the wedding, then we will take off for our honeymoon which will be spent in London and Paris! I can hardly wait!!!!!!

Have you checked http://www.whollymatrimony.com/Webrings/FAQ.html#ideas ?

Hi Jessica...<BR><BR>Congratulations!!!<BR><BR>My first bit of advice is to think twice about your timeframe.<BR><BR>Most of the good wedding venues in the UK get booked out over a year in advance for every weekend in spring, summer and autumn, even winter dates can be booked up already.<BR><BR>So that's the first point. You may need to look at either weekdays, or further ahead.<BR><BR>I say this from experience, many friends have held their marriages at similar hotels and had to book long long in advance.<BR><BR>The other advantage with weekdays is that some hotels will offer better rates though it may be awkward for some guests to take the time off.<BR><BR>Next thing I would check are the arrangements you would need to make with the local registrar to get married. From memory you will need to liaise with the hotel and the local registrar (who performs the ceremony) to find a date which both have free. For non-Brits it may be harder since you may have to complete various forms etc before the registrar is happy to set a date. I don't know about that one...<BR><BR>Lastly, a few hotels...<BR><BR>We went for a wonderful weekend away recently at the Danesfield House hotel. It's beautiful, the (newly refurbished) rooms are fantastic (ask for these not the older rooms)... the dining is great, the grounds are perfect for photos and there is now a new spa for your use too... It's also not far from London, especially handy for Heathrow I believe.<BR><BR>Another nice hotel is one a friend was recently married in, the Stonehouse Court Hotel in Gloucestershire...<BR><BR>Happy Wedding Planning!<BR><BR>Kavey

ttt

Jessica,<BR><BR>I know you said you were interested in getting married in England. But if you're flexible and open to Scotland as a possible location, I can provide some advice. <BR><BR>I got married at Dalhousie Castle outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, in August 2001. There is a book that helped us considerably called "Beyond Vegas: 25 Exotic Wedding and Elopement Destinations Around the World" by Lisa Tabb and Sam Silverstein. It provides logistics of getting married in many different countries, so it may help you out. <BR><BR>My fiance and I loved the idea of getting married in a castle, and chose Scotland because 1) it's a beautiful country, and 2) we learned it is an easy place to get married as US citizens -- i.e., no residency period (I believe there may be a residency period in England before you can legally be married there).<BR><BR>Dalhousie Castle (www.dalhousiecastle.com) was a fairytale-like setting...absolutely beautiful. The castle is from the 13th century, and is now a hotel. It hosts many weddings and provides food and alcohol...it does not provide the other elements, such as music, photographer, etc., but can provide recommendations of vendors. It is a few miles from Edinburgh, which is a fantastic city...we spent 5 days there with our guests before the wedding (around 20 guests). <BR><BR>If you have specific questions for me, feel free to email me directly.<BR>

The travel channel did a show on weddings a while back and Jane Seymour rents her castle out for weddings. You might want to check on the travel channel site and see if you can find more information...

Re: Amberley Castle<BR><BR>My husband and I stayed there for a weekend break a few years ago, and it was wonderful! Excellent food, the castle is as old as it looks, and the rooms are very comfortable.