Are you quirky and unconventional? Does the thought of getting married in a traditional venue bore you to tears? If that’s the case you may well be thinking about a destination wedding – but before you consider jetting off, take a look at some unique and unusual wedding venues that are a little closer to home…
The Tree House at The Lodge on Loch Goil
If you want a romantic and intimate wedding ceremony with just your closest friends and family then check out The Tree House. With room for just 24 guests, you’ll have to have a highly selective guest list and can be married here in a civil ceremony or by a minister from the Church of Scotland. Serve afternoon tea afterwards and enjoy the glorious views of the Loch and the mountains, with a wood-burning stove creating a cosy atmosphere on winter afternoons. The Lodge is just an hour’s drive from Glasgow and you can stay at the main house. And the food is amazing!
The Artists’ Beach House, Whitstable, Kent
Marry here on the verandah overlooking the sea, or if you’re planning a winter wedding, then say your vows in a civil ceremony by the cosy fireside.
The Beach House can accommodate up to eight guests for an overnight stay and will seat 25 guests outside or you could have a wedding picnic on the beach, watching the seals frolic in the water. The beautiful clapperboard house was built in 1906 and has a wonderful vintage atmosphere – it’s also very secluded and on a private sea road.
The Shark Aquarium at Alton Towers
Maybe you’d like to get married underwater surrounded by exotic fish but can’t scuba dive or stretch to a wedding in the Great Barrier Reef? Well, you could get married at the Alton Towers resort and then hold a wedding breakfast to remember in the Shark Aquarium instead!
There would certainly be plenty of entertainment on offer for your guests as they watched sharks, shoals of fish and rays glide about above their heads. We think this would be a particularly good location if you’re having children at your wedding.
The Old Lighthouse at Dungeness, Kent
Looking for a room with a view for your big day? It would be hard to better getting married in this Grade II listed building, with its far-reaching views of the English Channel.
You can say your vows anywhere between the gallery and the bridge level (30 people will fit in). Certainly a memorable location that will cause comment when the invitations arrive! Just make sure none of your guests suffer from vertigo!
The Bluebell Railway
Running through the pretty countryside of Sussex, this is a romantic old-style steam locomotive line. Although you can’t get married on the train itself, you can marry in the atmospheric Wedding Room at Horsted Keynes Station and then hire the Golden Arrow Pullman for your wedding breakfast.
Have drinks on the platform while you all wait to embark and then get into your carriage to be whisked away on a romantic journey, enjoying the festivities while you watch the countryside roll by outside your window.
Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
Fancy yourselves as movie stars on your big day? Well, why not live the dream and get married at Pinewood Studios in Iver, Buckinghamshire?
Some classic films have been shot here, including many of the James Bond movies and the whole location has a vintage, retro vibe. Hold your wedding in both the manor house, Heatherden Hall, and specific film and TV studios. Great for a themed wedding – just think what you could do with your wedding invitations!
