If you have ever seen the film About Time, you may have romanticised the simplicity of a home wedding- albeit without the torrential rainfall, guests all-but-soaked to the bone and a particularly unhappy looking Tom Hollander. If you have the option, there are probably more benefits to tying the knot in the comfort of your -or a family members- home than you may think. Think zero venue hire, no time-limit, an exclusive and meaningful guest list, and less pressure to be perfect. After all, what is more relaxing than being at home?
Here, we’ve collated some of our most luxurious homes most suitable for home nuptials.
Tasburgh Hall, Tasburgh, Norfolk
This Neo-Jacobean Manor House sits on a compact country estate totalling 23 acres, so there’ll be no concerns about whether you can host a swarm of all your Dad’s friends as well as your own, never mind the circus style tent you might have been planning on. There is a delightful array of garden features for your guests to explore in the dreaded in-between of ceremony and dinner: topiary gardens, a stocked fishing lake (you supply the rods, and they supply the dinner?), formal landscaped gardens, tennis court for the kids, and acres of beautiful parkland replete with a historic monument for photo ops.
Think strings of lanterns between topiary and orchard, leading your guests to the tent where they’ll wine and dine, or perhaps, if you wanted to keep things indoors, the house certainly delivers on that front too. With six reception rooms, as well as an ornate dining room, there is enough choice should you choose a winters day over a summers one. And if you need to house the family, the eight bedrooms and two-bed gatehouse will get the job done with ease.
A perfect option for anyone flying into Stanstead, or driving, with the A11 on nearby for easy transport. And with enough garaging to cater for eight vehicles, you won’t get any complaints from your uncle about his classic car getting scratched. Again.
6 Bedrooms | 2 Bathrooms | 4 Reception Rooms
Offers in Excess of £1,850,000
For Sale with
Rohrs & Rowe, Cornwall
Broomshields Hall, Satley, County Durham
Ah, Broomshields Hall. Nestled in a wildlife rich landscape with no neighbours (the party needn’t end at midnight, folks!), this five bedroom property combines classic Georgian style and all the romance and charm of a fairytale. With plenty enough green space for a smart dining tent for a bigger wedding, and cosy enough indoors to suit a smaller, intimate vibe, Broomshields is a versatile option for a wedding of any size. A tennis court will keep those not lending a hand busy- unless you wish to turn it into a temporary car park- and there is plenty of exploring to be had in the surrounding woodland for bored teens looking for phone signal or a break from their parents dance moves.
The pretty Gardener’s Cottage offers extra accomodation atop the existing five bedrooms, and even an artists workshop. Perhaps the little ones could be making art while the speeches are going on. There’s an incentive for hired childcare, if ever we’ve heard one.
And at the end of the night, a perfect cosy drinks room that formerly served as the Doctors office during the war is the ultimate space for cigars and whiskey- your Dad will be comfortably regaling folks with his well-oiled tales at the end of the night with a top-shelf whiskey in hand. All the little details, taken care of.
18.35 Acres | 5 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 5 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £1,750,000
For Sale with
Finest
Boldre Grange, Boldre, Lymington, Hampshire
If you lived in this house, we would generally assume you’d be hosting parties and celebrations every week. There’s ne’er a home so perfectly suited to the gathering of friends, family, and your cousins latest girlfriend, than Boldre Grange. Sporting 10,000 square feet and 22 acres of land for a full circus- nevermind just a tent- and ten cavernous bedrooms with six wholesome reception rooms, it won’t matter if the British weather starts to turn silly. Adaptable, flexible, and with an historical charm that most brides to be long for, Boldre Grange is seriously ready to pop some corks.
The numerous arched ceilings have us utterly entranced, while there’s enough space for the private caterers to really run amock in the kitchen. Outside, the full work of the original eminent architect Richard Norman Shaw RA is on glorious display. A stone entrance is a perfect shot for the confetti explosion, while we imagine the wisteria garden at dusk an utterly magical location for some couples portaits.
22 Acres | 10 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 6 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £6,950,000
For Sale with
Spencers
Hindley Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland
Likewise, Hindley Hall is a high-specification country house sitting on nineteen acres in Stocksfield, and seems as if it were built for such an occasion, with magical, fairytale exteriors and plenty of space for a larger guestlist. With an enclosed courtyard you may mistake for something from a Tuscan villa and sweeping open-plan interiors and pocket doors giving flexibility against the British weather, you surely can’t go wrong. The addition of a snooker table, tennis court and sauna gives an element of luxury you could otherwise be missing elsewhere.
Buy that flower arch now, you’ve found the one.
19 Acres | 5 Bedrooms | 5 Bathroom | 4 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £2,500,000
For Sale with
Finest
Severnbank House, Shrawley, Worcestershire
Beyond the gate and up a formal carriage drive is Severnbank House, imposing upon a small elevation with a hidden treasure trove of sleek modern design within. Staying outside, however, there is a secluded pool terrace, wrap around gardens, fine parkland ground beyond a ha-ha wall and 12 acres of land, meaning options really are endless.
Inside, perfectly designed interiors, comfortable sitting rooms and eight generous bedrooms keep the planning easy. The benefit of living where you’re hosting? No venue hire. Spend it on an events planner instead, sit back, and watch your dream day unfold. This exceptionally crafted Georgian home gives the understated day you’ve been hoping for.
12 Acres | 8 Bedrooms | 5 Bathrooms | 4 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £2,250,000
For Sale with
Morgan Aps, Worcestershire & Surrounding Counties
The Old Vicarage, Newgate, Barnard Castle, County Durham
While some homes shine whatever the weather, it’s safe to say The Old Vicarage is summer wedding perfection. This six-bedroom, seven-reception room Grade II Listed former vicarage gives a sense of holy grandeur to your nuptials while offering absolute freedom of choice. The rolling green lawns are ideal for a lazy drinks reception while you have pictures taken against a backdrop of endless blue skies. Don’t even worry about the caterers, that six door AGA will take care of everything.
6 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | 7 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £1,750,000
For Sale with
Finest
Glazebrook House, South Brent, Devon
It may seem a little unfair on the other properties on this list to include Glazebrook House. After all, it is literally designed to host exclusive celebrations. With acclaimed interior designer Timothy Oulton to thank for the creative interiors, and nine bedrooms designed to perfect specification for guests, Glazebrook House literally has you covered. With a kitchen that strikes the balance between function and warmth (the five door and double stove top AGA won’t have you missing a plate) and its very own bar, and an array of chandeliers dotted across the property, this one delivers taste, practicality and style in droves.
Seated in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, three acres of moody, craggy tors and gentle woodland glades interwoven by streams and rivers means that magic is never far away from the day of your dreams.
3 Acres | 9 Bedroom | 9 Bathroom | 6 Reception Room
Guide Price £2,000,000
For Sale with
Signature Spaces, Devon
Stevenson House, East Lothian
If you fancy sharing your special day within a haven for wildlife, this one might be for you.
We’re not saying there’s a zoo on site, but sightings of roe deer, brown hares and a variety of bird species are anything but rare at this beautifully restored 16-century country residence, Stevenson House. Dating back to circa 1560, expect gigantic rooms and hallways wide enough to waltz down, should you wish. Period features spanning centuries are on full display, and with over 16,5000 square feet to roam, you won’t be on top of each other.
The real bonus is an additional two properties that can house your additional guests requiring a little more privacy, but you might have to think about where your estate staff are going to stay, if you have them!
With Edinburgh only 30 minutes away, you’re never far from the action. Think a wedding eve dinner at noto in the city, and then the quintessential a country estate wedding the next day: the best of both worlds. The morning after, clear your head with a refreshing hand-in-hand walk with your beloved along a tranquil stretch of the River Tyne, into mature woodlands for a little bit of post-party serenity. Take a slow stroll through arched walkways, where your photographs were taken the night before, and await the coming days of joy and togetherness. We’re not crying. You are.
22 Acres | 8 Bedrooms | 8 Bathrooms | 8 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £5,250,000
For Sale with
Ellisons, Edinburgh & Lothians
The Old Rectory, Church Lane, Yielden, Bedfordshire
Immaculate tradition and classical interior design is the name of the game at The Old Rectory. Think sumptuous bedrooms suites for the bridal party, opulent-yet-cosy reception rooms for late night wind-downs, and a conservatory that keeps the party moving in and out, all night long.
Practically speaking, another five-door AGA (we’re sensing a pattern, here) keeps the party food warm and a games room with billiard table keeps the tiddlers busy until bedtime, whereafter a small bar will take over far more grown-up proceedings.
The gardens at The Old Rectory are impeccable, and impeccably suited to a celebration, where garden games can keep the hand not holding a drink busy, and a stunning pool could perhaps tempt the groom in the wee hours of the evening to dive bomb the remaining guests who are still awake.
And yet, there is a homely charm to this property that we think would suit a more intimate affair.
Think: dinner and drinks pairing the night before, with a slightly chaotic family wedding breakfast the morning of. The bride prepares upstairs while guests amble down to the ceremony space in front of a verdant arch interlaced with her chosen florals, and parents do their best to keep their kids from jumping in the pool too early. The ceremony is personal and filled with in-jokes, and beyond that, people gather in the cosy drawing room for speeches, knees tucked with wine glasses balancing on their lap. The end of the night is spent talking to friends about the future, barefoot and ready to embark on the next chapter.
Some people need grand days. But the finest memories? They live in the smallest, most human moments of perfection.
10 Acres | 6 Bedrooms | 3 Bathrooms | 3 Reception Rooms
Guide Price £2,600,000
For Sale with
FitzJohn Estates, Bedfordshire
So, perhaps you don’t want the fuss, or the travel arrangements. Maybe you want, for this one day of your life, for everyone to come to you. After years of travelling abroad for honeymoon and three-day weddings, perhaps you just don’t want to pack anything for your own. Wake up in your own bed, have the day of your dreams, with family squashed into the living room for speeches while unexpected rain lashes at the windows, and kids playing out in the garden they know well. Curate your own playlist and wake up the next morning to nurse your hangover in the best way you know how. At home.