Hotel wedding venues across the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, where your guests sleep where they celebrate.
A hotel wedding removes more problems than couples expect. Guests sleep where they celebrate, so there are no taxis to arrange and no one driving. Wet-weather cover already exists. There is a kitchen, a licence, a team who have done this hundreds of times, and a bar that does not need hiring in.
What you give up is exclusivity, unless you book it, and some freedom over suppliers. We are direct about which hotels run genuinely excellent weddings, which will quietly seat other guests beside your reception, and where the published package stops and the extras begin.
Comparing settings? Browse our full collection of wedding venues, or explore by country: wedding venues in the UK, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
A hotel wedding can mean a five-star resort or a twelve-room hideaway. These are the ones we plan most often, and what each does best.
Landmark hotels with ballrooms, beachfront terraces, spas and some of the best kitchens on the coast. Everything is on site, the service is polished and guests have a holiday around the wedding, though exclusive use is rare and dates go early.
Historic estates with their own rooms, booked in their entirety. You get the character of a castle or finca with the convenience of a hotel: guests stay on site, the kitchen is in-house and the whole place is yours for the weekend.
Small, design-led hotels in places like Ronda and the white villages of the Serranía, often with fewer than twenty rooms. Perfect for intimate weddings, where you can book every room and the staff know every guest by name.
Country estates that run as small hotels, from the masserie of Puglia to quintas in Portugal. Rooms, pool and gardens are all part of the package, and most work on exclusive use for a long wedding weekend.
Grand country houses with sweeping lawns, panelled rooms and a bedroom for every guest. They are licensed for ceremonies on site, have indoor space for every part of the day whatever the weather, and suit everything from intimate winter weddings to large summer celebrations.
Most hotels sell weddings as a package priced per guest. What it leaves out matters just as much as what it covers, so we read every package with you line by line.
Two hotels with the same price per head can end up thousands of euros apart. The only fair comparison is the full figure, extras included.
Miriam, Wedding Planner
A large resort may host your wedding alongside paying guests, other events and sometimes another wedding on the same day. That is not necessarily a problem, but you should know where the other parties will be, which spaces you have to yourselves and until what time.
Smaller hotels and castle or country hotels can often be booked in their entirety. Castillo de Monda, a restored castle in the hills above Marbella, has thirty five bedrooms sleeping seventy two and is exclusively yours for the celebration, while Finca Monasterio near Sotogrande sleeps seventy across thirty two rooms.
Exclusive use costs more, but it turns the hotel into your house for the weekend: no strangers at the pool, no one else at breakfast and the party ends when you say so.
See all our wedding venues
Guest accommodation is the real advantage of a hotel, and it needs managing. This is how the process usually runs, and where we step in.
The hotel holds a set number of rooms at an agreed wedding rate. We negotiate the rate, the number and the terms.
Guests reserve with a booking code or link. We keep track of who has booked so you are not chasing relatives.
Unbooked rooms go back on general sale, usually one to three months before the wedding. We remind guests well before.
Some hotels ask you to guarantee a minimum. We make sure you are never left paying for empty rooms.
Visit at the time of day your ceremony will take place. The light, and the noise from the pool bar, are both very different at six in the evening.
Even with indoor space on hand, most couples want the ceremony and drinks outside. These figures show when the light is best and how warm it will be, wherever your hotel is.
| Destination | May | June | September | Early October |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall, UK | 9.00pm | 9.35pm | 7.35pm | 6.50pm |
| Edinburgh, UK | 9.20pm | 10.00pm | 7.30pm | 6.40pm |
| Marbella, Spain | 9.20pm | 9.40pm | 8.25pm | 7.55pm |
| Algarve, Portugal | 8.30pm | 8.55pm | 7.40pm | 7.10pm |
| Puglia, Italy | 8.00pm | 8.20pm | 7.00pm | 6.25pm |
| Santorini, Greece | 8.15pm | 8.35pm | 7.25pm | 6.55pm |
Sunset on the 15th of each month (5 October for early October), rounded to the nearest five minutes. Hold the ceremony about two hours earlier.
| Destination | May | June | July | August | September |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall, UK | 15° / 9° | 17° / 12° | 19° / 13° | 19° / 14° | 18° / 12° |
| Edinburgh, UK | 15° / 7° | 18° / 9° | 19° / 11° | 19° / 11° | 17° / 9° |
| Marbella, Spain | 25° / 15° | 29° / 19° | 31° / 21° | 32° / 22° | 28° / 19° |
| Algarve, Portugal | 24° / 15° | 27° / 18° | 29° / 20° | 29° / 20° | 26° / 18° |
| Puglia, Italy | 23° / 15° | 28° / 19° | 30° / 22° | 30° / 22° | 26° / 19° |
| Santorini, Greece | 23° / 17° | 28° / 21° | 30° / 23° | 30° / 24° | 27° / 21° |
Long-term averages from the Met Office (St Mawgan for Cornwall, Gogarbank for Edinburgh), AEMET (Málaga Airport for Marbella), IPMA (Faro for the Algarve), NOAA (Brindisi for Puglia) and the National Observatory of Athens (Santorini). Hillside and garden venues can feel a few degrees cooler than these weather station readings once the sun drops.
| Hotel | Private villa | Dry-hire finca | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest rooms | Many, on site | A few, for close family | Few or none |
| Catering | In-house | Private chef or caterer | Outside caterer |
| Weather cover | Built in | Varies | Marquee or structure |
| Supplier choice | Often restricted | Open | Open |
| Privacy | Shared unless exclusive | Total | Total |
| Pricing | Per guest package | Hire fee plus everything | Hire fee plus everything |
The hotel coordinator looks after the hotel. We look after you, your guests and every supplier across the whole weekend. Read more about our wedding planners and our wedding coordination service below.
As destination wedding planners, we shortlist hotels that run weddings well, compare packages on the full figure, negotiate your room block and manage every outside supplier, so the hotel delivers exactly what was agreed.
Booked the hotel yourselves? Our on-the-day wedding coordinators work alongside the hotel team, confirm every supplier and build a detailed timeline, then run the day so the hotel, your suppliers and your guests are all working to the same plan.
From the moment we spoke with Miriam, we knew our wedding was in safe hands. She took the time to understand exactly what we wanted and created a planning experience that was organised, enjoyable and completely stress-free. Every supplier she recommended was exceptional, and our wedding day flowed perfectly from start to finish. We were able to relax and enjoy every moment knowing everything was under control. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better wedding planner.
Working with Miriam was an absolute pleasure. She understood exactly what we wanted and made every stage of planning enjoyable. We felt supported from beginning to end.
From the moment we found Swish Soirées, we knew we were in safe hands. Planning our wedding from Madrid while organising guests travelling from across Europe could have been overwhelming, but every step was handled with professionalism and genuine care. The venue looked even more beautiful than we imagined, and every supplier was exceptional. Our family still talks about how magical the whole day was.
Read more from our couples on our testimonials page.
Why so many of our couples choose a hotel, and what it takes off your plate.
Guests sleep where they celebrate, so there is no transport to arrange. The kitchen, bar, licence, staff and furniture are already on site, weather cover is built in, and per-guest packages make budgeting simpler. Hotels also give guests a holiday around the wedding, make it easy to host the whole weekend in one place, suit older guests and families, and usually offer better room rates through a wedding room block.
Usually the ceremony and reception spaces, a set menu, a drinks package for a fixed number of hours, furniture and linen, an in-house coordinator and often a room for the couple. Extra bar hours, late-night food, lighting and outside suppliers are commonly charged on top.
Smaller and country hotels can often be booked in their entirety. Large resorts rarely close, but may give you exclusive use of specific spaces. Exclusive use costs more and is easier to secure outside peak season.
Hotels often require you to use their catering and sometimes their florist or DJ. Many allow outside photographers, bands and planners, sometimes for a fee. We check this before you book so there are no surprises.
The hotel holds a set number of rooms at an agreed rate until a release date. Some ask you to guarantee a minimum, which means paying for rooms guests do not book. We negotiate the terms and track bookings for you.
Often, once everything is included. A villa or finca can look cheaper on the hire fee, but catering, furniture, toilets, power and staff all come on top. A hotel package bundles most of these, which makes comparison easier.
The hotel coordinator looks after the hotel. A planner looks after you: your suppliers, your timeline, your guests and your budget across the whole weekend, and makes sure the hotel delivers what was agreed.
A civil marriage in Spain generally needs one partner to be resident, so most couples from abroad marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony at the hotel. Some venues, such as Castillo de Monda, are licensed for civil marriage.
For Saturdays in May, June and September, twelve to eighteen months ahead is sensible, especially for exclusive use. Weekdays and the shoulder months are easier to secure, and winter dates can often be booked with much less notice.
More answers on our frequently asked questions page.
Miriam has six years of wedding planning behind her and an eye for detail that misses nothing. She looks after suppliers, budgets and timings for our couples, and her guides draw on what she sees working on real wedding days.
6 years' experienceSuppliers & budgetsSwish Soirées planner
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