Country houses, barns, castles and coastline across England, Scotland and Wales, with the legal ceremony at your venue and every guest within a drive.
Country houses, barns, castles and coastline across the UK, planned by a team who also plans weddings abroad.
Not every couple wants to marry abroad, and a good number of the weddings we plan are at home. The UK has some of the most beautiful wedding venues anywhere: country houses and estates, converted barns, castles, gardens for a marquee, city hotels and coastline, all within a drive of your guests.
A UK wedding means no flights or passports, no guests dropping out because of the cost of travel, and a guest list that can include everyone. The legal side is simpler than almost anywhere in Europe, because licensed venues can host the legal ceremony itself.
What we bring is the same team and the same method we use for weddings abroad: a planner who knows where the problems are before they arrive. We compare wedding venues in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy and beyond, so if you are weighing up home and abroad, we can cost both properly.
We plan weddings in every corner of the UK, and across the Irish Sea, coordinating suppliers remotely as standard.
The UK's range is enormous, from a hundred-guest country house weekend to a twenty-person elopement in the hills.
The UK is the simplest place we work for the legal ceremony, because your venue can host it. There is no separate trip to a town hall and no documents to translate.
The rules differ slightly between England and Wales and Scotland, and the key thing in both is to give notice in good time, as registrars book up in peak season.
| England & Wales | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | At your local register office, at least 29 days before | To the registrar where you marry, at least 29 days before (10 to 12 weeks advised) |
| Where | A licensed (approved) venue, including its grounds | Almost anywhere, with a registrar or celebrant |
| Who marries you | A registrar, or a religious minister | A registrar, or a religious or belief celebrant |
Rules can change, so check the current requirements with your local register office or the General Register Office before you book.
It is the reason couples look abroad, and it deserves an honest answer. Even in August, a UK wedding needs a wet-weather plan that is genuinely good, because you may well use it. That means covered space you would be happy to be photographed in, not a corridor, and it is the thing couples most often underinvest in.
May to September is peak season, with long light evenings and the best chance of sun. Winter weddings cost considerably less, have far better availability and can be magical with candles and firelight. See our winter weddings guide.
| Month | Average high | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| May | 17°C | High |
| June | 20°C | Peak |
| July | 22°C | Peak |
| August | 22°C | Peak |
| September | 19°C | High |
| October to April | 8°C to 14°C | Lower, with better prices |
Approximate averages for southern England. Scotland runs a few degrees cooler.
The average UK wedding now costs £20,604 (Bridebook, 2026), or £21,990 according to Hitched's 2026 survey. Venue hire averages around £6,040 before catering, and per-head catering and marquee costs tend to run higher than in southern Europe. The saving is in travel, since nobody is buying flights or a week's accommodation.
| Destination | Typical venue cost | What the figure covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Around £6,040 | Average venue hire, excluding catering | Bridebook 2026 Wedding Report |
| Spain | About 53% of a €25,183 average wedding | Venue and reception (banquet) together, average 123 guests | Bodas.net 2026 report, via Euronews |
| Portugal | €3,000 to €7,000 | Rustic and vineyard venue hire | Zankyou, 2026 |
| Italy | €3,000 to €5,500+ a day | Exclusive-use hire for one day | Weddings Abroad Guide, 2026 |
| Greece | €3,500 to €14,000 | Venue for around 100 guests | Big Fat Greek Day, 2026 |
Use these as a guide. If you are weighing up a wedding at home and abroad, we will cost both properly so you compare real numbers, not assumptions. See our venue hire guide for more.
The same team and the same method we use abroad.
A relaxed call about your vision, guest numbers, budget and dates.
Venues worth seeing, with viewings arranged and honest pros and cons.
Caterers, florists and photographers booked, contracts checked.
The look and feel, the wet-weather plan and the running order.
We run the day so you and your guests can enjoy every moment.
Read more about our wedding planning and wedding coordination services, or see real celebrations in our portfolio.
As destination wedding planners who also plan at home, we find the venue, build the budget and book every supplier, from wedding catering and flowers to photography.
Already planned your UK wedding? Our on-the-day wedding coordinators take over in the final weeks, brief every supplier and run the day.
Yes. We plan weddings across England, Scotland and Wales, and in Ireland, with the same team and the same method we use abroad. We coordinate suppliers remotely as standard and are there in person on the day.
Venue hire in the UK averages around £6,040 before catering (Bridebook 2026), and the average wedding costs £20,604 in total (Bridebook 2026), or £21,990 according to Hitched's 2026 survey. Country house and exclusive-use weekends cost more, while weekday and winter dates can cost considerably less.
For the wedding itself, often not. Venue hire and per-head catering usually run higher in the UK than in Spain, Portugal or Greece, and marquee weddings carry costs that outdoor Mediterranean venues do not. The saving is in travel, since nobody is buying flights or a week's accommodation.
You both give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the wedding, then marry at a licensed venue (including its approved grounds) with a registrar, or in a religious ceremony. Because the venue can host the legal ceremony, there is no separate town hall wedding.
Almost. In Scotland a religious or belief celebrant can marry you at almost any location, from a castle to a beach or a hillside, and civil ceremonies can take place at a place agreed with the registrar. You submit your marriage notice forms to the registrar for the district where you are marrying at least 29 days before, though ten to twelve weeks is advised.
May to September is peak season, with long evenings and the best chance of sun. June, July and August are the busiest and most expensive. Spring, autumn and winter dates offer better availability and lower prices, and with the right venue a winter wedding can be magical.
Yes, always, even in summer. The plan B should be a covered space you would be happy to celebrate and be photographed in, not a corridor or a spare room. It is the thing couples most often underinvest in, and the first thing we check at every UK venue.
Popular venues book twelve to eighteen months ahead for summer Saturdays, and some country houses further. Fridays, Sundays, weekdays and winter dates are much easier to find at shorter notice.
More answers on our frequently asked questions page.
Wes leads Swish Soirées from our office in Marbella and has spent seven years planning luxury weddings across the Costa del Sol and beyond. He writes from first-hand experience of the venues, suppliers, permits and timings our team works with every season.
Established 2019100+ weddings plannedBased in Marbella
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With thanks to the venues, couples and talented photographers whose work appears on this page.
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