Why do so many people get married at stately homes?

[diningiswest]

They're expensive, almost always a pig to get to and everything looks the same (gilding, nice gardens, mostly marquee).

And - although I accept that this isn't what most people would think - we're paying our money to the upper classes to keep them lording it over us.

Probably because they’re listed buildings and will always be there, unlike hotels or similar venues.

I think more people should consider the village hall option for a wedding reception. They are cheap as chips and have plenty of space for lots of guests.

@SabrinaThwaite- I was being sarky 😬 I should have made it more obvious!

Funny you should mention Posh and Becks…someone who came to my wedding (she was married to one of our friends at the time but no longer is) bitched to the person sitting next to her ‘Who do they think they are- Posh and Becks?’ because we were sitting on big chairs at the meal 😂 Obviously we didn’t request big posh chairs, that’s just what the hotel provided for us.

Because they are gorge! Love a stately home wedding.

I got married in a historic glasshouse big greenhouse. I was pretending to be a palm.

Same reason as I got married in jeans with two witnesses -- because they feel like it? Clearly I was paying my £120 so the registrar could lord it over me and DH.

The best wedding I want to was at a town hall.

The reception was at a large cantonese restaurant no speeches DJ or dancing just gorgeous food and Cremont to drink.
Everyone was relaxed and happy no faffing about or formal stiffness.
They didnt bother with wedding favours no one was bothered and enjoyed the meal.

of course you do.

That's why you look down at people who don't have a family stately home, of course 😂

£30 each way for taxis to nearest train station at the last few I have been to. They are always a pain for non drivers.

Sorry, I missed your sarkiness!

I think a lot of the type of buildings you're thinking of are hotels rather than private homes.

I got married in a historic house which is now run as a hotel. The reasons we chose it were: the building was stunning and beautifully furnished with a vibe that was comfortable rather than stuffy, the staff were superb, it was in a convenient location, we were able to have ceremony and meal in one place, it had access to water and we were able to arrive by boat.

Why not? I got married in a pretty barn. Because I wanted to. Lots of people want to get married in a beautiful stately home. Because they want to. Without the revenue from events hire eg weddings, a lot of stately homes would fall into disrepair. How would that be a good thing?

They're expensive, almost always a pig to get to and everything looks the same

To be honest, this is broadly true of most weddings, regardless of venue... they're pretty formulaic.

For those suggesting that people are pretending to live at the relevant stately home, surely the same could be said re a barn/farm/hotel/etc? Realistically, everyone knows that the space is simply hired for the day because it's a lovely place to have a celebration.

what if people don't want 'cheap as chips' for one of the most important days of their lives, though? happily ever after in a grotty hall smelling of 10am's keep fit sweat...

And who runs around like a headless chicken decorating, sets up, goes to get the food and drink in the short time between the last class using it and the start of the wedding - the bridal party, who want to spend that time getting dressed and ready? and who cleans up after? what do you do if you need to pick up the food by 9 in order to get back home, changed, showered, dressed and to the church by 12 but it's 30 degrees in the village hall without any aircon - is the food still safe to eat after being out for 6 hours? are the drinks all warm and gross?
the village hall by me has literally 1 toilet - how does that work with 200 guests?

Not to mention the fact that you can't get married in a village hall, so by the time you've paid for the registry office, transport for all your guests to the hall, DJ, buffet, drinks, glasses, plates, cutlery, decorations, fridges to keep things cold, etc it's really not that cheap.

If people want to go for a cheap as chips wedding of course they can but there's nothing wrong with wanting to do something a bit special to mark a special occasion!

It's a ridiculous thread anyway. It's pretty obvious WHY people chose them.

Nah, the village hall is for kids' birthday parties, the boy scouts jumble sale and the am dram panto. It might be cheap as chips but there's a reason for that.

We got married in a castle, then had the reception in a town hall. We decorated the hall the evening before. It worked for us as the town hall bit meant people could stay over in the town.

Cheaper then the dreaded 'destination wedding' or as some would call it 'how can I possibly make a wedding as difficult as possible for people to get too'

Photos, of course. Isn't everything about the photos these days?

Actually when I priced up the village hall option and having to buy/hire all the bits separately it worked out about the same as the hotel/stately home package. And certainly a lot less effort.

And what does marriage have to do with a stately home?

Weddings are outdated nonsense. Unfortunately IHT rule changes means that many people from 2027 onwards will need to be married to avoid huge tax bills. I wish they’d allow you to just fill in a form online and be done with it. I can’t be bothered with any of the fuss, even a registry office one feels painful. They should let you do everything online. I just want to get it done and not even tell anyone.

Considering how many people spend their weekend at National Trust properties, I would imagine is simply that people like those style buildings. It’s not really that deep.

I live brutalist buildings and got married at the Barbican. Does that meant I’m as romantic as a lump of concrete? That I want to pretend to be living on a 60s concrete council estate? Or I just liked the architecture?

They’re beautiful settings for a wedding and people may not want any kind of religious aspect to the ceremony. I’m struggling to see the problem here.

Nothing, it's just nicer than your local hall where you've been to a hundred kids' parties and watched your neighbours in an awful performance of Dick Whittington.