Low-key but nice civil wedding venue near or near-ish Oxford?

[LeahE]

Friend-of-a-friend is getting married and is stumped over a venue. She and her DP are both pretty low-key, no-fuss, very "green" people and her ideal wedding would be something very simple held in a field or garden (clearly not possible as such, but gives you an idea of what she likes). All the registry offices she's looked at she's found a bit grim and soulless, and she doesn't really want big imposing traditional-style venues either.

Any ideas? I've seen Mumsnet come up trumps on this sort of thing before.

Sorry - live in Oxford and am racking brains. Will try to get back to you.
We got married in the reg office and it's ok, but impersonal.

\link{http://www.forbetterforworse.co.uk/venues/spreadeagle.shtml\Not suggesting she goes for this but I couldn't stop laughing at the thought of putting this on your invites .

\link{http://www.forbetterforworse.co.uk/venues/spreadeagle.shtml\Not suggesting}

\link{http://www.cairngormmountain.com/\On a mountain} not very handy for Oxford.

i've been to a very nice humanist ceremony in the \link{http://www.thisislimitededition.co.uk/viewimage.asp?photoID=lejan_music1_jan2005&caption=There%20is%20not%20one%20pillar%20to%20deaden%20the%20sound\holywell music room}. It's quite big though. Not sure if it's licensed for civil cermonies or not

\link{http://www.luxters.co.uk/This barn looks lovely}
\link{http://www.bimbleinn.com/html/index.html\The Bimble Inn}, hire this for the reception. I don't know if you can get married in it perhaps if the venue has a licence for there gardens}.

\link{http://www.luxters.co.uk/\This barn looks lovely}

link{http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olem_privatedining_weddings.jsp\The gardens of this venue}

\link{http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olemprivatediningweddings.jsp\The gardens of this venue}

There must be somewhere within an hours drive that has a ruined castle, or public gardens? If not, please excuse my lack of local knowledge. I live in Scotland and looked at being married on the banks of Loch Lomand to all other Heritage Sites. Therefore, I know exactly where your friend is coming from!

Is there not an 'English Heritage' website. That could be helpful.

Good Luck!
x

I got married \link{http://www.wantage.com/lainsbarn\here}. Very nice, very simple. Oh, and you can bring in your own caterers (or at least you could). Most places have tied caterers.

I got married at Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley - was very low key, not an imposing hotel or traditional - you decide what you want; but maybe not what she wants.

These are suggestions - don't know if they are registered:
How about Blenhim Palace? Upton House nr Banbury (NT house); friend getting married at a hotel in Dorchester (A4074 to Reading) - the areas nice - wonder whether that would work.
Anything in Abingdon, near the river?

I'm sure I got a list of registered venues in Oxfordshire from the central registry office in OXford - has your friend got the list?

\link{http://www.hawkwellhouse.co.uk/index.htm\hawkwell house}

what about wolvercote - got all the open fields with views of the spires of oxford and ready set up bbq's for a self service meal?

Can I second the Holywell Music Room? (Mozart played there, dontcha know?)
It is now licensed for weddings, I believe, though I went to a blessing.

What about Friars Court, lovely gardens but quite low key and you can arrange the wedding day very flexibly vis a vis caterers etc

\link{http://www.friarscourt.com/weddings.html\ friars Court oxon}

Thanks, many of these ideas sound great!

Lainey6 in England you can't get married outdoors and can only have a civil ceremony in specific licensed buildings, which tend to be hotels and such. And humanist weddings aren't legal by themselves here as they are now in Scotland. But I can't believe I didn't think to suggest a quick legal job in the registry office and then a nice humanist ceremony outside or wherever she wants that may be just the ticket...

they even have a renewavle energy unit for their electricity!

leah - that's what my sil did - quick ceremony at register office on the friday with immediate family only, then the humanist one at the music rooms on the Saturday. for me personally I would have made the register office one even less signficant than they did, as it did feel a bit like a split ceremony. I'd have treated it like a pre-ceremony bureacratic procedure and gone in my jeans with only witnesses

We got married at the Oxford register office and we thought it was fine. Doing that would then give you so much more choice about venues. Having said that, I went to a reception at Laines Barn a long time ago and it was a nice, informal venue.

We went to a wonderful wedding a few years ago at Laines Barn which is near Oxford somewhere. V laid back, lovely building. Will try and find a link.

Agree - Lains Barn very nice.

Spelt it wrong - \link{http://www.wantage.com/lainsbarn/\here it is}

woburn abbey?

big vote for Lains Barn
or Abingdon Registry Office/Guildhall?