Looking for your perfect UK wedding venue? I recently met with the fabulous Caitlin from the Bijou Weddings team, to discuss their three fantastic venues, all with a completely different vibe and suited to different tastes, which I love! Our meeting was a virtual one, which you can find out here how to make the most out of a virtual tour if you are unable to make it to the venue. With our growing list of UK wedding venues that we have worked and are currently working with, we only recommend the best, with the Bijou venues being three of them! Caitlin’s passion to tell us about the properties and their service towards myself and my couples means I just had to tell you all about them! (As well as them being stunning wedding venues of course!)
- Exclusive Use UK Wedding Venues
- Botley’s Mansion
- Notley’s Abbey
- Cain Manor
Looking to stick with a venue in the city? Download our top 6 London Wedding venues here!
Need to know what to look out for in your venue/supplier contracts? Find out here!
We also have six tips to find your perfect Wedding venue here!
Exclusive Use UK Wedding Venues
All three venues offer a touch of luxury in the Surrey/Hampshire/Buckinghamshire areas of the UK, great if you are looking to travel out to the countryside to escape the hustle and bustle of London. All three properties are 24 hour exclusive use Wedding venues, meaning it will just be you there on the day! No worries of bumping into another bride, or having your guests end up at the wrong party! Having an exclusive venue makes it feel like your own luxury home from home for the day! You will have full use of each property from 11am on the day to 11am the following day – meaning you don’t have to worry about the clean up until the next morning!
Botley’s Mansion Wedding Venue
One of our favourite venues, located in Surrey – a popular location for me! This iconic, elegant, building dates back to the 1700’s and is a grade II listed building, which was bought and restored by Bijou in 2010, making it the popular, modern, luxury wedding venue it is today. You may have caught the recent Netflix series ‘The Duchess’ which filmed at a scene of a Wedding at the mansion!
Several different spaces are offered for your ceremony and celebrations, nut the main space being the The Atrium, within the Grand Palladium mansion. The space was originally a Courtyard, with the glass roof being added by Bijou to make this wonderful space, perfect for any grand wedding celebration. My favourite part of this space, is that you have the grand, sweeping staircase at the tip of the room – just the PERFECT entrance for any Bride for the ceremony! The advantage of the glass roof – you can party with your guests under the stars!
They also offer a late license if you wanted to carry the party on – there is definitely no fear of disturbing neighbours here, being surrounded by 56 acres of parkland. You can even have fireworks, many venues are unable to offer this due to neighbours of livestock and can even hire a helicopter – the Groom generally loves this, bring flown to the ceremony by helicopter!
Holding between 50 – 500 guests, depending on which space you choose, there is plenty of room to hold an extravagant reception and really enjoy the day with all of your family and friends. What is also great, is as the property is exclusive, you can make the most of the different spaces, for example if you wanted a chill out area, or if you do decide to have children to the day, a children’s space where you can hire a professional to look after them while their parents can let their hair down. There is even 12 ensuite bedrooms available for you to crash after the party!
My big pros: It has to be the staircase within the Atrium! Plus the shots you can get in front of the iconic house – when you know, you know!
Notley Abbey UK
Located in Buckinghamshire, this venue just screams history! The site dates back to the 1100’s (wow!) and has since had many owners, (including the Earl of Buckingham!) was destroyed by a bomb raid in world war 2, and was then purchased by Laurence Olivier to make it the building it is today, before it was then bought by Mark and Jo Cutmore-Scott who own it today under the Bijou umbrella.
The venue allows ceremony both indoors and out, allowing you the mansion style ceremony or a garden gathering. With a capacity of up to 172 for the day and 250 for an informal evening reception, the Monks Refectory is a stone barn, with features giving you a medieval feel to your day.
For an outdoor ceremony and celebrations, these will be held in the beautiful walled garden, which again, contains so much history. The walls which make up the Walled Garden are part of the original ruins when the original building was destroyed, and now give you a border for an elegant day.
The original main room in the house, The Abbot’s Hall, is also a beautiful space, with original beams and oak floors, holding up to 100 guests. There are so many photo opportunities at this property, your photos with the house as a backdrop being a big highlight – we suggest spending majority of your photo time here!
My big pros: The history! I just love a building which has so many stories to tell! Makes your day even more interesting to your guests.
Cain Manor Weddings
One of the collections most popular wedding venues, a barn style manor house set on the border of Surrey and Hampshire, featuring rustic character, period detailing and wooden beams, perfect if you are looking for a more rural, country feel. This property shows how different the venues are within the Bijou collection, which is great that there is something for everyone! From the classic elegant Botley’s Mansion, to the countryside style barn, it really depends on what you are looking for!
Holding up to 123 for a ceremony indoors and for daytime guests, then up to 170 guests with an evening reception. You also have the option to hold your ceremony outside within their country grounds and courtyard gardens, with the signing of the register taking place under a pergola, which also makes the perfect frame for those post ceremony photos, giving you the perfect country garden ceremony.
The venue also features an intimate Library room, which works really well for your drinks reception and you could even continue to use this space as a quieter area for anyone who wants to take a moment away from the music.
My big pros: The views from the gardens are incredible, overlooking Surrey’s Golden Valley. It is so peaceful.
Which is your favourite? To book a visit at one of these UK wedding venues, click here. Know you want one of these venues but need a planner involved for all other aspects? We are happy to talk all things planning, book a consultation here.