Like a bottle of Britain’s finest fizz fermented to perfection, an industry revival is set to see weddings return in a scintillating explosion of style and romance. Hand-in-hand with hospitality, the UK weddings sector has been forced to take an extended hiatus during the ongoing pandemic. Reports show that Covid-19 restrictions have resulted in 5.3 billion pounds loss incurred by venues and suppliers.
After a year of stalled celebrations and ‘big day’ exhibitions of love in front of family and friends, it’s hardly surprising that wedding tradition and conventionality is being thrown out of the window. What was once formal is now free, once conformed now has a lick of eccentricity and wild, carefree abandon.
A move to smaller celebrations has alleviated pressure for many couples. No longer are weddings grand performances, but instead a more intimate experience. Week-long celebrations at exclusive private home venues, destination vibes, editorial photography, retro Hollywood-inspired pool parties and personalised detailing such as hand-written stationery and embroidered initialed napkins for guests to take home are all things we can expect to see this summer and beyond.
Farewell matching bridesmaids, adieu neat bouquets and auf wiedersehen jet-lagged elopements on foreign soil; now, the UK weddings scene welcomes style and taste, over-the-top arrangements and foot-stomping parties which will leave wedding couture fraying at the hems.
Here we round-up five of the best private home venues for post-pandemic wedding celebrations.
The Stack
Melding with the pastoral, Poldark-esque scenes that surround it, the enchanted sunken glade within the grounds of this reclaimed Cornish engine house offers a unique setting for wedding nuptials. For an al fresco affair, the twinkling lights of the wedding pergola will enhance celebrations under the sun, moon or stars. The property holds a wedding license for up to 40 guests, six of whom can stay over between three rustic-luxe bedrooms. There's also an outside kitchen for Sunday pizzas following the party, a cinema snug and a hot tub for the honeymooners. When it comes to small-scale weddings in Cornwall, The Stack has it all.
Scarlet Hall
Once a fleeting home for a visiting Prince, this exclusive country house venue is timeless in its fairy-tale romance. Festooned with climbing vines and surrounded by sweeping lawns, the beautiful beamed barn (holding a wedding license for up to 80 guests) is a blank canvas in which to design your bespoke event. Scarlet Hall offers a breathtaking location for weddings in rural Cheshire, with the main house hosting up to 22 overnight guests for the weekend. Did we mention the heated indoor pool the after party too?
Florin
The sweeping tree-lined drive on approach to this Victorian manor on the West Wales Coast provides a dramatic entrance for those lucky enough to receive an invite to a wedding at Florin, and the magic doesn't stop there. Inside, flamboyant country home interiors span from black clawfoot baths and open fires to bold prints, decorative plates and ram's heads on the walls. The grand dining room is licensed for up to 50 guests to be a part of the civil ceremony, with an additional 200 guests welcome to join the wedding party for a marquee reception on the lawn.
Figtree House
Patchwork Cumbrian countryside stitched together by glittering rivers and dotted with fells and mountains: the impressive backdrop of Figtree House is the epitome of an English country wedding setting with no less than 17 acres at the guests' disposal, not to mention the plentiful local produce on offer for the wedding breakfast. The pretty tumbledown barn has ample seating for up to 85 guests banquet style, and parking for up to 30 cars, while the sumptuous farmhouse accommodates up to ten for the entire weekend.
Charity
Hidden deep in the heather-clad hills of the dreamy Olchon Valley this romantic and remote retreat is a perfect blend of artistic charm and clever design. The authentic stone farmhouse has enough rooms to cater for up to 12 guests who can enjoy a weekend of playing snooker, watching films by the fire in the cinema barn and late-night chatter in the wood-fired hot tub. Only known to the very few (but welcoming 100 guests for a marquee reception), Charity´s bohemian soul and awe-inspiring mountainside location create an elopement venue like none before it.
View all weddings and reception venues in the Unique Homestays collection.
