Yorkshire & Leicestershire Wedding Venue Guide

— A GUIDE TO OUR YOKSHIRE & LEICESTERSHIRE WEDDING VENUES WITH CHURCHES & CHAPELS ONSITE —

We are able to offer our catering and event management services at some gorgeous venues with churches onsite or nearby, throughout Yorkshire and even into Leicestershire. So we’re ideally placed to help with answers on:

Which of our venues have onsite churches or chapels?
Why get married in a church or chapel near your wedding venue?
What about wedding venues that don’t have churches or chapels onsite?
Are you eligible to marry in the church of your choice?
Top tips for dealing with venues with churches and chapels

WHICH OF OUR WEDDING VENUES HAVE A CHURCH OR CHAPEL ONSITE?

Venue	Location	Licensed for civil ceremonies or reception only?	Church or chapel onsite?	Church or chapel nearby?	Details of church/chapel
The Mansion	Roundhay Park, Leeds	Licensed for civil ceremonies	No	Yes – several	The closest churches include: St Andrews Roundhay (United Reformed) – Shaftesbury Avenue Roundhay Evangelical Church (Independent Evangelical) – Fitzroy Drive St Edmunds (Church of England)
Wentworth Woodhouse	Rotherham, South Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies	No	Yes – very close by, in Wentworth village	Holy Trinity church is in the village. It’s part of the Church of England. You can also have a blessing in the church after your civil ceremony.
Ripley Castle Marquee and East Wing	Harrogate, North Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies inside the castle only – not in marquees	No	Yes – directly opposite the Castle in the Town Square	All Saints’ Church is in Ripley – it is an Anglican church.
Carlton Towers Lakeside	Selby, North Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies inside the house only – not in marquees	No	Yes – in the village	St Marys Roman Catholic Church is close by, down the High Street in Carlton. To marry in a Catholic church, one of you must usually be a Catholic who has been confirmed and baptised. Special dispensation may be granted by the Catholic Church for the non-Catholic partner.
Bolton Abbey	Skipton, North Yorkshire	No, church ceremony or marquee reception only	Yes	No	The Priory Church (Church of England) is at the heart of the Bolton Abbey estate. You’ll usually be required to attend the church regularly for the six months preceding your wedding. The Priory allows divorcees to marry in the church.
Dalton Hall	Beverley, East Yorkshire	No, reception only	No	Yes, in the village of Dalton Holme, run by the estate	St Marys (Church of England) is very close to Dalton Hall and the South Dalton estate, in the village of Dalton Holme. You’ll be expected to have the usual connection to the church in order to marry there.
Braime Pressings	Leeds, West Yorkshire	No, reception only	No	Plenty of churches around central Leeds	The nearest churches include: Holy Trinity (Anglican) – Boar Lane Leeds Minster (Church of England) – Kirkgate St Luke’s (Church of England) – Malvern Road
Belvoir Castle	Grantham, Leicestershire	Licensed for civil ceremonies, plus marquee receptions	Yes	No	Belvoir Castle’s own Rutland Family Chapel! The Church of England chapel on the estate can also do wedding blessings, and seats up to 100 guests. The Duke’s own private chaplain will help you to plan your wedding in this onsite church.
Newburgh Priory	Coxwold, North Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies, plus marquee receptions	No	Yes, in Coxwold village	St Michael’s in the adjoining village of Coxwold is Church of England. You’ll be expected to have the usual connection to the church in order to marry there.
Merchant Adventurers Hall	York, North Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies	No	Yes, in central York	The nearest churches include: All Saints (Church of England) – Pavement Central Methodist Church (Methodist) – St Saviourgate St Deny’s (Church of England) – St Deny’s Road St George’s Roman Catholic Church (Catholic) – Peel Street Holy Trinity (Church of England) – Micklegate York Baptist Church (Evangelical Baptist) – Priory Street The Shrine and Parish Church of All Saints (Anglican) – North Street St Martin Le Grand (Church of England) – Coney Street
Easby Hall	Richmond, North Yorkshire	No, reception only	Almost!	Yes	St Agatha’s Church (Church of England) is a minute’s walk from the house and clearly visible from this reception venue. Other nearby churches include: The Methodist Church (Methodist) – Brompton on Swale St Mary’s (Church of England) – Richmond
Rise Hall	East Riding of Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies	No	Yes	The closest church is St Augustine’s (Anglican and Methodist) at neighbouring village Skirlaugh, just 2 miles away.
Temple Newsam	Lees, West Yorkshire	Licensed for civil ceremonies, plus marquee receptions	No	Yes	Nearby churches are: St Wilfrid’s (Anglo-Catholic) – Harehills St Mary’s (Anglican) – Whitkirk

Did you know you can also have a blessing at The Mansion (near central Leeds), outside in the Colonnades?

Whether or not you’re choosing a civil ceremony venue, or a church with a reception venue, you might also want to read our advice on:

WHY GET MARRIED IN A CHURCH OR CHAPEL NEAR YOUR WEDDING VENUE?

You want a religious ceremony or church is especially important to you

If you are religious or have family who are religious, marrying in a church can be a deeply spiritual experience.

The venue might not be licensed for civil ceremonies

You may choose to marry in a church not because you are particularly religious, but because you can’t find the perfect venue in which to hold your ceremony. Perhaps you have your eye on a beautiful reception venue, but it isn’t licensed for ceremonies, or is very remote from a licensed venue in which to hold your civil ceremony. In this instance, a church could be the answer: often even the smallest and most remote villages will have a parish church.

You prefer church architecture

Sometimes it can be purely aesthetic – maybe you just really love churches! They do have a special atmosphere and unique acoustics, not to mention lighting!

WHAT ABOUT WEDDING VENUES THAT DON’T HAVE CHURCHES OR CHAPELS ONSITE?

As you can see in the table above, many of our venues have churches very close by, instead of on the venue estate itself. If you choose to marry in a church close to one of our venues, we can put you in contact with the right people there, and even help you book your wedding transport between the ceremony and your reception.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO MARRY IN A CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE?

To marry in most churches, you must normally have some kind of relationship with the parish.

Usually one of you must meet one of the following conditions:

one of you was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish;
one of you has ever lived in the parish for six months or more;
one of you has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six months or more;
one of your parents has lived in the parish for six months or more in your lifetime;
one of your parents has regularly attended public worship at the church for six months or more in your lifetime;
your parents or grandparents were married in the parish

If you don’t meet any of these conditions, and you have your heart set on marrying in a particular church, then you may be able to make a provisional booking on the condition that you both attend that church regularly for the six months preceding your wedding.

TOP TIPS FOR DEALING WITH VENUES WITH CHURCHES OR CHAPELS

Some churches may not allow divorcees to marry in their church

Each denomination and parish is different on their approach to couples where one or both partners have been previously divorced (apart from Catholic churches which don’t permit divorcees to marry in church). It’s usually fine to marry in a church if you have previously had an annulment. Outside of Catholicism, it’s at the discretion of each individual church and its respective clergy.

Remember also that Anglican churches won’t allow same-sex couples to wed there.

You might need special permission if one of you is foreign

If one of you lives outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), or has limited immigration status, your marriage may need to be investigated further before special permission can be granted. For marriages in the Church of England, you can read further information on this here.

You may have to book further in advance

Since most churches ask you to attend regularly for the six months before your wedding, you will have to book at least that far in advance – unless you are already a regular churchgoer with six months’ attendance under your belt.

You may not be able to get married during major religious time periods (Easter, Lent, Advent)

While there is no legal restriction on having a church wedding during these times, many churches prefer to reserve these spiritually important periods for services for their congregations – so if your chosen date falls in one of these times, you may have to rethink either the time or the place.

You’ll need a relationship with the church

As we’ve previously discussed, there are some conditions that many churches expect you to meet before they will allow you to marry there. This also usually involves attending a marriage class and regular worshipful attendance.

There’s etiquette to consider

While marrying in a church can often be cheaper than a typical civil ceremony venue, there are certain other things to consider. You’ll usually be expected to offer a donation to the church as a gesture of goodwill, and perhaps invite them to your reception too. You may also be expected to leave some of your floral arrangements at the church.

Some churches restrict photography, and certain types of confetti

Again, this is at the discretion of the clergy of each church – but we know that many feel the wedding photographer is distracting and intrusive, and so choose to limit anything from their shooting positions to the number of photographs they take. There may be a similar restriction on phone photography by your guests. If in doubt, ask your church outright about the details of their photography policy: make sure you’re fully clear on what is and isn’t permitted in the church so you know exactly what to expect. If you’re not happy with their policy on photography in the church, you may want to rethink your decision.

Don’t forget that if you love confetti, some churches don’t allow this either – although some allow biodegradable types like dried petals.

Your music choices have to fit with the dignity of the church

Another point about restrictions here: often, most churches will permit only organ or classical music before, during and after the ceremony. There may also be hymns during the services. This means that you may not be able to play other music that is sentimentally important to both of you, such as a favourite pop or rock song.

WHAT NEXT?

Now you know which of our venues have churches onsite and nearby, all you have to do is choose what kind of wedding you want!

— YORKSHIRE WEDDING VENUES WITH A CHURCH OR CHAPEL ONSITE OR NEARBY —