Alnwick Castle is a castle destination wedding venue in Alnwick, United Kingdom, hosting 20 to 200 guests in the $$$ price range, reached from Newcastle (NCL), About 45 minutes by car. Best months: June, July, August, November.
AlnwickCastle
Alnwick is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been the Percy family seat for more than 700 years.
Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, open June – August, November.
Alnwick is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been the Percy family seat for more than 700 years.
Most visitors know it from film: Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films, Brancaster Castle in Downton Abbey.
For weddings the castle licenses three settings.
The Guest Hall, with carved stone archways and a beamed roof, takes ceremonies of up to 200 and wedding breakfasts of 160.
4 notes of our own.
Second largest inhabited castle in England, Percy seat for 700 years
Guest Hall takes 200 for a ceremony and 160 for the wedding breakfast
Hulne Abbey, a 13th-century ruin, holds a marquee for up to 500
Published hire from about £3,500 midweek to £5,000 at weekends
Best held in June, July, August.
The months the weather, and the local rhythm, is kindest to a stay at Alnwick Castle.
Ask about a date.
Choose a day from the calendar.
Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A first note comes back within two business days.
How the weekend usually runs.
Yours will be different, nothing below is required. Every planning begins with the three meals you most want to eat, and builds outward.
- 19:00Welcome dinner in Alnwick, five minutes from the gates
- 13:30Ceremony in the Guest Hall or at Hulne Abbey
- 15:00Drinks in the castle courtyard, photographs on the battlements
- 18:30Wedding breakfast in the Guest Hall, dancing after
- 11:00Brunch, then Bamburgh beach twenty minutes up the coast
Things worth knowing.
NCL · About 45 minutes by car
Guests fly into Newcastle. Our team arranges every transfer.
£35,000
Hire and per-head catering figures are published by the castle. Accommodation and the all-in figure are our estimates, and the castle has no bedrooms of its own.
See the full figure+
£35,000 to £60,000 for 150 guests in the Guest Hall (estimated)
£3,500
A one-time licence and setup fee, paid to the venue.
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£3,500 midweek to £5,000 at weekends in spring and summer (published)
£180 / head
A seated dinner with wine and service, by headcount.
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From about £180 per guest (published)
£100 / night
A standard room in the wedding window. Group rates on request.
See the full figure+
£100 to £250 in Alnwick and on the Northumberland coast (estimated)
June – August, November
The 4 months the weather is kindest. Shoulder dates soften the light and the rates.
Figures are estimates, modeled from regional rates and public sources, not a quote from the venue. Once the venue claims this page, their own rates take precedence.
Asked along the way.
How many guests can Alnwick Castle hold?+
The Guest Hall takes up to 200 for a ceremony and up to 160 for a seated wedding breakfast. Hulne Abbey in the park takes a marquee or tipi for as many as 500, which is far beyond what the castle rooms themselves hold.
What does a wedding at Alnwick Castle cost?+
Published spring and summer hire runs about £3,500 from Monday to Thursday, £4,000 on a Friday and £5,000 on a Saturday or Sunday, with catering quoted from around £180 per person on top of the hire.
Which spaces are licensed for civil ceremonies?+
The Guest Hall, Hulne Abbey and Friars Well are licensed. Hulne Abbey is only available from March to September, so a winter wedding here means the Guest Hall rather than the ruin in the park.
Can guests stay at the castle?+
No. The castle is still the family’s home and has no guest rooms, so wedding parties stay in Alnwick town, a five-minute drive away, or on the Northumberland coast at Bamburgh, Beadnell and Seahouses.
How do guests get to Northumberland?+
Newcastle airport is about 45 minutes by car. Alnmouth station is ten minutes from the castle, with East Coast trains from London King’s Cross in roughly three and a half hours and from Edinburgh in an hour.
When is the best time of year?+
May to September, both for the weather and because Hulne Abbey only opens in that window. Northumberland is bright and cold in spring and dark by four in midwinter, so a January date is an indoor day.
Others to weigh.
Ask about dates at Alnwick Castle.
A note to us with a rough season and guest count. Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A reply comes within two business days, from a person by name.