From rich countryside to glorious coastlines, quaint market towns to vibrant city centres, the UK is made up of diverse settings home to various unique and quirky wedding venues. If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten track, there are hidden gems across the UK showcasing the original attributes of this wonderful island we all inhabit.
Take a look through this wonderful selection of unique and quirky venues in the UK to spark your imagination and get inspired. Featuring eccentric options for the daring couple and private locations for the subtle couple, find your perfect spot to say ‘I do’ from the list below.
Larmer Tree Gardens
From manicured lawns to intimate arbours as well as ornate buildings and scenic pathways, Larmer Tree Gardens in Salisbury, Wiltshire is the ideal location for a quirky, botanical infused wedding. Perfect for alternative couples looking to marry amongst natural beauty, these gardens offer various celebration spaces including original Victorian buildings such as The Roman Temple and The Lower Indian Room.
Understanding the unpredictable British weather, there are both indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces for you to choose from. A popular outdoor location is the magnificent Roman Temple which boasts a domed roof and magical marble floor. Set amongst the stunning lawns, the temple oozes romance and makes for majestic wedding photographs.
If you’re looking for an indoor space, the Jubilee Hall showcases the very best of Victorian design, with an oak floor and draped ceiling as well as Nepalese wooden carvings and even a bejewelled mirror. This wonderfully versatile space can be used for both your ceremony and reception and offers great adaptability for your style or wedding theme.
Lusty Glaze Beach
If exclusive use of your own private beach sounds like the perfect place to celebrate your marriage then Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay, Cornwall may be for you. In this secluded, horse-shoe shaped cove, you and your guests can enjoy your ceremony and reception with the soothing sound of the waves splashing upon the shore.
The only beach in Cornwall that is legally licenced for wedding ceremonies, this rare venue makes for a memorable celebration day as well as acting as the backdrop for your photographs. Whether you’re hoping to get married in winter or summer, this fantastically novel venue is available all year round.
With ceremonies taking place on the Top Deck and your wedding breakfast and evening entertainment celebrated in The Marquee, you can lap up the show stopping view of the Atlantic Ocean throughout your special day. The team at Lusty Glaze offer a completely bespoke wedding service, understanding that every celebration should be as unique as the couple.
The Wellbeing Farm
The Wellbeing Farm found in Edgeworth, is the ideal setting for couples wanting a private, rural escape. With exclusive use of the entire farm, make unforgettable memories in this quirky setting surrounded by rural bliss and friendly animals.
The Main Barn poses as a wonderful blank canvas for you paint the picture of your dream ceremony or reception. With rustic embellishments already in place to add to that countryside feel, including trestle tables, straw bale seating and vintage wooden chairs.
If you’re looking for quirky, then The Wellbeing Farm goes above and beyond to ensure you experience a completely bespoke wedding day. Explore their unique facilities such as the ‘Bar ‘O’ Llama’, their innovative cocktail and Gin bar made from a renovated horse trailer. Who else has bow-tie wearing Llamas and Donkeys in their wedding photographs?
Cley Windmill
Photograph by: James K Photo
This historic five-storey windmill is found in the quaint village of Cley-next-the-sea situated next to the River Glaven in Norfolk. With its stunning surroundings and fantastic facilities, Cley Windmill is far from your traditional manor house wedding venue!
As well as the unique exterior, the inside presents couples with wonderful ceremony and reception space, featuring round shaped rooms and views of the beautiful Norfolk countryside. Offering stunning spaces for your photographs, the Mill boasts a stage on the second floor acting as the perfect spot for those all-important wedding photographs.
Photograph by: James K Photo
For couples looking for ultimate privacy, Cley Windmill can offer exclusive use of the Mill which includes six bed and breakfast rooms which sleeps up to 12 of yours guests, with further accommodation located close by. This allowance enables you to have the wedding day you’ve always dreamt of in a completely bespoke and unusual setting.
Victoria Baths
Found within the vibrant city of Manchester is the stunning Victoria Baths, offering an innovative space to day ‘I do’. Perfect for couples daring to be different, there are five licensed ceremony spaces, including the Victorian swimming pools. Here you can exchange your vows, enjoy a delicious wedding breakfast and dance the night away.
Photograph by: Bridgwood Photography
If you’re looking for a lavish and uncommon celebration space, the Gala Pool is a completely bespoke setting. Boasting dramatic high ceilings, raised seating above the pool and original changing cubicles. This space is a strikingly unique backdrop for your wedding photographs. These restored Victorian pools aren’t heated meaning celebrations are seasonal, usually ranging from March to November.
For couples hoping for a more intimate gathering the Turkish Rest Room is adorned with unique floor to ceiling tiles and boasts four stained glass windows. This offers a modest celebration space whilst still boasting the wow-factor of this authentic building.
Photograph by: Bridgwood Photography
To add to its quirky qualities, this venue has been a popular filming location throughout the years, featuring in several tv drama’s and series’, including Peaky Blinders, Antiques Roadshow and Life on Mars.
Tree Tops Escape
Photograph by: Jim Wileman Photography
Imagine exchanging yours vows and raising a glass of bubbly whilst amongst the trees of a private North Devon estate at Tree Tops Escape in Umberleigh. Surrounded by rolling hills and glorious valleys, this luxurious haven allows for a perfectly private setting for you and your partner to enjoy.
‘The Nest’ at Tree Tops Escape boasts a calm and muted interior with wrap-around clear glass balustrade which showcases the panoramic views of the rural area. The design gives the illusion that you are floating above the ground, only adding to the originality of this venue.
Photograph by: Jim Wileman Photography
With an attentive and dedicated wedding team, Tree Tops Escape is perfect for couples looking to marry in the seclusion of the countryside. Ideal for intimate gatherings of your nearest and dearest, the space can hold up to 14 guests, or the wonderful team are happy to be your witnesses if you would like it to be just you and your partner. T
The Asylum Chapel
Photograph by: Andrew Billington Photography
The Asylum Chapel in London, also known as Caroline’s Garden Chapel is the perfect wedding venue for the eccentric couple. With a derelict-style, this gothic chapel found in Peckham, offers historic charm and characterful features, enriching the originality of your wedding celebration.
With versatile celebration space, your ceremony can be held within the walls of this Grade II listed building. Built in 1826, it was bombed in WWII which only adds to the rustic interior and rich history. It is now used as an arts centre, so is a great choice for the artsy couples out there who are searching for a quirky space to unite their love.
Photograph by: Andrew Billington Photography
The venue supplies chairs, candles and lighting to enhance the magical atmosphere of this expansive ceremony space and encourage that you add your own flowers and other decorative items to adapt the space to your own tastes. Although this wonderful venue is ceremony only, you are encouraged to enjoy post-ceremony drinks and canapés provided by external caterers.
The Over Barn
The Over Barn found at Over Farm in Gloucester is ideal for couples looking to celebrate in a private vicinity, surrounded by rustic farmyard features. The grain barn itself is over 170 years old and contains original beams and characterful authenticity making it a memorable setting to celebrate your marriage.
Photography by: Dan Morris Photography
This rustic-style venue is reception only. A versatile and adaptable space, you can add and embellish it with decorations to suit your style or wedding theme. Offering capacity for 120 guests for a sit-down wedding breakfast and up to 180 guests for an evening party, this is a really wonderful space.
Adjacent to the barn is its own private courtyard where guests can mix and mingle with one another and enjoy the facilities available to them including a skittle alley, fire pit and undercover seating. Ideal for relaxed celebrations, this quirky wooden barn venue allows untraditional couples to enjoy a one of a kind wedding party.=
The Matara Centre
The Matara Centre near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is an innovative venue offering multiple celebration spaces to suit the individuality of every couple. Embrace this Asian-inspired setting for a zen wedding day surrounded by natures beauty.
Set within an idyllic 28 acres of countryside, this Grade II listed regency home and gardens features licenced ceremony spaces for both intimate and lavish gatherings. The grounds boast a variety of features including woodland paths, small lakes and even a labyrinth.
This venue features five formal gardens all individually designed to create a romantic and serene atmosphere. The Cloistered Courtyard is just one of the showstopping ceremony spaces, which was designed with Chinese architecture as the main inspiration. This is a tranquil and singular setting for you and your partner to say ‘I do’.
Just to add to its originality and courteous nature, The Matara Centre plant a tree for every couple that marries there as a dedication to their love.
The Barbican Centre
Set within the heart of London, The Barbican Centre is a rare city wedding venue that offers the tranquillity of a botanical paradise amongst the hustle and bustle of the capital.
The Barbican Conservatory is a tropical oasis, home to 2000 species of plants and an abundance of fish. This alone makes for a completely unique ceremony space as well as acting as a quirky backdrop for your wedding photographs.
With varied ceremony and reception space, this venue allows the flexibility you’re looking for to host the wedding of your dreams. The Garden Room can seat up to 300 guests for a reception and the space can be easily tailored to suit your style.
To enrich your celebrations there is coloured lighting placed amongst the plants, creating a party atmosphere for your reception and evening entertainment.
All things fresh and botanical are becoming increasingly popular when it comes to wedding celebrations but this venue is unlike anything else, you’ll find in the capital city.
Choosing the perfect venue to suit you and your partner can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re going against the grain and looking for unique and quirky venues, the search should be an enjoyable one.
With any luck, the venues listed above have sparked your imagination and encouraged you to establish exactly what you want from your quirky venue. Perhaps one of them has ticked your boxes.
For more venue inspiration take a look these fantastic UK wedding venues.
