A fairytale Tudor mansion and a rustic country barn wedding venue are among these 11 fantastic wedding venues in Essex — a perfect location for your wedding day with its gorgeous coastline and wild countryside not far from the city of London.
11 Extraordinary Wedding Venues in Essex
A place of unexpected wild beauty, with 350 miles of coastline and rural landscapes, Essex is a gorgeous place to tie the knot. The county boasts over 2,000 years of ancient history and some extraordinary hidden cultural and creative gems. Here are 11 beautiful wedding venues in Essex, each with a different style to suit every taste:
1) Channels Estate
The Channels Estate is one of the most perfect barn wedding venues in Essex, being home to the incredible restored 17th-century thatched Essex Barn (which features high ceilings and period chandeliers and authentic wooden beams that are 3 centuries old). It’s surrounded by beautiful outdoor areas including a private garden, fountain, and an avenue of mature trees. Channels Estate also offers a “church without a roof” for a unique wedding ceremony idea and, for a smaller and more intimate wedding, a lovely courtyard suite with “Little Channels”.
Image via SE Wedding Photography
2) Gosfield Hall
Once a royal residence, Gosfield Hall is a Georgian manor house and stately home wedding venue in the Essex countryside with grand, elegant rooms that can be exclusively yours for your wedding day. It’s also home to a 120-foot long wedding aisle in the oak-panelled Queen’s Gallery, an ornate Ballroom complete with hanging chandeliers, and a “carriageway” for outdoor ceremonies. This historic wedding venue in Essex can accommodate up to 116 people for a wedding breakfast and up to 250 people for an evening reception.
3) Gaynes Park
Gaynes Park is part of a private, 1,000 acre estate within rural Essex that includes beautiful spans of parkland and farmland and a variety of gorgeous wedding venues. For the perfect barn wedding they have: the Orangery at one end of a Victorian Walled Garden, complete with oak beams; the Gather Barn, open-sided and with exposed beams that makes it a lovely setting for an outdoor summer wedding; and the Mill Barn, which is a large, converted barn complete with a mezzanine floor and gallery. Gaynes Park also boasts the Apple Loft Cottage where you can get ready on the morning of your wedding and the Coach House that comes with ten luxury en suite bedrooms.
Image via Ilaria Petrucci Photography
4) Stock Brook
Stock Brook is an elegant English country manor house set in over 250 acres of glorious Essex countryside, offering an idyllic location for your wedding and spacious wedding reception suites that are full of natural light. They come with over 25 years of wedding expertise and a choice of trained wedding coordinators to help couples plan their big day.
5) Great Hallingbury Manor
Great Hallingbury Manor offers the best of both worlds, being a traditional Tudor style manor on the outside surrounded by beautiful gardens, but complete with a contemporary interior with 47 bedrooms and a luxurious Bridal Suite. The manor sits on the border of Essex and Hertfordshire in glorious English countryside, just minutes from Stansted airport, and its stable block has been awarded 4 stars by the AA. Their events team are experts in the industry and come ready with recommended suppliers, ideas and knowledge to help you make your wedding day everything you want it to be.
6) Gilwell Park
Located on the border of Essex and London, Gilwell Park is a stunning rural setting for your wedding day (and home to the Scout movement). It offers a range of indoor and outdoor spaces that are perfect for your big day, including a quintessentially English Georgian country house (The White House, which dates back to 1754 and sits in Epping Forest), Gidney Cabin, and the Swan Centre.
7) Three Rivers Golf and Country Club
Nestled in over 300 acres of tranquil Essex countryside, Three Rivers Golf and Country Club is an idyllic, bespoke wedding venue with stunning views that can be seen through dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s the perfect venue for all manner of couples, accommodating all tastes and requirements “from traditional weddings, civil ceremonies, Asian Shaadi and Jewish weddings” and complete with a host of experienced wedding planners. You can see more magnificent Asian wedding venues here.
8) Orsett Hall Hotel
Orsett Hall Hotel is one of the most romantic wedding venues in Essex, set on 12 acres of landscaped gardens and home to a beautiful chapel, spacious, elegant function rooms that are fully wheelchair accessible, boutique accommodation, an on-site bridal shop, hair salon, and full-service, state-of-the-art spa. In fact, they are “the only venue in Essex with a Chapel in its grounds”. They also offer luxurious cars for hire, their own florist, an award-winning Head Chef, and a team of friendly staff.
Featured above: Image by Stephen Minett from GetMyPhoto
9) The Kingscliff Hotel
The Kingscliff Hotel is a stunning coastal wedding venue and one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Essex. It’s a gorgeous, restored seaside hotel with a prime seafront location along the “Essex Sunshine Coast”, offering beach and clifftop backdrops and beautiful sea views. The hotel is also home to a choice of licensed function rooms, a restaurant, bar, terrace and garden as well as 30 bedrooms and a team of wedding planners.
10) Marygreen Manor Hotel
The Marygreen Manor Hotel is a luxury 4-star hotel and historic Tudor house that dates back to the 16th century. With its beautiful grounds, four-poster and antique carved beds, oak beams and inglenook fireplaces, it exudes old English charm. The lounge boasts wood panelled walls, ornate ceilings and an open log fire that’s perfect for winter, but the manor’s secluded courtyard gardens are also perfect for couples looking to have a beautiful summer wedding. It’s definitely one of the most charming rustic wedding venues in Essex!
11) Mulberry House
The stunning Mulberry House in High Ongar is a family-run boutique hotel and wedding venue that sits in 22 acres of grounds (compete with a lake) and offers “a combination of traditional Georgian architecture with modern 21st-century additions”. There are a selection of beautiful function rooms, including the Mulberry Suite with its exposed beams and stunning chandeliers, and the house is also home to a top-quality catering team.
Featured above: Fresh Shoot Studios
Finally, Essex isn’t too far removed from London itself. Don’t miss these breathtaking London wedding venues, including the incomparable Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard and even the Cutty Sark.
