So you have got engaged and you’re underway with planning your big day. One of the first things you’ll want to tick off your ‘wedding to-do-list’ as a newly engaged couple is finding your dream wedding venue. In this blog, I will be reviewing 3 local wedding venues in Northamptonshire, that I have photographed newlyweds at on their big day. All of them are stunning in their own right. They’re Barton Hall Hotel, Grendon Lakes and Wicksteed Park. And as I’m a wedding photographer I will also share some of my shots for you to get a sneak peek at the venues in action on top of the information about each of them. If you're interested in any more wedding planning tips, exclusive offers and discounts then why not join the Georgia-Beth Photography Family so you don't miss out! You will also receive my wedding planner checklist as a small gesture to say thanks for joining.
Choosing the right wedding venue for you is sometimes easier said than done. It plays such an important part in your big day and there’s often so much to choose from! And as they say, sometimes the worst thing is to have too many choices! The venue that you choose will determine a whole number of things such as the number of guests you can have, what kind of décor you’ll be allowed, the date that you can set and it will also have a massive impact on your wedding budget, so it’s a big decision to make.
That means that there are so many things to think about before signing on the dotted line. Things like: How many guests do we want? Does the location work for us? (where are our guests travelling from?) Does the look of the venue fit with our wedding theme? Is there somewhere pretty on-site or nearby to have our photos? Are we allowed confetti or candles? I cover all of these and much more in my full wedding planning checklist.
If you are looking for some other wedding related content and inspiration, why not check out my 4 DIY videos where I show you how to make wedding bouquets, centrepieces, invitations and favours.
Back to the venues. I’ve set them out in alphabetical order and as I mentioned earlier, all these venues are stunning in their own right and I would recommend anyone of them. Ultimately it all comes down to your personal preferences and whether they fit within your budget, desired time frames etc.
So without further ado lets jump to it ….
From the moment I first pulled into the Barton Hall Hotel car park, I fell in love, the beautiful grounds and drive that leads up to a grand grade II listed stone house is nothing short of picturesque, but the part of the venue that really took my breath away is their stunning Grade 1 listed Orangery. This is where they hold the ceremony and drinks reception and it really is the perfect location for the elegant couple. The huge sweeping glass domes and archway windows let in the most perfect light, which is an absolute dream for a photographer like me, but it also allows you to feel like you’re having a semi-outdoor ceremony even in the winter or in the rain, which is perfect for our typical British weather!
Located inside the main building is the Charles Suite which is used for the wedding breakfast and evening ‘do’. It’s a beautiful spacious room with stunning chandeliers for up to 180 guests with your own private bar and patio outside. The Hotel has 26 rooms available for bookings and beautiful bridal suite included in the wedding package. Even though the building was built in the 16th century the inside is elegant and contemporary, keeping some traditional features and therefore retaining the grandeur and romance but beautifully renovated for all your modern-day needs.
Easy to access, just 2 minutes from the A14, Barton Hall is set on 10 acres of beautifully manicured mature grounds with lawns and woodland. Plenty of variety for your wedding portraits! Both the orangery and the main hall are stunning stone structures from the outside which are also a beautiful backdrop for more couple and group photographs.
The Hall itself has a large free car park within the grounds and there is a petrol station with a cash machine just 1-minute drive up the road. As mentioned earlier the Hotel has a selection of bedrooms available for booking but is situated just 7 minutes from Kettering town centre there are a plethora of places for wedding guests to book a night. From a Premier Inn to spa hotels and local B&B’s.
Service at Barton Hall is second to none, nothing is too much trouble for them!
Everyone on the staff is friendly, kind and generous with their time, they all go above and beyond, serving each person as an individual. As the photographer, I have received a warm welcome whenever I arrive and am clearly informed of everything I needed to know for the day and then introduced to the toastmaster so that we can work well together for the rest of the day and make sure everything goes smoothly for the bride and groom. The staff all happily ‘run errands’ for the bride and groom even fetching the brides shawl once when they noticed she was cold, I was very impressed!
The transition from the drinks reception in the Orangery to a stunning three-course sit down meal in their Charles Suite is clearly well-rehearsed and seamless. It gives the couple plenty of time to go and have their portrait shots while the guests enjoy their drinks and then slowly stroll across the gardens to sit down for the wedding breakfast. The food is cooked to perfection and there is plenty of time for guests to mingle in-between courses and catch up with friends and family.
Barton Hall Hotel provides everything you need for your day within their package for a simple price per head. Everything from food, drinks, canapés, music, guest-rooms and a wedding coordinator. Check out their website for further information on their package options and prices. They are the perfect venue for the classic, elegant couple. They are warm and friendly and do their utmost to give you a stress-free experience along your wedding planning journey, I highly recommend!
See some of my shots below, and feel free to contact me if you're looking for a photographer or if there is anything else that you would like to know about the venue.
Grendon Lakes is the perfect venue for a couple looking for stunning scenic landscapes to be the backdrop to their wedding. It is a beautiful, relaxed ‘Boho’ style venue with many different choices of atmosphere and venue size. From field hire for a ‘tipi’ style wedding to the intimate lodge function room to a large outdoor Marquee, all of which are within the idyllic countryside setting of the lakes. Grendon Lakes is a family run business and they take pride in that fact that they avoid packages purposely to give you the flexibility to design your own day down to every last detail. I love the flexibility of this venue and that you can have so many choices every step of the way.
One of the first things you’ll need to decide before booking is how many guests you’re hoping to have at your wedding. Grendon Lakes has a lovely wooden lodge which is where the indoor ceremony is held, toilets are and the bar is situated. The lodge has a very rustic ‘log cabin’ sort of feel with lovely lanterns, chair sashes and fairy lights included. If you are planning on having a more intimate wedding you can opt to only hire the lodge and its function room which can seat up to 50 guests or 100 standing. The Lakes provide all your furniture and white table cloths and the rest is up to you. You can arrange the tables and seating to have a little space to boogie or more room closer to the bar to stand and chat. In contrast, they also have a large marquee, with ivory linings, carpet, chandelier lighting, disco ball, a lovely sized dance floor, and tables and chairs arranged around it. Ivory organza sashes & white table linen are included with the marquee hire. It has a formal seating capacity set at 120 guests and room for 200 evening guests. When choosing the larger venue you will still have access to the lodge which is a stone through away from the marquee to get your drinks from the bar and access the toilets etc.
Grendon Lakes are licenced for outdoor and indoor ceremonies so you can also have the option of an outdoor ceremony on their stunning lakeside lawn underneath a pretty wooden wedding gazebo. The lakeside lawn is kitted out with heaters, fairy lights & lanterns to create a dream wedding atmosphere.
One of my favourite parts of Grendon is their lakeside pier so you can literally walk out on to the lake and have some couples photos, perfect for golden hour and sunset shots! The scenery is stunning with rolling green fields and the beautiful blue water of the lake in the background.
Grendon Lakes is situated close to the village of Grendon and 8 minutes from Wollaston home to a small convenience store and some tea rooms. The Lakes has free parking on-site and there are plenty of places to stay in the nearby towns or Wellingborough and Rushden as well as the option to go camping or glamping on site.
From my several occasions of photographing weddings at Grendon Lakes, I know that their service is brilliant. All the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and I am always greeted warmly and given clear instructions of the day by their wedding coordinator who is clearly very experienced at her job.
At Grendon Lakes, they have so many different options for catering. Everything from an afternoon tea to a hog roast or BBQ. You can book through them and use one of their recommended vendors or you can bring in catering of your own. They have so many optional extras to make your day unique and custom-tailored to your desire. Anything from fireworks, kids play tent, or a DJ it’s all up to you. Simply add it to your wedding through them or you can arrange it all yourself. They really do allow you to put your stamp on your day.
See some of my shots below, and feel free to contact me if you're looking for a photographer or if there is anything else that you would like to know about the venue. Make sure to sign up for our wedding planning email list, to receive monthly tips, updates and exclusive offers!
Wicksteed Park stands out as a beautiful venue that suits many different tastes and styles. It’s perfect for couples with an adventurous spirit as you could easily take advantage of their theme park rides or even zip wire if you wanted to do something a bit fun and different on your big day! Set in a whopping 147 acres of parkland there is plenty for wedding guests to do and see, from a vintage narrow gauge steam train to a traditional carousel. The thing I personally love most about Wicksteed, as a wedding venue, is their perfectly landscaped enclosed gardens for your photographs. No matter what time of year these gardens look stunning and are overlooked by a beautiful balcony outside of the wedding suites.
Wicksteed has two different self-contained wedding venues to choose from. The Terrace Suite which is the perfect intimate wedding venue seats up to 150 guests. It features a dance floor, private bar, and a private sun terrace. The designers of the Terrace Suite have done a lovely job of making it both modern and elegant. It has beautiful ceiling high archway windows and separate spacious sections that can be laid out differently for each couples needs. This makes it perfect for every use. So if you want somewhere with an option to hire it for either your whole wedding day from the ceremony right through to the evening, or simply somewhere to have your reception, then this gives you that flexibility.
The Pavillion Suite is Wicksteed’s largest suite with a huge capacity of being able to seat 800 guests. The suite features controllable mood lighting, ballroom-sized dance floor, flexible staging, air conditioning, two fully licensed bars, guest parking, flexible room layouts and are adjacent to the beautiful gardens I mentioned above. The Pavillion is an Edwardian style ballroom, with stunning sculpted pillars throughout the spacious room so it’s perfect for the more vintage or classical themed wedding.
Wicksteed Park has places available to stay on-site including some beautiful lodges that are tucked neatly away from the hustle and bustle of the day visitors. The park has several different cafes and restaurants on-site, but it is also situated two minutes away from Kettering town centre with plenty of hotels, B&B’s and places to eat. There is one ATM or Cash Machine on site which charges a small price for withdrawals or there is plenty of places up the road to get cash out. Parking is free for all wedding guests which can be redeemed at your own private bar.
The staff at Wicksteed Park were all very friendly and extremely helpful. I have had personal contact with the wedding and events coordinator and she is so lovely, helpful and generous with her time, I know she will do everything in her power to make your wedding the day of your dreams! The hot buffet that was served was delicious. I know Wicksteed have several different options for your wedding meals so contact them at the website link above to find out more about that.
Overall Wicksteed Park is a beautiful and quite unique venue with many different options to choose from. They also do some fun adventurous packages for Hen and Stag Do’s so I would definitely check them out for those of you who love the outdoors!
See some of my shots below, and feel free to contact me if you're looking for a photographer or if there is anything else that you would like to know about the venue.
I hope you’ve found this blog really helpful in giving you an idea of which local Northamptonshire venue might suit you best. There are so many venues I could choose to review and I plan to review some more in the future so join the Georgia-Beth Photography family to make sure you don’t miss out on any of those or any other wedding planning tips and upcoming offers.
And don't forget, if you're in need of a photographer or any other help, please feel free to contact me!
Thank you so much for reading and happy wedding planning!
Always cheering you on!
Georgia
