Weather in Dorset
Forecast: MET Norway
Places to stay in England that host weddings – and that are just as good for the other big days: a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a proposal, a christening or a family get-together. Book direct with the venue to talk through your plans, then book rooms nearby for your guests.
Wedding venue guide
22 wedding venues in Dorset that aren’t hotels – barns, country houses, castles, estates and something a little different.
Filter by guest numbers, the style you love and the things that matter on the day, then find somewhere nearby for your guests to stay.
Find a venue See them on the map ↓ Own a venue? List it on Mooch →
22 venues
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Family farm barn and woodland pagoda in a hidden valley inland from Chesil Beach.
Venue hire £3,250–£4,750; midweek from £3,250 (2022 pricing)
No in-house caterer — preferred or external caterers, no corkage.
Address: Gorwell Farm, Abbotsbury, Dorset DT3 4JX
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Jacobean manor with terraced Italianate gardens, grottos and a Coach House in a secluded valley.
Packages £9,450–£20,450 by season
Coach House seats 120; larger weddings use the included pole marquee/stretch tent. In-house catering £45–£80 pp, external also permitted, no corkage.
Address: Mapperton Estate, Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3NR
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Victorian clifftop villa-turned-museum with opulent interiors and sea-view gardens.
Venue hire £950–£7,500
Bournemouth (~1.5 km)
Drawing Room ceremonies up to 25. External catering permitted; corkage on own alcohol.
Address: East Cliff Promenade, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3AA
Ask about holding the ceremony here
Historic abbey house in the village of Cerne Abbas beneath the chalk hills.
£5,000–£8,000
Address: Cerne Abbas, Dorset
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Tudor manor house with award-winning formal gardens near Puddletown.
Typically £15,000; range £7,125–£18,275
Address: Athelhampton, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7LG
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Georgian mansion with five state rooms, lake, terrace and formal gardens on a college estate.
Venue hire £2,525–£7,295
Dorchester South (~3 km)
Outdoor ceremony is an upgrade on the included indoor ceremony; confetti and marquees allowed.
Address: Kingston Maurward, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8PY
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
17th-century hunting-lodge castle in rolling parkland near the Jurassic Coast.
Exclusive venue hire £14,000–£18,000; catering from £85 pp
Two nominated caterers. Evening taxis must be pre-booked.
Address: The Lulworth Estate, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QS
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Romantic Gothic Revival clifftop castle with a glass-fronted Wintergarden overlooking the sea.
Ceremony only from £1,215; ceremony & reception from £7,645 (2026)
Hinton Admiral (~3 km)
Choice of four preferred caterers — external caterers not permitted. Intimate weddings (50) from £3,650 Mon–Thu; ceremony-only pricing Sun–Fri.
Finish time: Reception hire until 11pm
Address: Rothesay Drive, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 4LE
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Georgian manor overlooking Kimmeridge Bay with a walled garden summer house for ceremonies.
Ceremony only from £750; exclusive large wedding + 2 nights £7,950 (2027)
Minimum two-night stay for the house party (sleeps 22); external caterers, no corkage. Midweek and small weddings priced individually; don't rely on satnav for the private drive.
Address: Kimmeridge, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5PG
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Seafront community theatre on the Lyme Regis shoreline, with auditorium, bar and forecourt.
Venue hire £4,495–£5,995
Standing 330 vs 394; external caterers permitted.
Finish time: Exclusive hire 9am–midnight
Address: Church Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QB
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Family vineyard near Poole with a licensed Oak Barn and marquees or tipis among the vines.
From £3,500 hire only
Hamworthy (~5 km)
Only a small number of receptions a year; no fixed packages. External or in-house catering, no corkage.
Address: Flower Drove, Lytchett Matravers, Poole, Dorset BH16 6BX
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Edwardian country house set in landscaped Capability Brown-style gardens in a secluded valley.
Venue hire £12,500–£19,500, varies by season
Nine main-house bedrooms included for two nights with breakfast; seven preferred caterers or external, no corkage.
Address: Minterne House, Minterne Magna, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7AU
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Clifftop Georgian castle with sea-view gardens, pagoda and roof terrace on the Isle of Portland.
Nominated caterers Rabbit & Rose and Sausage & Pear.
Address: Pennsylvania Road, Portland, Dorset DT5 1HZ
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Sir Walter Raleigh's 16th-century castle set in Capability Brown parkland and lake.
Venue hire from £1,200
Sherborne (~1 km)
Larger receptions via marquee (permitted).
Address: New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Medieval barn with courtyard ceremonies in rural north Dorset.
Venue hire £3,800–£6,500
Fully equipped kitchen for your caterer, no corkage; 3 bedrooms (sleeps 6) plus shepherd huts.
Address: Near Sherborne, Dorset
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Outdoor/garden wedding venue in the countryside between Wimborne and Blandford.
£4,995–£12,495
Address: New Barn, Roundhouse Roundabout, Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Victorian clifftop castle in a country park with gallery terrace and amphitheatre above the sea.
Price on request
Licensed Gallery (120 ceremony / 90 seated) and Belvedere (50); weddings arranged via Blue Bay Events.
Address: Durlston Country Park, Lighthouse Road, Swanage, Dorset BH19 2JL
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Restored 14th-century thatched tithe barn on a working estate near Bridport.
Venue hire £5,500–£6,500
No corkage; confetti and open flames permitted.
Address: Mill Lane, Symondsbury, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Victorian harbour fort with a licensed North Terrace and gundeck overlooking the Jurassic Coast.
Ceremony venue hire £850 (2025 brochure)
Weymouth (~1.5 km)
Ceremony-focused: hire 11am–4pm with 2 hours' exclusive use of the chosen space; drinks and canapés from £510 for 15 guests via Fort View Cafe.
Address: Barrack Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8UF
✓ Licensed for ceremonies
Historic manor house and walled gardens in the heart of Wimborne Minster.
£5,850–£7,850
Address: Wimborne Minster, Dorset
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Restored Palladian seat of the Earls of Shaftesbury with lake lawn, grotto and avenue ceremony spots.
Venue hire £3,000–£15,000; packages £10,500–£15,000
Five licensed principal rooms (up to 120); in-house catering from £75 pp, external permitted, corkage applies. Discounted midweek/Thursday weddings advertised.
Finish time: Until midnight, extension available
Address: Wimborne St Giles, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5NA
✓ Licensed for ceremonies, including outdoors
Rural retreat with a 9-bedroom house, glamping pods and shepherd huts for a two-night wedding stay.
Venue hire £8,500–£17,500, varies by season/day
Two-night minimum exclusive hire (Tue–Thu or Fri–Sun); choose from four caterers; corkage on own drinks; dogs in grounds only. House sleeps 21 plus pods/huts sleep 16 (extra cost).
Address: Muston Lane, Winterborne Kingston, Dorset DT11 9BH
No venues match all of those – try taking a filter off.
Tap a venue for details and places to stay nearby. The map follows your filters above.
Barn Country house Castle & historic Estate & gardens Farm & outdoor City & unusual
Hotel
Bournemouth, Dorset
Price guide: from £50 a night
View details – The Mayfair Hotel Book Direct / Check Availability – The Mayfair Hotel (opens in a new tab)Inn
Farnham, Dorset
Price guide: from £100 a night
View details – The Museum Inn Book Direct / Check Availability – The Museum Inn (opens in a new tab)Hotel
Bournemouth, Dorset
Price guide: from £200 a night
View details – The Nici Book Direct / Check Availability – The Nici (opens in a new tab)Hotel
Bournemouth, Dorset
Price guide: from £100 a night
View details – The Orchid Hotel Book Direct / Check Availability – The Orchid Hotel (opens in a new tab)Hotel
Studland, Dorset
Price guide: from £200 a night
View details – The PIG – on the beach Book Direct / Check Availability – The PIG – on the beach (opens in a new tab)Hotel
Bournemouth, Dorset
Price guide: from £50 a night
View details – The Trouville Book Direct / Check Availability – The Trouville (opens in a new tab)Hotel
Bournemouth, Dorset
Price guide: from £50 a night
View details – Village Bournemouth Book Direct / Check Availability – Village Bournemouth (opens in a new tab)A quick Google review helps more guests find great places to stay – and book direct. It takes a minute, and you stay right here on Mooch.
Thank you! Your review really helps.
Share Mooch
Let them scan this code with their phone camera – it shows them how to put Mooch on their phone too.
More ways to shareMooch on your phone
Put Mooch on your home screen – one tap to find hotels, inns and B&Bs and book direct. Free, nothing to download from an app store.
Scan the code with your phone’s camera, or
Get the App
Scan or tap to get the appScan to get Mooch
We only use your details to reply to you. Privacy
Get last-minute deals?
We’ll send the odd notification about offers and places to stay. Turn it off any time.