My current top 10 unique and unusual wedding venues in Hampshire

places I’ve shot at or would like to

Happy New year to everyone!  Today I thought I would list my Top 10 unique and Unusual wedding venues in Hampshire, most of the places I’ve shot at and others, have been on my radar and would really love to in the future.  You may or may not know that I love shooting outdoors and love outdoor weddings so it won’t be a surprise that this list will have quite a few venues which allow you to enjoy the great outdoors.  But it is not exclusively outdoor venues so the uniqueness of the indoor space is also important (for this particular list anyway!)  I hope you’ll find it useful if you’ve just got engaged and have just started looking for unusual wedding venues in Hampshire. There is no particular order but let me start with Winchester…  Also, please click on the titles to take you to each venue’s webpage for more photos and information.

Winchester Cathedral Reception Venues

Fancy having your reception next to the historical and breathtaking Winchester Cathedral?  Did you know that the Cathedral actually offers four different reception venues to cater for various wedding party sizes? You have the option of using the bright lawn marquee for larger parties or the Undercroft, and the Wessex Centre for smaller parties all within the grounds of Winchester Cathedral itself. It makes for an impressive backdrop and some of the options have private walled gardens which offers you an oasis of green in the middle of the city centre.

The Great Hall Winchester

Another great unusual venue right in Winchester is The Great Hall, an impressive 13th century aisled hall originally part of Winchester Castle and which incidentally houses King Arthur’s round table! This is perfect for the history buffs among you and even The Game of Thrones fans as the iron wrought gates remind me of the iron throne! Just don’t have a red wedding theme (or do if you really want to).

Horsebridge Station

Fancy walking down the aisle of a disused railway station and making your vows on the platform? Take a look at this lovely station near Romsey. You feel like you’ve gone back in time if you fancy a vintage themed wedding or otherwise just want to be in the middle of the countryside which is really peaceful, quiet and quintessentially British.

 

Solent Fort Weddings

I specifically have shot at Spitbank Fort but there are other forts available, depending on the size of your wedding. This is really special and feels like you are on your own private island. There’s only 1 boat in and out during the day so once your guests are on there, they are there to explore the whole fort (from top to bottom!) until the boat takes them back out close to midnight. There are 8 double rooms on Spitbank Fort so some guests can also stay the night with you and further enjoy the firepit and hot tub on one of the decks.

The Tournerbury Woods Estate

I’m including this estate as it is in a unique position of allowing you to have access to 50 acres of woodland, and the tidal banks on Hayling Island.  Beautiful, serene, expansive but still somehow intimate, you can even opt to arrive by boat or by helicopter should you wish to. Now that would be an entrance.

 

Kingsettle Studs, Cholderton Estate

Another relatively new venue right on the border of Hampshire and Wiltshire, this re-purposed Victorian stables and barn offers a unique rustic and unusual wedding venue. There is an arboretum and stone circle where you can hold humanist ceremonies, a light bright barn top hold your reception and the stables are intact. Just think of what you can do with each of those cubicles! (Sweet street stall, dress up stall… etc etc)

Beaulieu Estate Weddings

What about having your wedding and or reception in one of the sites available to you on the Beaulieu estates? If you’re a car enthusiast, you can incorporate the National Motor museum into your day, or have a banquet at The Beaulieu Abbey Domus, or if your wedding is smaller, have dinner at the Palace House. I shot a commitment ceremony and celebrations at the Domus complete with a falconry display that happened to be on at the time. The beautiful courtyard surrounded by the Church on one side, the Domus on another and the remains of old walls and arches on the other two sides served as a huge space for guests to simply relax.

Explosion Museum of Naval Power, Portsmouth

A unique venue set in a museum in Historic Porstmouth Docklands, The Grand Magazine was built in the 18th century as a gunpowder storage area! With views across the waterfront to Port Solent and the Docks, you and your guests can enjoy the rest of the museum too.

The Square Tower Portsmouth

Very similar and relatively close to the Explosion Museum, The Square Tower is another historic building in Portsmouth but this one was built in the 15th century and has all it’s own unique offerings and in their words “tardis-like”. Housing two halls, you can have your wedding ceremony and breakfast there, going up to the very top of the fort to enjoy the views for your drinks reception or down to the waterfront for your photos (and maybe a paddle in the sea?)

My last on the list is

Weddings in the Wood

Here’s a place I would absolutely love to shoot at. The venue has very few rules and such flexible space in the middle of the forest that you really have a magical woodland wedding. You can actually have your civil ceremony (the legal part) either in the Bridal Hut for a truly small and intimate wedding as well as the oak beamed Carpenters Barn. But then you have the option to also have a blessing or ceremony in the woods or the extensive lawns if you so wished. As well as the woods itself, there is space for a marquee or the Carpenters barn if the weather decides not to co-operate on your day.

So that’s my list of top 10 wedding venues in Hampshire! Do let me know if you have any other hidden and unusual gems I’ve not mentioned and I’ll check them out. I’m always on the lookout for unusual wedding venues. I hope this has been useful for those of you looking for your wedding venue. If you are looking specifically for wedding venues in the New Forest area, I have a blog post for that too – The Best New forest wedding venues. And if you’d like to read more about my style and approach to weddings, please take a look at my Wedding Page here.