If you have ever seen the film About Time, you may have romanticized the simplicity of a home wedding. Albeit, without the torrential rainfall and guests all but soaked to the bone and a particularly unhappy looking Tom Hollander. If you have the option, there are probably more benefits to tying the knot in the comfort of your (or a family members) home than you may think. Think zero venue hire, no time-limit, an exclusive and meaningful guestlist, and less pressure to be perfect. After all, what is more relaxing than being at home? 
 
Here, we’ve collated some of our most luxurious homes most suitable for home nuptials.

South Close in Riding Mill is probably the closest thing you could get to the film itself. With eight bedrooms there is plenty of space for guests, as well as generous parking, and just under three acres of land for a marquee or festival tent, garden games for the kids and more playful adults amongst us, as well as an abundance of cute spots for photographs. Internally, there is plenty of space should the weather turn, with a cinema room for bored youngsters, a drawing room perfect for toasts and a kitchen fully equipped to handle the caterers. Perfection. 

Likewise, Hindley Hall is a high-specification country house sitting on nineteen acres in Stocksfield, and seems as if it were built for such an occasion, with magical, fairytale exteriors and plenty of space for a larger guestlist. With an enclosed courtyard you may mistake for something from a Tuscan villa and sweeping open-plan interiors and pocket doors giving flexibility against the British weather, you surely can’t go wrong. The addition of a snooker table, tennis court and sauna gives an element of luxury you could otherwise be missing elsewhere. Buy that flower arch now, you’ve found the one.

While some homes shine whatever the weather, it’s safe to say The Old Vicarage is summer wedding perfection. This six-bedroom, seven-reception room Grade II Listed former vicarage gives a sense of holy grandeur to your nuptials while offering absolute freedom of choice. The rolling green lawns are ideal for a lazy drinks reception while you have pictures taken against a backdrop of endless blue skies. Don’t even worry about the caterers, that six door AGA will take care of everything.

For a smaller guestlist and more relaxed atmosphere, The Dene in Stocksfield is an impressive option. A substantial Victorian house with five reception rooms and six bedrooms, we get all the nostalgia of classic British literature while all the scope for an intimate, at-home wedding. Gorgeous interiors give us that Bridgerton feel, while there is no shortage of light for candid photographs of guests enjoying their canapés. Lawns sweep away from the house, while some verdant mature shrubbery gives the single guests on your list some privacy for inevitable shenanigans. We did reference Bridgerton, folks. Lean into it, it’s a party, after all!

For a garden fit for a festival tent, look no further than Dukewilley in Hexham, a five-bedroom stone-built property with big enough lawns for the biggest big-top-marquee you’ve ever seen. You might even want to bring in food vendors, too, with the driveway bisecting the lawn for convenient access. An existing outdoor seating area is handy too, for the older guests that need somewhere to hole up for the evening. Get the fire pit on and the Fleetwood Mac cover band you’ve always wanted, this is it.

New Bewley Castle may not be the Castle your 10-year-old self-imagined for your special day, there are no towering spires, turrets or absurd displays of royal extravagance here. However, those of you with more modest tastes will no doubt delight in the wonderfully idyllic gardens that envelop New Bewley. Lush sweeping lawns, mature trees, and vibrant rhododendrons, all set against the sweeping views of the Eden Valley, make this verdant oasis an irresistible choice for a home nuptial. The property itself complements its picturesque surrounds, thoughtfully appointed and lovingly maintained with an unmistakably warm country character that is both elegant and inviting. Five bedrooms and five receptions rooms will accommodate immediate family comfortably and a spacious courtyard provides parking for five vehicles.

If you have a big family to accommodate, picture your wedding morning unfolding at The Old Stables. As the bridal party settle into the stable cottage for that final debrief as hair and makeup are being perfected. Guests arrive through the grand archway, greeted by the rustic appeal of the stone-built main house. Vows are exchanged under the open sky, with the courtyard’s stone-flagged terrace providing a charming backdrop. Guests can mingle amidst the beautifully landscaped gardens, their laughter mixing with the gentle clink of champagne flutes. And paddock and stables offer endless possibilities for a relaxed, festival-style reception—think fairy lights strung across the lawn, kids jumping off hay bales and your favourite local woodfired pizza van keeps everyone well fed as the Ceilidh provides the most intensive workout the guests have done all year. With 6 bedrooms and the additional cottage there is ample space to put up all the new in-laws… that’s hoping they get along.

Dalton House provides a majestic setting for the perfect at-home fairytale wedding. Imagine your ceremony taking place amidst the beautifully landscaped gardens, where sweeping lawns, mature fruit trees and vibrant flower beds have the photographs covered. Picture a sophisticated soiree, with a tented area for dining and dancing. The surrounding gardens provide an enchanting setting for guests to mingle and enjoy the evening, perhaps with a few lawn games that even grandparents can join in with before retiring to one of the four cosy reception rooms with a nightcap before the silent disco takes over. The generous accommodation, including a principal bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and five additional double bedrooms makes sure your guests can pretty much sleep where they fall. And in such proximity of the airport, you’ll be on your honeymoon before the hangover can even hit.

If you’re imagining traditional elegance with a more reserved guest list then Moor House could be the fit. Your grand double-fronted home, set within beautiful, landscaped gardens is transformed into the perfect summer wedding. With ample private parking there is no worry about accommodating the new family. The garden room, with its French doors leading directly onto the patio and extensive gardens, becomes the heart of the celebration. This sunlit space is perfect for a lively drinks reception after the ceremony, where guests can wander in and out the garden space to the intimate cabana dining set up. The speeches that little bit more heartfelt as your nearest and dearest sit in arms reach. As the evening draws in the firepits are lit on the patio and the hum of the dance floor creates a comforting lull, making it feel…just like home.

So, perhaps you don’t want the fuss or the hassle of travel arrangements. Maybe, for this one day in your life, you want everyone to come to you. After years of traveling abroad for honeymoons and three-day weddings, perhaps you just don’t want to pack anything for your own. Wake up in your own bed, enjoy the day of your dreams with family squeezed into the living room for speeches, while unexpected rain lashes at the windows and kids play in the garden they know so well. Curate your own playlist and wake up the next morning to nurse your hangover in the best way you know how: at home.