A Wedding at Kelmarsh Hall, England

This English country house wedding took place at Kelmarsh Hall, a spectacular Grade 1 listed venue sited in the middle of the rolling farmland of Northamptonshire.

What I loved about Kelmarsh is that it’s not run by a corporate wedding venue business and spoiled with awful modern artwork and cheap décor (as I’ve seen so many times in the UK).

This is a place that’s kept it’s identity, prestige and atmosphere; presumably because it’s kept for the benefit of the nation by the non-profit Kelmarsh Trust. Unlike many similar country house venues in the UK, this one is the real deal...

A brief history of Kelmarsh Hall

In-person as in-camera, it’s immediately obvious when one sees the design features, colours, and lighting of Kelmarsh why the 19^th Century artists and designers behind it (including Nancy Lancaster) are held in such high esteem. Although it was built in early 1730s as an example of fashionable Palladian-style architecture (Italian infused and derived from Venice), it was her vision and careful experimentation at Kelmarsh that defined and solidified what would be the English country house look.

Examples of this at Kelmarsh are the harmonised proportions, soft pastel colours, time-softened paint, and interior decorations that diverged away from the harsher late-Victorian fashions and more towards what I’d describe as accessible and humanist. It’s grand and impressive yet feels lived-in and homely; it scholarly with its library and many artistic wall displays alluding to academia, architecture, and history, yet it’s welcoming and warm. Kelmarsh Hall looks stunning in images, but it also feels right. As I said before, it’s the real thing.

Kelmarsh Hall as a Wedding venue

Another important and often over-looked aspect of this venue was its favourable orientation regarding the sunset. Not every venue is blessed with this and it makes golden-hour photos here an obvious thing to do. I didn’t spend too long in the grounds here (it rained for much of the day, unfortunately), but from what I saw they’re spacious, beautiful, and worthy of the rest of the house with beautifully kept lawns, centuries-old trees, a beautiful rose garden, and expansive land all around the building.

One final thing; I found the price of hiring Kelmarsh for your wedding to be extremely competitive. I’ve been to venues in the UK that cost far more but have been stripped of their original character and thrust in the wrong direction. Presumably this happens under the leadership of afore-mentioned corporate wedding venue businesses that buy up country estates and then turn them into the wedding-venue equivalents of Wetherspoons pubs; weird carpets; dreadful wall-art, tacky furniture. Fun and functional, but they’re not real pubs with a landlord and an old firearm hanging above the bar that everyone hopes is no longer functioning. Kelmarsh is the real thing and its soul has been wonderfully preserved by people who know how important this is.

The Wedding

This wedding had an amazing down-to-earth atmosphere and included some of my favourite wedding things (such as a saxophonist). It had early-summer vibes, a big, colorful bouquet, and the atmosphere was fun, extravagant, open, and genuine, with a “you only get married once” kind of feel; personally I appreciate this more than when people try to force the atmosphere too far towards sophistication and elegance because that can be really stifling for the ambiance.



The venue, despite its lofty references to academia and obvious prestige, complimented this laid-back atmosphere because inside it was also bright, open, colourful, and welcoming. The atmosphere and venue were a perfect match; it was formal at the right times, then fun and engaging afterwards. Kelmarsh can do both. And if you want a great atmosphere, seriously consider a saxophonist because every time I’ve seen one people absolutely love it.

The original plan was to have the wedding ceremony in the rose garden, which would have been beautiful, but – it being England – this plan had to change due to the weather. Never mind though, because the ceremony room is beautiful. Thankfully, we had the opportunity to take photos outside later.

This was a wedding where guests were truly looked after with some great photo displays, fun, and engaging activities (a shot of some tasty but dubious home-made alcohol, anyone?), and a DIY make-up stall to get glammed up for the dance floor. Guests loved all of this and it really brought people together.

To sum-up, I’m a huge fan of Kelmarsh Hall and so grateful I got to experience it. Whether you’re getting married or not – if you’re in the area, it’s open to the public and you should go and visit it.

Kelmarsh hall wedding gallery