Perfect wedding venue in Hertfordshire
Introduction
Finding the right wedding venue can be one of the most challenging parts of planning your special day. At Ware Priory we tailor your wedding so that it is as individual as you are, we help you plan every finishing touch. Whether you are looking for a wedding venue in an historic or contemporary setting, wanting a civil ceremony, a wedding reception or perhaps both, then we are here to make sure you have the perfect day. Perhaps you want to begin your married life almost immediately or you are looking slightly further ahead, maybe you are planning a spectacular celebration or an intimate gathering with close friends and family. Whatever your decision, your wedding is one of the most treasured, special and important days of your life and our experienced and dedicated team will help you plan your day so that everything goes without a hitch.
We offer a historic, yet contemporary setting for the wedding
Ware Priory offers two fantastic wedding venues in which to hold your wedding or celebration.
The historic Ware Priory offers a venue steeped in the atmosphere with period architecture dating back to medieval times. The Priory Hall features gothic stone arches, stained glass windows and has the remnants of a Victorian Trompe-l’oeil. You enter through the Jacobean front door at the corner of the old cloister arcade and then, after the ceremony, meet your guests as newly-weds through a beautiful wisteria archway before entering the Priory Gardens. If you are looking for a small wedding venue for more intimate ceremonies there is the Hadsley Room, with its late-medieval roof beams and crown post roof. The room boats a 14th Century refectory table, which is believed to be a survivor from the original friary. Our Conservatory offers a bright spacious interior with an intimate atmosphere at night. Large French windows open on to the gardens with access to the River Lea, where wooden bridges access the Priory Island.
Fletcher’s Lea is our largest function suite. Also known as the Riverside Suite it is ideal as a larger venue for wedding receptions and celebration parties. With it’s contemporary design and flexibility to be decorated and themed as suits, the Riverside Suite is a standalone building which affords exclusivity as all catering and bar facilities are housed within it. Additionally, there is a private terrace offering views over the River Lea.
Exclusive use of the wedding venue and breathtaking surroundings
If you are looking for the ideal spot for photographs then we have several to choose from: arriving at the front of the Priory with your wedding car, signing the register in front of the stained glass windows in the Priory Hall or using the 14th Century refectory table in our late-medieval Hadsley Room. There is confetti time under the wisteria archway or several idyllic spots in the gardens and by the river.
We can also offer exclusive use of the wedding venue so you, your partner, your family and friends can enjoy the celebration without any interruption.
Ware Priory Wedding Video
Planning your day
Registrar
You will need to arrange for the Registrar, as we cannot do that for you, so you should make contact with them directly for their availability. You can find the contact details here
Arrival and Photographs
All Brides and Grooms, whether married here or arriving after a church or registry office ceremony, will start the occasion with a drinks reception in our wonderful riverside gardens, which also provide the perfect setting for your photographs, whether in front of the Priory itself, in the beautiful landscaped gardens or by the river.
The Wedding Breakfast
The wedding breakfast will be served in your chosen room and can be a formal sit-down meal or an informal buffet or barbecue, all prepared and served by our highly skilled in-house catering partners. We can accommodate a small gathering in an intimate setting or a large number of up to 160 of your guests.
Wedding Celebration
When the speeches are over and the cake has been cut, you and your guests can enjoy the full party atmosphere, dancing and socialising well into the night, and still enjoy our gardens and river views. Whatever you decide, our services include the full management of your day. All we ask is that you enjoy the weeding that you have long dreamed of!
Choosing a venue
We have a number of venues to choose from:
The Priory Hall
The Priory Hall is situated in what were the cloisters of the original Friary. You enter the Priory through the main door, which dates from the late Tudor or Jacobean period, into a small reception area before entering the main Hall itself. As you enter the Hall, there are stained glass windows to the left and front and to the right a series of French windows that open on to the riverside gardens.
The Conservatory
The Conservatory offers a bright and spacious interior with easy access to our riverside gardens. Although licensed for civil ceremonies, the Conservatory is ideal place for your wedding breakfast or reception and can accommodate up to 120 guests. It also provides an fun atmosphere at night when you can have up to 140 guests for an evening reception. The Conservatory was completely rebuilt during the extensive renovations in the mid-1990s.
The Hadsley Room
The Hadsley Room, part of the Lady Suite, dates from the 15th Century and is understood to have been the Abbot’s lodgings originally. Situated on the first floor, it boasts a superb example of a crown post roof and has a vaulted ceiling. The large refectory table, used by the Registrar to conduct the ceremonies, dates back to the 14th Century and is believed to be from the original Friary. The room is named after Robert Hadsley, who purchased the Priory in 1685; his family owned the Estate for the best part of 200 years.
The Riverside Suite
The Riverside Suite, within Fletcher’s Lea, is also ideal as a larger venue for wedding receptions and celebration parties and can accommodate up to 160 guests for dining and 220 for a buffet setting. Fletcher’s Lea is a standalone building which affords exclusivity as all catering and bar facilities are housed within it. Additionally, there is a private terrace offering views over the River Lea as well as access to all the gardens within the Priory Estate.
Catering & Menus
Catering for your wedding will be managed by your chosen caterer from our Catering Partnership. For more information on the menu options and to discuss various drinks packages click here.
Event Suppliers
We have put together a list of approved suppliers to help when planning your event, which is updated and added to reguarly. Click here for the full list.
For booking enquiries click here
Testimonials
We just wanted to say thanks for helping make our day so special. We had a great day! The food was delicious, service was top notch everything ran like clockwork.
We had a fantastic wedding day at Ware Priory and we have had many positive comments from our guests about the excellent organisation and food. We would particularly like to thank your team, whose help and support both in advance and on the say was very much appreciated.
We wanted to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for everything that Ware Priory did to make our wedding day so wonderful. Everything was fantastic, and we are so pleased we chose you for our wedding venue. The rooms looked wonderful and everything had been set up exactly to our specification, and our guests were treated brilliantly by all of your staff.
We wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for helping make our wedding day perfect. The venue, the food and the service were absolutely fantastic and, without exception, our guests were very impressed. We have received many compliments.
Thank you so much for all you have done to make our wedding day go off so well. Everyone was so impressed with the venue and the buffet. I’m sure we couldn’t have done it without you all.
Thank you for all that you did for our wedding – we had a completely awesome day. We loved every second of it. It wouldn’t have been possible without all those that helped from Ware Priory. Fantastic venue, ceremony, food, staff, timing and generally all round greatness!