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How To Create Your Dream Wedding In The Perfect Kent Wedding Venue

A spectacular destination wedding that is truly unique to you in the heart of Kent

The value of choosing the right wedding venue in Kent to tie the knot is one of the most critical decisions you can make in creating your dream wedding. If you want your personalities to permeate throughout your wedding and create the perfect atmosphere for a memorable destination wedding, then the wedding venue you choose impacts your big day. 

Setting your wedding apart from the rest will require your wedding venue to have the professionals you need to create your perfect wedding. Our expert knowledge, experience and reputation have helped us plan and host some of the most prestigious luxury destination weddings.

From a modern, classic or rustic wedding theme, we have ensured the couples have enjoyed the planning process while they let us do what we enjoy, planning and hosting a unique wedding from start to finish

Keep reading to find out if we are a perfect match for your wedding venue and planning needs.

Exterior shot of Goodnestone Park

Why Choose Goodnestone Mansion and Gardens

Our estate is part of history if you want a British touch to your destination wedding. Jane Austen wrote her famous novel Pride and Prejudice and often visited our stunning grounds. During World War II, the house was requisitioned by the War Office and became the D-Day Marshalling Camp Area F5, and was occupied by troops throughout the war effort.  

Today, our mansion exclusively holds only 20 weddings annually to ensure we provide a truly unique experience for our couples. Whatever the season, your wedding will be meaningful and memorable for you and your loved ones.

Wedding couple walking upstairs at Goodnestone Park

The ultimate destination wedding with an exclusive three-night stay in our mansion

There is no surprise why destination weddings are on the rise and a popular choice for brides and grooms. The joy of having all your loved ones overnight in one place celebrating your wedding is a moment you’ll cherish forever and share with the future generations of your family. 

You and your guests will get an exclusive stay at the mansion boasting 12 bedrooms and can sleep up to 24 guests. From the luxurious bridal suite to the magnificent dining room, there is plenty of space to celebrate and relax with your loved ones. 

Couples and their families have found destination weddings with us beneficial because, unlike other wedding venues you can book for the day, staying overnight means no rush or curfew to stop your wedding celebrations.

Wedding couple at Goodnestone Park

Luxury estate and gardens for stylish picture perfect wedding photos

A destination wedding is perfect if you want a picturesque setting that compliments your theme and, ultimately, captures one of the most significant moments of your life, getting married. We understand how important photography is for the bride and groom to capture those special wedding moments. The wedding venue you choose will reflect how nicely your decor arrangements will look for your chosen theme and how your photos will look. 

We’re one of Kent’s most sought-after wedding venues and rated 4* stars on TripAdvisor for our breathtaking gardens and scenic landscape views. You will gain an exclusive garden space, especially for you and your wedding guests. 

You will also have access to take pictures in the arboretum and gravel garden, the woodland garden, the walled garden and the stunning parterre and terrace. All gardens are aesthetic, well maintained and look beautiful in the background for the perfect wedding pictures.

Orangery Interior and Roof

Italian inspired timber framed marquee; The Orangery

When choosing a wedding venue for your dream day, you will need to consider if the venue can accommodate the number of guests you want to invite. As well as having flexibility in entertainment choices you can provide to your guests; after all, it’s one of the biggest days of your life, and you want it to be unique. 

Many kent wedding venues may have restrictions such as permission for outdoor entertainment, catering to weather conditions with indoor and outdoor space or shelter, and sound restrictions on live music such as a curfew, volume or decibel limit. 

The Orangery provides shelter so you can provide indoor and outdoor entertainment if you’re worried about the weather on the day of your wedding. Our timber-framed luxury Italian inspired marquee can seat up to 140 guests while leaving space for entertainment. Its interior linings feature a botanical theme which is pleasing to the eye and adds to the atmosphere. 

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Bride pouring a drink

Trusted partners for catering and wedding planning

We have hosted many weddings and understand how stressful it can be to plan a wedding. A destination wedding at Goodnestone Mansion and Park means you will have a dedicated wedding planner, the wedding dolls to help take the stress away and take you through the whole process step by step, including management on the day. 

How do you know which caterer to choose that can cook meals to your guest’s taste, whether an entree, main or dessert? As one of Kent’s most prominent wedding venues, we have a list of trusted suppliers you can consider for your wedding day, reassuring you the food will be delicious and served on time, keeping your guests happy.

Wedding couple at Goodnestone Park Church

The Ceremony

Will you be having a traditional ceremony or a civil ceremony? The wedding venue you choose impacts the schedule of your day. One of the reasons destination weddings are popular is because it saves the stress or worry of interruptions occurring on your wedding day, with those nearest to you staying overnight at your destination wedding location.

The Church of Holy Cross is a short walk away from us if you’re looking for a traditional ceremony. If you want an outdoor ceremony, we can cater to that, and if it rains on the day, we have the Coach House, where you can have an indoor civil ceremony. All in one stunning location in the heart of Kent. 

Destination wedding vs traditional Kent wedding venue.

Which one is right for you?

When planning your wedding, you may have a month or season in mind, and one of the first decisions you and your fiance will make is the date and location of your wedding. However, you may still be deciding if you prefer a destination wedding or hire a wedding venue for the day. 

Kent wedding venues are diverse and, depending on the location, will have different rules that will impact your wedding choices. For example, if you wish to choose live music as entertainment for your wedding guests, there may be specific laws in place the venue must abide by, which could mean a curfew to end celebrations and a restriction on volume. If you have your heart set on an outdoor wedding, you will need to check if the venue caterers to outdoor weddings and has emergency space available indoors if it rains. 

Wedding planning can be stressful. If you’re looking for flexibility and a unique wedding, a destination wedding may suit your needs. Choosing a kent wedding venue that also caters to destination weddings will enable you to tailor your dream wedding just how you envisioned it. Goodnestone Estate has approximately fifteen acres of grounds with remarkable landscapes and views and is a privately owned estate.

There is plenty of indoor and outdoor space to tailor your wedding exactly how you envisioned it, with the capacity of your immediate family to stay overnight at the mansion, ensuring no disruptions or delays on your wedding day. We also allow catering supplies to be delivered the day before your arrival, ensuring everything runs smoothly. 

So, if you are looking for something unique with flexibility, a destination wedding will suit your needs.

Wedding couple kissing outside Goodnestone Park Church

What our guests have said about their weddings with us

We have had the pleasure of hosting many weddings at Goodnestone Mansion and Park. Our stunning grounds and mansion is rated four stars on TripAdvisor and were awarded the travellers choice awards in 2022 by TripAdvisor based on visitor reviews. 

With so many wedding venue options in Kent and a lot to consider when planning a wedding, reviews certainly help. Here is just one review from a beautiful couple that had their destination wedding with us. 

“Held our wedding at this venue. Stunning, perfect location. Beautiful house with history linking it to Jane Austen and each room is stunning. The views are some of the best I have ever seen. Perfect. House manager is fabulous. All in all this was perfection” – TripAdvisor June 2021

Our commitment to our guests and couples means we only host twenty annual weddings between March and October. By limiting the number of weddings we host, we can cater to every unique destination wedding, tailoring specific needs while providing exclusive space for a truly intimate wedding that is both meaningful and memorable.

Wedding couple at Goodnestone Park

Final thoughts

Your choice of wedding venue is one of the most important decisions you will make in creating your perfect dream wedding. A wedding venue with a trusted list of suppliers such as caterers you can choose from and the inclusion of a wedding coordinator to help plan your wedding from start to finish and management on the day all impacts how smoothly the day will go. 

There is a lot to consider when wedding planning, not to mention looking for the perfect dress. If you want to enjoy the whole planning process, a destination wedding is undoubtedly the best choice. A destination wedding will also be picturesque and unique, taking the stress away from planning and hosting and making your dream wedding memorable for a lifetime. 

Book your destination wedding venue tour and enjoy a complimentary glass of Chapel Down wine while you take in our scenic views at our estate. You may also be interested in reading more about wedding planning.

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