As a floral expert, I consider myself lucky to create florals in some of the county’s most impressive country wedding venues, filled with heritage. Here, I shine a spotlight on five of Cheshire’s best.
Capesthorne Hall stands as a testament to the seamless blend of historical grandeur and contemporary elegance, marking it as a truly unique venue in Cheshire. This magnificent family-owned stately home, dating back to the early 18th century, is nestled in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, surrounded by 100 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland, which include serene lakes and lush woodland with the air of Jane Austin and Mr Darcey.
Capesthorne has so much inspiration to draw from as a floral designer too, our designs echo Capesthorne's tradition of selecting exquisite elements that mirror the estate's rich flora, such as scented roses, hydrangeas and lavender and lush greenery. The romance of the tranquil gardens, with their soft petals and plants dancing in the breeze, influences every floral piece, from delicate bouquets to grand ceremony arches adorned with rambling roses. In crafting these arrangements, it's crucial to create space within the design, inviting onlookers to fully immerse themselves in the experience and appreciate the beauty in its entirety.
Of course, the perfect wedding venue doesn’t have to be in the middle of the countryside. How about a historic building, right in the heart of a historic city? Old Palace Chester is one such venue. Dating back to the 18th century, it was originally built for the Bishop of Chester and overlooks the peaceful River Dee, with views over the City Walls and Roman Gardens.
Choosing to have your wedding in a city the size of Chester offers certain things that a country wedding doesn’t. With its roman history and picturesque river running through it, you’re spoilt for choice in backdrops for your wedding photos.
Transport between church and reception, or reception and guests’ accommodation, is likely to be easy (at most a short taxi ride, at best a walk, so no need for ‘designated’ drivers!). There’s also plenty for your guests to see and do in the days before and after the wedding, so they can enjoy a city break and explore the sites. Getting married in a city means you can incorporate some of the things that are specific to that place into your wedding theme, decorations or favours – Chester’s roman history is the most obvious but it’s also home to one of the UK’s largest zoos and the world’s oldest racecourse.
Old Palace Chester has been converted into an exclusive, luxury wedding venue with a choice of beautiful rooms where you can exchange your vows, or just have the reception if you’re planning to have the ceremony in a nearby church.
Formerly the palace chapel, the River Room is now a dedicated ceremony room, seating up to 110 guests. Its neutral ambience and abundant natural lighting lend itself to flower-filled urns with soft pastel roses and tumbling ivy, which symbolise an unbreakable bond, to compliment the dreamy and airy transparency, and blossoms that are prized for their delicate nature. And if you want to add a Roman touch to the day, carry fragrant herbs and wear a flower headdress to ward off bad luck during weddings. Fill the room with roses and your favourite blooms which can potentially be transferred to the reception room for you and your guest to enjoy a little longer.
The grand ballroom, which seats up to 150, has a neutral colour scheme which you can personalise to your heart’s content, be it for the ceremony or your wedding breakfast. Its versatility makes it ideal for elevated floral arrangements, or you could have subtle modern or classic table centrepieces for an understated effect. One of our favourite weddings there was Lucy and Paul’s, who chose contemporary table centrepieces in a stylish combination of reflexed sweet avalanche, white avalanche and quicksand roses in a gold-footed bowl. There wasn’t a piece of greenery insight; it was all about Lucy's favourite flower, the rose, in soft complementary colours.
There are also the gardens where, in the warmer months, you can say your ‘I do’s’ in the privacy and tranquillity of the Garden Terrace, or serve cocktails and canapés to your guests. This is also the perfect place for a floral arch or photobooth, so your guests can have memories of your special day to treasure forever.
Combermere Abbey is a venue that reminds me of my childhood. Our family farm was located on the Shropshire-Cheshire border near the estate land and we even had sheep grazing on the estate. What began life as a Cistercian monastery in 1133 has gone through transformations over the centuries to become an elegant, luxuriously peaceful wedding venue.
You’re spoiled for choice for ceremony locations here. One of the most popular places to exchange your vows is in the attractively restored Edwardian Glasshouse, which sits in the middle of Combermere’s charming fruit tree maze – the only one in the world. The Glasshouse seats up to 120 guests and its focal point is a wonderful tree decorated with blossom and birdcages that reflects the beauty of the surrounding gardens and woodlands.
For a truly fairytale-like wedding, you can get married amongst the apple and pear trees of the maze itself and bring a blaze of colour in with a glorious floral ceremony installation - you could always incorporate fruit into the feature to complement the surroundings . Over drinks, your guests can admire the stunning walled gardens while you have your photographs taken. Or, for a more intimate ceremony, you can also tie the knot in the walled gardens.
After the ceremony, your wedding party can head towards the Garden Pavilion for your reception and wedding breakfast. It was purpose-built for weddings, so has a marquee feel and the neutral décor means you can make it truly yours. Choose between banquet tables or round tables and, for maximum impact, add florals with a splash of colour to bring the outside in – take inspiration from the beautiful gardens with peonies, verbena and scented garden roses or use the lush foliage that reflect the woodland and trees.
You and your guests can enjoy luxurious accommodation at the venue, too – both in the courtyard cottages, converted from the 19th century Combermere stables, and in the sumptuous B&B accommodation in the North Wing of the Abbey itself. There’s also the Keeper’s Cottage, which has been specially restored into a restful place where the bride can get ready on her big day.
If you’re after a relaxed, country wedding and a very warm welcome, the Old Doghouse at the Three Greyhounds Inn is an intimate and rustic venue in a restored barn where the original three greyhounds were housed in the days when the pub was a working farm.
The atmospheric space has kept several of its original barn features, including beams with dried hops, candle sconces and old dressers. The Old Doghouse can accommodate up to 60 guests for your ceremony and reception, and up to 75 for the evening party, and the team are attentive to your every need.
After the ceremony your guests can enjoy drinks in the garden, which is for the exclusive use of the wedding party. The large lawn and view out onto lush green fields provide a fantastic backdrop for your wedding photographs.
In the warmer months, you can take the party outside with an evening barbecue, outside bar and fire pits, and there’s enough room for a marquee or tipi.
Inside, the barn lends itself to a feature for the ceremony. Here we created two beautiful floral arrangements with hydrangeas and roses nestled in lush greenery, reflecting the surrounding countryside. These designs were copper stands which reflect the colour palette of the barn and were freestanding so they could be reused to welcome guests afterwards to the reception. An alternative idea would be to have florals sitting on the dresser or use oversized galvanised buckets to give it a rustic country or romantic industrious look. Meanwhile, the rectangular tables look stunning with slim garlands and cluster bud vases – or just a simple vase arrangement. A more intimate wedding also allows you to add some special touches, such as floral napkin favours for every guest to take home and enjoy. In the past, we have also made mini lavender wreaths which can be hung in wardrobes.
These are just a few of our favourite local places to get married, but whatever type of wedding you have in mind, in Cheshire we are extremely lucky to have an abundance of beautiful, and often unusual, wedding venues that you can personalise and make your own for your big day.
Watch this space for some of our favourite wedding venues in Shropshire!