Some weddings feel less like a single day and more like a holiday. Guests stay on. Nobody checks their phone as often as they normally would. These are our top five venues on The Directory for a wedding that feels like a holiday.
Chewton Glen sits within 130 acres of Hampshire woodland on the edge of the New Forest, and it has long been one of the country's most loved country house hotels. Couples can marry in the Walled Garden or take the Lake Suite for up to 140 guests, with its own terrace over the grounds. Book the whole estate exclusively and that stretches to the spa, golf course, tennis courts and even a private helipad. It suits couples who want their guests properly looked after for the whole weekend, not just the few hours of the reception.
Few English properties carry the sense of occasion that Cliveden House does. The Grade I listed house sits on 376 acres of National Trust grounds above the River Thames in Berkshire, and it is a natural fit for a wedding weekend built around history and scale, the kind of place where the setting is doing half the work before a single flower goes in. It is also one of The Directory's founding partners, so in many ways this is where the list started.
