Skip to main content
Weddings
2 couples are considering this venue right now. Save your date

About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: July 2025

Bolton Castle is a magnificent medieval fortress and wedding venue in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, steeped in history and a fantastic atmosphere. The spectacular rooms and grounds are licenced for civil ceremonies and receptions where couples can entertain their guests as royalty once did. Inside we can seat from 2 - 120 guests and up to 250 in a marquee.

Facilities and Capacity

To-be-weds who choose to hold their reception at Bolton Castle have exclusive use of the castle and grounds and can treat it as their own. This venue can hold a ceremony in any part of the castle. The most popular inside space is the Solar which has light streaming into it and stunning views and the most popular outside space is the Chapel. Wedding breakfasts are held in the magnificent Great Chamber, which would have once held grand banquets. There are several options for drinks receptions, including the old rustic kitchen, partially ruined chapel, courtyard, and medieval gardens. Up to 120 loved ones can be present for your ceremony and meal, and up to 240 guests can be hosted for an evening reception. There is also space for a marquee for up to 250 guests in our grounds with views overlooking the castle and uninterupted countryside. Couples and their guests also have the freedom to explore the castle and grounds, and there are endless photographic opportunities. The falconry display will exhibit majestic owls and hawks, adding a whimsical touch to your celebration. You and your team can arrive at the venue the day before your wedding to prepare for your momentous occasion.

Services Offered

The team at Bolton Castle has a selection of excellent local caterers to choose from, or you are welcome to source your own if you prefer to do so. They will strive to provide a unique and memorable experience for your perfect celebration. We have a beautiful barn owl to deliver your wedding bands for a truly magical day.

Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Unusual weddings
Asian wedding
Castle
Historic
Landmark
Marquees and tents
Church
Outdoor license
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Chapel or temple on-site
Fire ceremony
Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Corkage option
Private catering allowed
Alcohol licence
Buffet meal facilities
In-house catering

Evening entertainment:

Dance floor
Entertainment licence
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Car parking
Helipad
Confetti permitted
Pet-friendly
Elephant baraat permitted
Horse baraat permitted
illustration notebook

Do you have any questions?

Reviews for Bolton Castle

Judith
Judith Sent on 22/08/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Most incredible wedding venue we could have asked for

I have loved Bolton Castle since I was a child and so it was something of a magical dream that we got to have our wedding here. But even better was Just. How. Amazing. the venue was on the day. The views, the rooms, the set-up, the support we got. The organisation of the wedding by the castle team was flawless from our first visit to the venue, to follow up visits, to emails in between and to the day itself. The team are so organised that you can trust them completely to handle everything - which is an amazing feeling to have on your wedding day. We knew we could trust them to have everything set up and ready for guest arrivals (they did!) and we knew they would sort everything if the weather changed last minute (luckily it didn't!). They set up the furniture so we could come in and decorate the day before, and sorted clear up so we could go home at the end of the night and collect our decorations the next day. The set the fires, they lit the candles, they laid out the marshmallows for roasting, and they co-ordinated the arrivals of the different vendors during the day. We also loved the freedom and flexibility we had to set the different rooms up the way we wanted to and they were so good about letting us bring in outside suppliers for things like archery and Scottish ceilidh dancing. But most of all, Bolton Castle is the most unbelievable backdrop for a wedding - our photos are spectacular, our guests had the freedom to roam and explore and there is so much to do and see that everyone could have spent days there celebrating! Huge thank you to the whole Bolton Castle team and most especially to Jacqui and Anne for all of your help and support. We had the best day ever.
Nina
Nina Sent on 12/11/2023
5 out of 5 rating

An absolute dream of a wedding venue!

My husband and I were married here yesterday. Everything about getting married at Bolton Castle, from the first viewing right through to the end of the day, was everything we could have dreamed of from our venue! The castle itself has an impeccable character, charm, and history that we (and our guests) were just dazzled by, and they were so ready to work with the personalized ideas that we had for our day. Their flexibility, professionalism, and responsiveness helped to make the planning experience not stressful, but joyful. The day-of coordinators ensured that everything ran smoothly, which meant that myself and my husband could focus on each other and our guests, rather than feeling like we needed to run the show ourselves! We also must acknowledge the owl ringbearer and archery game provided for our day - these were truly special, fun moments that were greatly enjoyed by our guests and ourselves. It was a wonderful place to get married and we can't recommend it enough!
Love, Nina and Cameron
E
Emma Sent on 19/11/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous & Perfect from start to finish...

Thank you so so much for letting us host our wedding with you at the Castle - such a fabulous venue. Nothing was ever too much trouble and it made organising a big event like that so easy and stress free.

On the day, your team worked tirelessly to ensure everyone was in the right place at the right time and that we had everything that we needed, everyone was patient and not intrusive. Debbie especially was brilliant and her attention to detail with my dress, holding my bouquet etc was really lovely and appreciated

If only we could do it all again 🙂

Emma & Clarke xx
M
Martha Sent on 04/07/2022
5 out of 5 rating

A magical venue

We immediately felt Bolton Castle was the right venue for us as soon as we visited. The history and ambience of the castle speak for themselves, and it was a truly magical venue for our day.

The team were extremely responsive, helpful and flexible from our first visit, right up until the days before the wedding. They were very helpful in ironing out any hitches or logistical challenges along the way.

Couldn't recommend highly enough.
Michelle
Michelle Sent on 25/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding Day

From start to finish no words can describe the experience we had working with Bolton Castle. Jacqui and her team do the castle proud. They turned our special day into a magical experience.
R
Anushka Sent on 17/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Excellent , Best venue ever

Excellent venue. They are so flexible, very helpful, very accommodating, best venue every. What you get is so worth the money.
E
Emma Sent on 11/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Stunning Wedding Venue with Dedicated Team

Bolton Castle is a spectacular wedding venue in the Yorkshire Dales, and we would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding venue. The venue provided us with the flexibility to have the wedding reception exactly as we wanted it, with stunning photos backdrops of the castle and the valley, and our guests enjoyed being able to explore the grounds and the castle. We had food in the Great Room, followed by a live band in the Solar which were amazing spaces to continue the party. The team at Bolton Castle were there to support us every step of the way, and were incredibly supportive - in particular throughout the Covid pandemic.
E
Emma Sent on 06/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Fairytale Wedding

This was a fairytale venue and wedding . We got access to the full venue .The staff were incredible day and night and nothing was too much trouble . All the access to the venue and the communication with the suppliers made our day run seamlessly. I would not hesitate to recommend this venue and it’s staff a million times over . We got exactly what we wanted and I’m genuinely so happy and grateful it was truly magical
G
Gabrielle Sent on 22/11/2016
5 out of 5 rating

A stunning and magical place for a spectacular day

Our wedding was absolutely spectacular- we could not have asked for anything more, it was truly perfect! The castle, and the surrounding area, is absolutely stunning. It is an idyllic place, straight out of a fairytale. My husband and I love history and had been there before and really enjoyed it, so we were thrilled to see that they are also a wedding venue. Tom let us decorate exactly as we wished, including all the lovely nooks and crannies in the castle that lend themselves so beautifully for decorating. The castle has an alluring, untouched feel about the place, transporting you straight back in time. We had Charlie the owl fly our rings up aisle, and had a ceilidh after our buffet, and it perfectly fit the atmosphere of the castle. We felt like we were partaking in the merrymaking along with the previous generations who had partied there. Like the previous reviewer, so many of our guests have said (and not just to us) that it was the best wedding they had ever been to. We wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to Tom and the whole team for helping us with our many questions along the way and for being there on the day, thank you so much. You were so kind and accommodating, always making us feel welcome. It was so helpful for us to be able to set up our decorations the day before, too. Also thank you to Guy and his team for the scrumptious food! Thank you also to the falconer and for Charlie for bringing our rings, you were amazing! I genuinely feel that what I have written does not do justice to how we feel, the day was simply magical.
P
Paul Sent on 02/09/2016
5 out of 5 rating

Great value for money

What a wonderful wedding we had at Bolton Castle!
A number of guests said (not just to us) that it was the best wedding they had ever been to.
Many thanks to Elizabeth who judged things perfectly and to Carol, also.
Lyndsey’s display amongst our guests was excellent and we ended up cutting the cake with an engraved longsword. Guy did a superb job with the food.Thanks to his staff, including Paul and Lorna.
After choral music, instead of a fanfare I think we had a more suitable wonderfully subtle piece of music as the processional, with the bride entering the Solar as the drum started.
Altogether it was a perfect setting for our perfect day and incredible value for money.
Thank you so much.
J
Jonathan Sent on 01/07/2016
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect venue

Just wanted to say a massive thank you for everything you and the team did for our wedding. Anne and I had the best day ever and it was great to enjoy it in the castle. As you said the castle is made for a party. It looks so different all set up for a wedding and our parents later admitted they were a little concerned seeing it bare but it looked fantastic when it has chairs, tables and decorated. Its such a great space to put your own touches to, making every wedding unique. Thanks ever so much helping laying everything out and the castle looked fantastic. We thought it would be the perfect venue with so many children attending and it was lovely to see them all enjoying the maze and grounds. All the guests said they had a special day and loved the venue and we haven't stopped talking about it.
Please feel free to pass on our email details if you need to for couples thinking about using the castle.
Thanks ever so much Tom and your team.
Thanks also for being there for the day, there is so much to worry about, and knowing you would be there on the day helped lessen the worries no end.
S
Susan Sent on 23/03/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Such a beautiful day

Thank you so much for all your efforts leading up to and on our wedding day!
We had such a beautiful day, and were so pleased we decided to get married at Bolton Castle.
S
Sally Sent on 23/03/2015
5 out of 5 rating

We couldnt have asked for a better day...perfect!

We wanted to say a huge thank you for all your hard work leading up to and on our wedding day. We couldn't have asked for a better day, it was perfect! You helped the day run as smoothly as it could and couldn't have been more helpful.
C
Charlie Sent on 23/03/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Huge Thank You

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all you did to make our wedding such a great day. All your hard work before the day, on the day and afterwards is appreciated by us.
L
Lucy Sent on 23/03/2015
5 out of 5 rating

The best day we could have imagined.

Thank you so much for all your help with our wedding at the Castle. We had the best day we could have imagined, in such a spectacular venue - we will certainly never forget it! You were so helpful with everything and you were such kind, easygoing hosts!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to make your big decisions easier.

Badges

illustration stars

Did the reviews win you over?

Bolton Castle Real Weddings

Cameron & Nina
23 photos · 11/11/2023

Map

Leyburn DL8 4ET Bedale (North Yorkshire)
illustration visit

Would you like to schedule a visit?

Other suppliers in North Yorkshire for your wedding

Wedding Venues

Replies within 24 hours