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Weddings

About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: October 2024

Cowdray House, located at the heart of the 16,000-acre Cowdray Estate in West Sussex, is surrounded by beautiful, manicured gardens and the rolling hills of the South Downs. At Cowdray House, timeless elegance blends with the gentle warmth of a former family home to create a peaceful, romantic wedding setting unlike any other.

Whether you are looking to host an intimate gathering for 15 guests or a larger reception for up to 150, with our 22 luxurious bedrooms and opulent reception rooms, we are sure your wedding day, weekend or week-long stay will leave you with memories to last a lifetime.

Ceremony:

When it comes to the ceremony itself, whether you’re dreaming of something more intimate held outside in the beautiful gardens, or a larger affair inside the grand interiors of the house, Cowdray House has numerous possibilities.

Choose from Buck Hall, which is situated at the heart of the house and has a vaulted ceiling, arched minstrels’ gallery, and a splendid fireplace that takes centre stage, to the wood-panelled Dining Room, or the even the outdoor Summer Pavilion overlooking the manicured lawns, perfect for the warmer months. All of these areas are licensed for civil ceremonies.

Our dedicated team are experienced in creating and running prestigious, bespoke events and will be on hand along with our esteemed suppliers to bring your ceremony vision to life.

Reception:

Cowdray House is an exclusive-use wedding venue, which in turn means that all rooms and spaces can transformed to suit your perfect day.

Whether you’ve chosen to have your ceremony in Buck Hall, underneath the beautiful, vaulted ceiling, or in the Summer Pavilion, the drinks reception can be held outside on the manicured croquet lawn or in two of the elegant reception rooms – the Library and Drawing Room – which open onto the front terrace. Here, your guests can enjoy a refreshing glass of fizz whilst gazing out onto the gardens and enjoying the view of the South Downs in the distance.

Once the reception drinks have been enjoyed and the gardens used for photographs, guests can move into Buck Hall for the wedding breakfast. Located at the heart of the house, this is a magnificent setting to host dinner and speeches, seating up to 150 guests and providing a stunning backdrop to enjoy celebrating with your loved ones. Alternatively, there is ample space in the grounds around Cowdray House to stage a marquee if you so wish.

As night falls, dance the night away with live music and dancing in the Dining Room where you and your guests can celebrate until the early hours.

Accommodation:

Cowdray House has 22 lavish bedrooms, each individually designed with opulent bathrooms, perfect for the wedding party to stay in during the festivities. The Diamond Suite, with its far-reaching views, large balcony, stunning bathroom and dressing room, is the perfect place for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready.

Guests can enjoy the amazing facilities when staying at Cowdray House including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, bowling alley and tennis court. There is also the opportunity to make use of the activities on the wider Estate from a round of golf on the 18-hole championship course, to fly fishing for brown trout on the River Rother, wildlife tours and clay pigeon shooting.

Additional accommodation is also available across the Estate, including the newly refurbished luxury holiday cottages complete with hot tubs and far-reaching views are perfect for a mini moon after the wedding or for guests considering a longer stay. There are also four self-catered cottages at Benbow Pond, private, secluded luxury treehouses easily accessible from The Walled Garden and nearby Bed and Breakfast Accommodation at the Lodge.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Sporting
Stately home
Historic
Marquees and tents
Outdoor license

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

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

Evening entertainment:

Marquee available
Dance floor
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities
Outdoor fireworks permitted

Overnight accommodation:

Overnight accommodation for wedding couple
Overnight accommodation for guests

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Venue leisure facilities:

Swimming pool

Other features:

Exclusive use
Car parking
Helipad
Confetti permitted
illustration notebook

Do you have any questions?

Reviews for Cowdray House

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to make your big decisions easier.
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
27 reviews
100% recommend it
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
Fran
Fran Sent on 27/11/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Beyond expectations with a nurturing touch

We got married following 18 months of planning which was about the right time for me to process how amazing this venue and the staff are! Definitely could have shortened the planning time the staff were all super helpful responsive and professional. They were also compassionate as my then fiance had a serious health scare half way through and they could not have been more helpful. Our other suppliers really valued their co-ordination which made it super easy for us to enjoy our fabulous day. It is expensive but really good value for money. All of the team had a similar approach of being supportive etc with ideas but also taking a step back and allowing your vision to evolve and then executing it. The venue speaks for itself and we got married in the dining room which is smaller. Would give six stars if I could ! Thanks to Katie, Erin, Jordan, Rachael and Hannah for their front of house help and to the rest of the (large) team.
Stephen
Stephen G. Sent on 06/10/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Place to get Married

What can we say?! This was the perfect place to get married, Katie and the team were wonderful and the upmost professionals. Katie went above and beyond to make the whole weekend incredible. Everyone on the team were lovely approachable and would help us with anything we needed.

The house itself was beautiful, the hospitality wonderful, the bedrooms very beyond stunning and everything lived up to and beyond expectations. We could not having been happier with how our wedding turned out.
Molly
Molly B. Sent on 06/04/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Outstanding Venue

From the first time we made contact with Cowdray to the wedding day itself the team were brilliant in supporting us. We couldn't have asked for anything more, no request was to big or small to create the day we had dreamed of.
H
Hannah Sent on 07/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Thank you for making our wedding day so special!

We had the most fantastic wedding day at Cowdray!

Suzie and Jo were superb and thank you to everyone at Cowdray for making our wedding day so special.

No effort was spared to ensure our comfort and the professional support and help was hugely appreciated and helped make the occasion very special for us all.

Thank you for all your thoughtful and considerate care.
S
Sarah Sent on 08/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful weekend

Thank you for a wonderful weekend - we had an absolutely perfect wedding at Cowdray and we will cherish the memories forever
C
Carly Sent on 08/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating

A perfect day

Thank you for all you have done to make our wedding day so spectacular. It was a perfect day
S
Sallyanne Sent on 23/11/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Best day of our lives

Best day of our lives. Thank you to the staff and Cowdray. The most happy day of my life.
S
Scott Sent on 23/11/2017
5 out of 5 rating

We had the best day!

Thank you for an amazing weekend. We are so proud and lucky to get married at Cowdray House. We had the best day! Thank you all so much. Cheeks hurt from smiling so much!
A
Amy Sent on 23/11/2017
5 out of 5 rating

The Amazing Venue in Cowdray House

Saturday was perfect. We are biased but it is the best wedding we have ever been to. We fell in love with Cowdray House on our first visit back in February and it looked absolutely incredible on Saturday, everyone was blown away including us! It exceeded our expectations and the sight of Buck Hall is a memory that will stay with us forever.

You and your team were incredible in ensuring we had the most perfect day, I have never felt as happy as I did all day on Saturday. I still haven’t stopped smiling.

Thank you so so much, we will never forget Saturday and the amazing venue in Cowdray House!
B
Beth Sent on 01/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Best Day of our Lives

Best day of our lives - what a venue and what a team.

Thank you so much!
K
Kelly Sent on 01/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Everything was perfect

Thank you for such an amazing day!

You made it so stress free and easy, we couldn't be more grateful.

Everything was perfect

Thank you so much!
R
Rachael Sent on 01/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Most Amazing Experience

Thank you for the most amazing experience.

Our wedding was an unforgettable day which was only possible due to your help and support.

Thank you to all.
C
Charlotte Sent on 09/08/2017
5 out of 5 rating

The most wonderful wedding

Sian and everyone at Cowdray thank you so much for such an amazing time here and the most wonderful wedding!
R
Rosie Sent on 09/08/2017
5 out of 5 rating

An absolute joy from start to finish

What an incredible place to celebrate the beginning of the rest of our lives together.

We have been so well looked after and it has been an absolute joy from start to finish.

Thanks to Sian and all the team.
J
Jess Sent on 25/07/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous wedding

What a fabulous wedding day here at Cowdray House. We did not want to leave! Everyone had such an amazing day celebrating with us at the most perfect setting. Thank you to Sian and all the team for everything.
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Badges

Cowdray House Real Weddings

Rhiannon & Freddie
52 photos · 25/03/2023

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Map

Cowdray Park GU29 OAY Midhurst (West Sussex)
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