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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: February 2024

Turning off the Aylesbury Road and heading up the tree-lined driveway, you watch the blur of fields pass you by on either side until you reach the opening. The building is striking, yet tranquil and you will feel an instant sense of calm. Set amongst private riverside grounds, you watch the sun bounce off the honey stone walls, and you realise that you have stumbled across something special.

Once the home of lovebirds Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, this secluded country retreat is the epitome of romance and now hosts luxury weddings for up to 250 guests.

2024 Wedding Offer

Harper Weddings has released a limited amount of dates available for 2024 from June onwards, where you can get 24h exclusive hire of Notley Abbey from just £2,000 on your Harper Wedding.

But you’ll have to be quick, with many couples enquiring and this summer proving a very high demand one, make sure to book your visit soon to make sure you don’t miss out.

* Offer applies to new wedding bookings only and is subject to date availability. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer applies to Harper Weddings only. Offer does not apply to Dry Hire weddings. Expires 31.12.24

Facilities and Capacity

Lavender leads you up to the rustic stone doorway, where you will explore the immeasurable character that Notley Abbey holds. Your journey starts in the Abbott's Hall, once Sir Laurence Olivier’s drawing room and host to a secret staircase that leads to the enchanting turret dating back to the 15th century. A perfectly intimate space for up to 110.

Continuing into the barn-like Monks’ Refectory. Here, floor-to-ceiling glass casts light onto eight hundred years of history, while glittering chandeliers add a dash of modern glamour. This captivating space can seat up to 164 guests for a ceremony or wedding breakfast, and host up to 250 guests for an evening reception.

The abbey’s grounds are a gift for summer weddings, complete with a walled garden for al fresco ceremonies and gardens stretching around the house, creating a number of backdrops for your wedding photos, too many to choose from, in fact. Mystery surrounds the venue, inside and out and you’re itching to see what else it has to offer.

As an exclusive-use venue, Notley Abbey becomes your home for the day (and night). As soon as your date is set, our wedding planning team will be at your service seven days a week, for guidance, support, and advice. Ask us anything!

This has been a place to celebrate since Laurence and Vivien invited the A-list of their day to party here (if walls could talk)... Now it’s your turn.

Thinking about making the most of it with a weekend wedding? Our wedding planning team can make it work for you! Get in touch and we will put all our knowledge and planning skills to make your weekend wedding a truly memorable occasion.

Accommodation

At the end of an eventful day, it’s good to know your beautiful Notley Suite, complete with four poster bed, is just a few short steps away. 8 further bedrooms await your guests, meaning that your nearest and dearest can join you for breakfast the following morning to share their happy memories of your day.

Visiting Notley Abbey

Websites and brochures are all very well, but we all know that nothing beats meeting in real life to know whether you’ve found the one. We host several weekend Open Houses at each venue, each month, so that couples who are yet to decide on their wedding venue can visit for a tour, a chat, and a glass of something celebratory.

Please email us at notleyabbey@harperweddings.co.uk or call us on 0345 130 9966 to book your appointment.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Asian wedding
Stately home
Historic
Barn
Outdoor license
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Private catering allowed
Alcohol licence
In-house catering

Evening entertainment:

Dance floor
Entertainment licence
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:

Master of ceremonies/toastmaster
Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Helipad
Confetti permitted
Changing room for wedding guests
Pet-friendly
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Request pricing
5.0 out of 5 rating
119 reviews
  • 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
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.9 out of 5 rating
99% Recommended by couples
Caroline
Caroline T. Sent on 04/09/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Day

We knew Notley Abbey was the perfect choice for us as soon as we came up the drive! Ashley (our planner) and the team were great keeping us organised and answering any questions promptly, so I felt quite relaxed in the run up to the day. On the day itself, all the staff were brilliant (special mention to Gemma!); from unloading the car when we first arrived to making sure my veil didn't catch on anything going down the aisle to the delicious breakfast the next morning! I couldn't fault anything and would highly recommend Notley to other couples.
Charlotte
Charlotte P. Sent on 01/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The most perfect wedding venue!

Notley Abbey was the perfect wedding venue for our June 2023 wedding! The entire process was completely stress free. Our allocated wedding planner responded to any (and every!) question and query we had in detail and promptly. The day ran so smoothly, with the entire team putting in an incredible amount of hard work and effort to ensure it all seemed effortless and perfect! The venue is also perfect regardless of the weather - we had both rain and shine and it was absolutely fine on the day. The grounds are stunning, the food was delicious, the bridal breakfast was amazing! Everything was perfect, I would 100% recommend this venue. I only wish I could do it all over again.
Mischa
Mischa C. Sent on 13/06/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing from start to finish

From the moment we went to view this beautiful venue to after our wedding day we felt so supported by the Notley team, who helped make our perfect day. The planning tool is amazing, it means you have full transparency of price and you can keep tweaking and playing with options and you can instantly see how prices change.

We loved the option of having a seperate ceremony room to the wedding breakfast/party. Having 9 beautiful bedrooms to host close family and friends was great.

The food served at our wedding was incredible, so delicious, served hot and we had so many compliments.

Overall Notley has left us with a day to remember!
J
Jackie W. Sent on 17/10/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic venue 13.10.23

If you want for nothing this is the place to have your wedding from the minute of arrival to the day after when leaving, the staff are so attentive and exceptional. Notley Abbey is a beautiful venue full of atmosphere and charm. The food is outstanding and the rooms first class. Thank you Notley Abbey for making the special day unforgettable.
H
Hattie Sent on 03/02/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The most beautiful day of our lives

Notley Abbey is the most beautiful venue I've been to, but nothing prepared us for how special our day would be!
Everything was perfect from start to finish. The day ran seamlessly and calmly. The staff were professional but friendly and everything we had planned was put into action perfectly.
We had the best day and would do it all over again if we had the chance.
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a wedding venue!
C
Charlotte N. Sent on 04/12/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Notley made our dream wedding a reality

To the whole team at Notley Abbey,
Ant & I just want to say a huge thank you for such an incredible wedding at the weekend.
Right from the start of our journey, you have all been amazing, in particular Ann our planner. So helpful & kind!
I arrived at Notley on Friday evening and from the moment I arrived with my family & friends, I knew we had the perfect wedding venue. We were greeted on arrival, help was given to unload the cars & dinner was provided! Service was outstanding.
Then we go onto the actual wedding day itself and we are both lost for words. There are no words other than you were all incredible. Every single person from the amazing Barbara, who kept us all in order right through to the staff who served dinner and at the bar.
All of our family & friends have commented about the beautiful venue & we’re so grateful to you. We’d recommend your venue in a heartbeat & Notley Abbey will always hold a very special place in our hearts. We’ll most definitely be back & forever be scrolling through the photos.
We can’t wait to see the rest of Suzys amazing work when we receive our photos.
Many thanks again, from the bottom of our heart
Charlotte & Anthony Natar x
L
Lauren K. Sent on 07/12/2022
4.2 out of 5 rating

Amazing venue, incredible staff on wedding day

We chose Notley Abbey for it’s beautiful drive up and the stunning venue. Leading up to our special day we really enjoyed the wedding wednesday’s, menu tasting and online planner. The day itself went perfectly, the operations manager on the day was so helpful, put me at ease and made everything run smoothly. My only piece of constructive feedback is that we found there to be a lot of hidden costs and believe in something as important as your wedding day, things should be completely transparent from day one.
M
Melanie S. Sent on 13/05/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Perfection!!

THE most perfect day of our lives.
Cannot praise Notley and their staff enough. It/they were amazing! Our day was flawless and I want to do it over and over again.
Thank you so much ❤️
Melanie and Robert xx
R
Rob S. Sent on 06/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect for a cosy and rustic winter wedding

Notley Abbey is not just a stunning venue; the team and the service they provide is outstanding. They support you throughout the planning process; they have a handy online planner which makes things like table plan, schedule for the day and food choices a breeze - and in the lead up you sit down with their planners to check you haven't missed anything. On the day, every team member was friendly, polite, professional and unflappable. Gorgeous space both inside and outside (we had a winter wedding, they lit fires and we had flambeauxs, which gave it a very cosy feel). Would highly recommend.
H
Jenny S. Sent on 14/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely perfect venue

We were blown away by the service received by the team at Notley Abbey, from start to finish, and couldn't believe how well we were looked after on the day. I was never at one point worried that something wouldn't go to plan. The venue itself is absolutely stunning, with three different choices of places to have the ceremony, and so many wonderful areas and secret parts to get some amazing photos.
L
Alex M. Sent on 13/06/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing wedding day

We had to postpone due to covid and they was amazing nothing was to much trouble. Notley Abbey is an amazing venue. The customer care is outstanding and we loved every minute of our wedding and so did all our guests. The food was delicious as well. I could not recommend them highly enough. Wish we could do it all again.
P
Pam G. Sent on 21/08/2020
1 out of 5 rating

Shocking company

Bijou venues have treated their couples appallingly during the Covid crisis, demanding (quite unlawfully) that couples pay 80% cancellation fee. Avoid these immoral and unscrupulous people. Look at Trustpilot.
G
Gemma P. Sent on 11/10/2020
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect wedding venue

Bijou weddings surpassed our every expectation and we will be forever grateful for their help in making our wedding day so perfect. Notley is a stunning venue and although we booked over a year in advance, the team at Notley ensure the venue and gardens are well maintained so it looked just as good on our wedding day as when we first visited.
Special thanks to the managers on the day and waiting staff. As soon as I arrived I was greeted with a team of staff helping unload the car meaning I could totally relax knowing everything was being organised while I got ready in the luxurious bridal suite. My husband and I even got served our own tray of canapés while we were on the tree lined driveway having photos - the attention to detail is second to none.
R
Rebecca S. Sent on 11/09/2022
4.8 out of 5 rating

A first class wedding experience

Greg and I enjoyed immensely our wedding day on Thursday 25 August 2022 at Notley Abbey, after having to postpone from July 2021 due to the pandemic. The postponement process itself could have been filled with hassle, but Notley Abbey was as flexible as we could have asked for in the circumstances and this really put our minds at rest during a stressful period.

Everything ran so smoothly and the hard work of the wedding planning team before the event, and the day and night managers on the day, really demonstrated how organised and stress-free the whole experience was. The online wedding planning tool, and the useful prompts to complete items from the wedding planning team, were invaluable. We very much benefitted from having a wedding planner without actually booking and using one independently of Notley Abbey.

We also got a lot of lovely feedback from guests about how beautiful the venue was and how good the food was on the day. I was particularly impressed with how smooth the handling of our various dietary requirements was. We had a lot of allergies and preferences to cater for (e.g. gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, nut, garlic, onion, mustard and citrus allergies, etc.) and everyone was served the correct food without a hitch.

Thank you so much to the team at Notley Abbey for giving us a day we'll remember for the rest of our lives. And an absolutely smashing breakfast the following morning! I would highly recommend Notley Abbey to any couples looking to book their wedding in the area.
K
Katherine Sent on 14/08/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding day at Notley Abbey

We got married at Notley Abbey on 1st August 2019 and had the most perfect day. From the moment we first visited we knew this was our venue it really has that 'wow' factor. The beautiful building with all it's history, the gorgeous grounds and gardens and of course the long tree-lined driveway. The Notley & Bijou staff have been fantastic throughout and made our wedding day the best day of our lives. All our guests loved the venue and commented on how well the day ran and how great the food was, we really couldn't have asked for more. Particular thanks go to: Ann our planner who supported us through all the planning and menu tasting etc (by the way the online planning portal is great, made all the planning stress free as everything is in one place!); lovely day managers Jess and Phoebe who guided the set up of our decorations exactly as we wanted and made sure everything ran to time; night manger Antonio who was so professional and quickly resolved a minor hiccup when a card machine stopped working by opening up a second bar in the house; Gary the Bijou DJ who kept the dance floor busy all night; and all the other waiters and bar staff sorry we don't know their names. We feel so lucky to have got married at Notley Abbey it really was absolutely amazing, thank you so much! The new Mr & Mrs Hughes.
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Hitched Wedding Awards 2023 Winner

Notley Abbey Real Weddings

Louise & Robert
24 photos · 29/07/2023
Poppy & Ciaran
15 photos · 27/08/2022
Sam & Jenny
41 photos · 07/11/2021
Kim & Amir
102 photos · 23/09/2021
Ann & Alan
21 photos · 18/09/2021
Sarah & Gregg
33 photos · 07/08/2021

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Map

Aylesbury Rd, Haddenham, HP17 8TN Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)
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