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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: June 2025

Situated in the charming riverside village of Pangbourne, Berkshire, The Elephant Hotel is the perfect venue for your dream wedding. If you are looking for quirky but still stylish venue in which to celebrate your nuptials, then look no further than this unique destination.

Facilities and Capacity

We're licensed for up to 140 guests for indoor & outdoor ceremonies or alternatively there is a church next door. Depending on your numbers we have 3 beautiful function rooms with minimum numbers for 2 catering up to a maximum of 140 guests. We host Drinks receptions indoors or in the garden at the back of the venue. It is perfect for wedding meals and evenings full of dancing and perhaps an evening snack of pizza from our pizza oven. We are dog friendly & host pre dinner or post BBQ & buffets.

Services Offered

Reimagine love... Nestled along the picturesque River Thames, The Elephant Hotel offers a serene backdrop for intimate weddings, spontaneous "I do" moments, heartfelt vow renewals, and grand gatherings that redefine romance.

Situated in the heart of Pangbourne, our quirky venue unveils a world of enchantment, where dreams can come true! Whether you dream of a quiet escape, a last minute "I do", or a show stopping ceremony filled with magic, our team are here to help.
Where charm meets relaxed sophistication, The Elephant Hotel is your haven for extraordinary dining and heartwarming hospitality. For love-filled weddings, we are your ideal wedding venue in the heart of Pangbourne.

To plan a wedding at The Elephant Hotel is an invitation to turn your dream celebration into reality. Enjoy our stunning venue which includes relaxing lounges, a quirky bar, versatile function rooms, 22 individually designed bedrooms and romantic, secret gardens for outdoor ceremonies and celebrations. You have the freedom to curate every detail of your day...and we will make sure your love story unfolds seamlessly.

There are plenty of spaces - large and small - to gather your loved ones to celebrate your love. Our venue can be yours exclusively - ask for details!

Getting here:
- Less than 5 minutes' walk from Pangbourne Station.
- 20 minutes drive from Reading.
- 45 minutes drive from Oxford.

Our Main Wedding highlights

Beautiful countryside location.
Quirky, one-of-a-kind wedding destination.
22 stunning bedrooms (including four ground floor rooms).
Choice of three ceremony rooms – Elephant room, The Herd or Garden Pavilion.
Exclusive use available (accommodating up to 44 guests).
All-inclusive wedding packages – Made For You and All Taken Care Of.
Bespoke wedding package option.
Woof-approved weddings.
Intimate ceremonies – no wedding is too small.
60-plus craft gins in our Babar.
Twinkling evening celebrations for up to 140 guests.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Small hotel
Pub or restaurant
Unusual weddings
Historic
Church
Outdoor license
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Fire ceremony
Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

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

Evening entertainment:

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

Overnight accommodation:

Overnight accommodation for wedding couple
Overnight accommodation for guests

Venue staff assistance:

Master of ceremonies/toastmaster
Wedding coordinator

Venue leisure facilities:

Hairdresser
Beautician

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Confetti permitted
Changing room for wedding guests
Pet-friendly
illustration notebook

Do you have any questions?

Reviews for The Elephant

Lucinda
Lucinda Sent on 21/06/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous wedding day

We had our wedding at the Elephant on 10th June, and it was fantastic!!
We picked it because we loved the colonial, old-world, faded glamour feeling throughout the hotel. It’s cozy and quirky and not at all stuffy.
I had met with the manager, Adam, a couple of times in the lead up to our wedding. He had always gone over and above to respond to all of my queries, and put my mind at ease. Nothing was too small or too trivial. I had had some concerns that the garden had been a bit neglected, but he had taken all my comments on board and has been overseeing significant improvements. He really seemed to have made it his personal mission to make sure that our day was perfect. He was there to welcome us on arrival on Friday, was on hand from early on Saturday morning, right through until the last guests went to bed in the early hours of the morning.... and was still there on Sunday as we were clearing up!
The whole team of staff were brilliant throughout our stay. On arrival the day before our wedding, we were greeted by the lovely receptionist, who was very accommodating to a nervous bride! She showed me to my room personally, to make sure I was happy and settled. Many of my guests commented how lovely and smiley all the staff were – we felt so well looked after.
Little touches like leaving a bottle of chilled prosecco in our room on our wedding night were really thoughtful and much appreciated 😊
We were really impressed by the food: from the selection of canapes, to the 3 course wedding breakfast, and pizzas from the outside pizza oven in the evening, it was all well-presented and very tasty. Breakfast was great too!
Everything went exactly as we had hoped and planned. We had lots of different suppliers coming in and out through the day, and the staff ensured that the whole weekend ran smoothly so we did not have to worry about a thing. We really could not have asked for more.
B
Bethan Sent on 25/01/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect venue

The Elephant was our perfect venue! We were able to have the ceremony, evening reception, and stay overnight all in one place which made the running of our day smooth and relaxing. It's close to the river, serves great drinks, and offers a variety of food options (we had afternoon tea!) Claire was a great help, ensuring that everything ran on time and, with Luxe Design, provided beautiful flowers and decorations. We decided not to book exclusive use of the whole hotel but having the Elephant room to ourselves all day/evening meant it was still a personal and private event. We couldn't have been happier with our wedding at The Elephant in Pangbourne.
D
Darryl Sent on 30/04/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Unforgettable experience from beginning to end

After getting engaged in December 2016, choosing The Elephant at Pangbourne as our venue was the first (and one of the easiest) decisions we made when planning our wedding.
Early on, we took our parents along to a wedding fair held at the hotel, and followed it up by a superb Sunday lunch in the restaurant which was met with a great seal of approval all round!
In the following months and many decisions that had to be made, Clare (the events manager), was absolutely spectacular. She guided us through the process without rushing us or treating us as just means to make the bottom line better at the end of the year.
Finally the big day arrived in February of this year and it was beyond perfect! The staff were always there, but extremely discreet - actually impressively so. All the rooms were presented immaculately, the bar has a superb selection that catered to everyones tastes.

After our tasting evening, we had chosen to go for the roast beef as our main (largely down to the giant sized Yorkshire pudding that came with it!) and on the day it was just as tasty and just as impressive as I remembered.
We got some great feedback from our guests about the venue - the brilliant elephant statue out front being the main focal point.

Suffice to say, we had an unforgettable experience from beginning to end and would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone.
J
Jen Sent on 10/08/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding day

We just wanted to say a huge, huge thank you for helping us host the best day of our lives. Our friends kept telling us it was the best wedding they've ever been to and our families are still talking about it! The Elephant was just the perfect venue to hold the relaxed and fun (but still classy and beautiful!) wedding we wanted. The day was everything we hoped for and so much more.

Claire was fantastic the whole way through the process (and Matt too, when Claire was out of the office!) and I'm sure she was a big reason that everyone kept telling me I looked so calm and stress-free! The staff (both the ones working on the day and the few we encountered in the lead up) were so sweet and so helpful. I can hardly remember seeing any of the staff on the day, yet the whole day was absolutely seamless; everyone must have been working very hard to keep things moving along without us even noticing!

A lot of our guests commented on how much they loved their rooms and one of my bridesmaids who had her dog-sitting plans fall through last minute was very happy we'd ended up picking a dog friendly venue/hotel and very grateful she was so easily accommodated :)

The day was just incredible and beautiful and we couldn't have asked for more. We keep joking about getting divorced so that we can do it all over again! I'm sure we will return for a few wedding anniversaries over the years :)
L
Liz Sent on 04/09/2013
5 out of 5 rating

Returning Customers for Life!

Dear Hannah,

We had to write to thank you and your fellow team members for the absolutely fantastic wedding you organised and hosted for us last Saturday. Particular thanks to Matt, Irene and Liz for being so friendly and helpful on the day. All the food was above expectations so please extend our huge thanks to the chef, the scones were so yummy.

Once again, all our guests kept saying how great the hotel was and what a great time they were having so our day was made even better by the fact everyone else thought it was great. Thank you and well done. You have returning customers for life now!

Our warmest regards,
Liz & Adrian Pearson
H
Heather Sent on 12/07/2014
5 out of 5 rating

Day was Perfect

Hi Hannah,

Hope you are well :-)

Firstly, apologise for this thank you email being so late...however we wanted to say a big thank you to you for everything you did for our wedding. You made it so easy, and the day was perfect for us.

All the staff, Matt, Irene and all the staff at the Elephant made the day so memorable and all our guests said how good they all were. We have been back since - and just wanted to make sure that you also got a thank you :-)

Thanks again (and we will be recommend any of our friends that get married to use one of your hotels)

Thanks

Heather & Steve x
F
Fiona Sent on 12/04/2013
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Wedding Day

Hi Hannah,

Thank you for the lovely email that was really nice to receive that and still weird to see me being referred to as a Mrs!

Thank you guys very much for all your hard work & for ensuring that our big day went so perfectly. I honestly couldn't thank everyone enough for all the hard work you put in. Everybody has been telling me how impressed they were with the venue and in particular how fab the food was.The evening food was also fantastic and looked amazing, I know it went down well!

I spent months worrying about how unorganised I am and if I would be running around like crazy on my big day and perhaps not carrying it off. Much to my surprise the night before I sat in my room and thought "It has actually all come together". But this would not have been possible without all your hard work Hannah and of the work of the team at The Elephant. All the setting up of my things from cupcakes to the gramophone and the card table, it all looked perfect when I walked through on the day. So you made sure that I felt 100% relaxed on our day and I felt that way because I knew that things were taken care of and I was in safe hands.

I think I could ramble on for days lol but honestly thank you for all your hard work and to all the staff. I will miss working with you and seeing the family of staff at The Elephant but myself and Rik will definitely be visiting The Elephant again soon.

Fiona x
S
Sharon Sent on 19/06/2012
5 out of 5 rating
Just a little note to say thank you to all the staff for making our wedding days perfect. Everything went smoothly, the tables looked fab, the food was fantastic, and the staff were very helpful and attentive. Please thank everyone involved, especially the chef, for making it so special.
H
Hayley Sent on 12/09/2014
5 out of 5 rating

A massive thank you again!!

Good Evening Hannah

Hope you are well and Wedding season is slightly more calmer for you! Well its been 8weeks since our big day and wow how fast has time gone!
Now we are finally settling into married life and have some time on our hands, we would like to say a big thank you to yourself and your team. Our Wedding day was perfect and went so smoothly. Your staff, especially Irene, were very attentive and made our day extra special.

Our guests loved the venue and the decor and commented on how lovely yourself and the staff were. We are so glad we chose The Elephant to hold our special day. Im so happy to finally breath out and relax and enjoy being married ??

A Massive thank you again!!

Hayley and Craig
J
Jen Sent on 20/05/2016
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing

We just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for such a brilliant day and night on Saturday. Everyone had a blast. We've had so many complements on the venue, from both the look and feel, how gorgeous the garden was to how relaxed and informal the event was - which was exactly what we wanted.

We're delighted that we had the whole place, and we knew that we would probably need it!, and it felt just right. The kids were great and had a ball, we didn't lock our room all weekend and it just seemed to work.

The staff were all brilliant, so helpful, attentive and friendly and really helped the day run smoothly but also added to the occasion. I know that i said this before but many people have commented on the staff. They're all stars though.

The pavlova went down SO well and the food was gorgeous so please pass our thanks and complements on to the chef. My only regret was that i was so preoccupied and chatting that i didn't get to eat as much as i'd have liked but the chat about the pavolva being for pudding and how that worked went on for a few days! And everyone who stayed loved breakfast!
A
Alix Sent on 19/06/2012
5 out of 5 rating

A fantastic wedding before we emigrate

I just wanted to reiterate our thanks for all your hard work and help. We had such an amazing day I wouldn't have changed a thing about it and how lucky were we with the weather?!

I hope we weren't too demanding and our guests were well behaved despite their frequency at the bar! We had loads of positive comments about the venue and the food so thanks to you and the rest of the team for delivering such a brilliant day. I will definitely recommend your services to any brides to be that I encounter, certainly before we head off to Oz anyway!
S
Sharon Sent on 28/09/2013
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Wedding

Dear Matt, Hannah & all the staff,
My husband and I would like to thank all of you for the hard work you put into making our wedding day so amazing. All our guests have commented on how lovely the hotel was as well as the food, the rooms and the service. Look forward to seeing you all soon.
Sharon & Andrew (Mr & Mrs Wiggins) xxxx
S
Steve Sent on 05/05/2015
5 out of 5 rating

Incredible

"We were extremely well looked after by the entire team at the Elephant right from the beginning. The management and planning team were incredibly helpful with advise and assistance on everything we wanted and the entire staff working our wedding were friendly and engaging with us and all of the guests which was duly noted and commented on by lots of people on the day

The venue itself was incredible in appearance and being fortunate on the weather just further complimented this!!

The entire day ran to plan right from the florist to the DJ who all worked with the Elephant team to make sure everything was where it should be when it should be!! Our menu was incredible.

All in all a great day - a big thanks to you Claire and all of the team!!"
A
Adam Sent on 28/10/2014
5 out of 5 rating

Best Day of Our Lives

To Hannah, Matt and All of the Staff at The Elephant!

Thank you so much for al of your help making our wedding day the best day of our lives! Hannah - thank you for convincing us that The Elephant was the perfect pace to hold our wedding reception and answering our endless questions, however trivial!

Matt - thank you for doing a wonderful job of running the evening and dealing so well with last minute requests and changes!

And to all of you - thank you for your fantastic customer service, amazing food, charm, professionalism... we could go on!

We had a perfect day and all of our guestsenjoyed themselves thoroughly - we can't thank you enough! We will be sure to pop in for dinner and drinks often. Best Wishes Adam & Kayleigh
K
Karina Sent on 13/08/2013
5 out of 5 rating

Memorable Wedding Day

Dear Hannah,

Just to say a big thank you to you and all the staff at The Elephant for making Terry and Jessie's wedding day so memorable. The room looked amazing (thanks for your artistic flair) the food was delicious and everyone was so friendly and helpful. Thank You!

Regards,

Karina Mandrell (Mother of Bride)
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Map

Church Road, pangbourne RG87AR RG8 7AR Pangbourne (Berkshire)
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