Weddings at St Chad's

We couldn't have dreamed of a more beautiful venue than St Chad's College, Durham for our wedding day. Nestled directly opposite the magnificent Durham Cathedral, the setting is simply breathtaking. The historic buildings, stunning gardens, and incredible views create the most magical backdrop for a wedding, and our guests were completely blown away by how special and unique it felt.

What truly made our experience exceptional, however, was the incredible support from Darryl and Lesley. They are, without question, the most fantastic wedding coordinators anyone could hope for. From the very beginning, they were friendly, approachable, organised, and so much fun to work with. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and their experience and attention to detail meant every aspect of the day was handled seamlessly.

Darryl and Lesley took so much stress off my shoulders! They managed everything behind the scenes with complete professionalism, kept me calm throughout the day, and ensured everything ran perfectly so that I could simply relax and enjoy every moment. Their warmth, reassurance, and genuine care made such a difference, and having them there felt like having trusted friends looking after us.

Together, they are an absolute dream team. If you're considering St Chad's as your wedding venue, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The combination of a spectacular setting and the outstanding support from Darryl and Lesley makes it a truly unforgettable place to get married. We will cherish the memories of our day forever. ❤️

We met with Darryl several times to organise our wedding and the service was impeccable. I had no doubts that they would provide the perfect day for us. They were helpful, super efficient and covered off everything we needed and more.
On the day they were always present and helped everything move seamlessly, but we weren't really aware of their presence, they orchestrated it perfectly with no fuss or drama. As they promised, they would see to everything but we wouldn't be bothered by anything.
Our wedding day was beautiful and I'd love to relive the day again. Thanks so much to the whole team, you were amazing and we'd definitely recommend St Chads to anyone.

My wife and I got married in St Chad's this August and began conversations with the organisers almost two years prior. Throughout this time, they were incredibly responsive and flexible with our requests.

We had 70 people coming and all of their needs were met. We felt very confident that everything was under control, allowing us to enjoy the day.

I cannot fault our experience, it was a beautiful venue and excellent value for money.

St Chads was the first place we got the details of, and we were pleased we made the visit as in our view, it’s the best local venue. So easy for guests to get in to or stay in the city. The packages were such great value. There aren’t enough words to describe how brilliant Darryl and Lesley are and the lengths they went to in their job to make our day easier. Nothing was too much trouble in the planning and organising stages and they both were super helpful to pull together my DIY ideas, decorations and plans and made the quad and hall look fantastic! We are both super grateful. The food, bar and staff all were great and every guest enjoyed themselves - but most of all, we did! We had great fun and enjoyed it all and that was down to the planning by the staff in making it run like clockwork! Our vendors commented on how helpful the staff were. Thanks both! :-) (formal photos by Ryan etherington photography)

Chads is a fantastic venue for a wedding. The buildings and grounds are beautiful and require minimal additional decoration. The team at the college are extremely professional and made organising our wedding straightforward and (relatively) stress free. Also - the bar is very reasonably priced.

This was the PERFECT venue for a wedding and reception! The whole day flowed perfectly, from one part of the college to another, and the AMAZING STAFF guided us and the guests seamlessly. Whenever my wife or I had ideas or questions, the staff worked bring our vision to life. When some last-minute adjustments were needed, the staff acted quickly and subtly. Guests loved the food and drinks as well!

We truly felt that Darryl, Lesley, and the rest of the St. Chad’s staff brought their fullest attention and energy to making our special day truly special! We are so impressed with our experience, and our guests continue to rave about how great the venue was!

What can we say about St Chads?! The most amazing venue with the most amazing team ever!

We had not only our wedding but our post-wedding brunch at Chads, so the team juggled two back-to-back events on our behalf. They did so with the UTMOST professionalism and poise. We started planning this wedding long ago, from across the Atlantic, so it could’ve been tricky. Not so thanks to Chads! Darryl and Lesley worked tirelessly to make all of our wishes come true - no matter how small or complex the request. They were communicative, tactful, flexible, and warm. They made everything effortless and easy - even though we were all the way in the US, trying to organize and execute a destination wedding! We simply could not be happier with Chads. A STUNNING venue with the best team around. It was truly the perfect wedding!

Wow. Where to start? Honestly from the minute we stepped into St Chads we were struck by how friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable the wedding team were. Darryl was an absolute pleasure to work with and was so reassuring in every way. He was very laid back and I felt in safe hands and didn’t need to worry about anything - he handles it all (as a fairly laid back couple we appreciated this a lot). The team are very experienced in weddings and know how to make everything run seamlessly so as the Bride and Groom you can focus on enjoying your day. As two Durham University alumni, we wanted a venue that meant something to the both of us as we started our relationship whilst students at Durham, and compared to other wedding venues St Chads has its own unique charm and character. The location is fantastic, situated on the Bailey in the centre of Durham City next to the iconic Durham Cathedral. You can’t park at Chads but this wasn’t an issue for anyone - even the elderly guests! We walked through the centre from the church where we had our ceremony and everyone was clapping and congratulating us. It was so wonderful and nostalgic to be back in the city where we met but now as husband and wife! Inside the college itself there is a lot of space for guests - which from the outside you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell! We made use of the beautiful gardens for the drinks reception and canapés. The Moulsdale Hall was absolutely stunning for the Wedding Breakfast and the food was amazing! In the evening, the Cassidy Quad made an excellent space for a Ceilidh, as well as a disco. (BRIDES - if you have a long train, somebody (probably your new husband) WILL step on it and it will rip, just get changed and save yourself the drama!!! You won’t care after a few days but in the moment I was so upset haha).
We opted for the romance package and it was still excellent value for money, all our guests were well fed and happy! We had looked at a couple of other venues (eg Wedding Hotels) and they were just soulless and also quoted us obscene amounts which is not necessary at all, you can have a magical day without taking saddling yourself with huge debt.
Thank you to Darryl and the entire team at St Chads for your wonderful hospitality, you made our wedding day so wonderful and we will remember it forever.

From the first venue visit to our wedding day, we felt supported and listened to. Nothing was too much trouble. Darryl and Lesley responded quickly to any request or question we had. The level of professionalism was exceptional. It’s rare in this day and age that a business provides customer service that exceeds all expectations but there was nothing more to add; their service and the entire experience was flawless. On the wedding day itself, they were both on hand to reassure, coordinate and direct people to where they needed to go, so the day ran smoothly. The team set up all of our decor in the morning so we didn’t have to rush around while trying to get ready. They brought us drinks and sandwiches which I wasn’t expecting while we got ready. I honestly felt so cared for and they took all the stress out of the day. They are absolutely amazing. I cannot thank them enough. They made our day so incredibly special. Also just to add what a stunning venue this is; many of our friends had never heard of it and when they arrived, there were so many comments about how spectacular the venue looked. It’s small enough to feel intimate but big enough to host plenty of family and friends. The outside areas are beautiful and well maintained, with gorgeous flowers and plants that made our photos stand out. The lawned area is great for the kids to play and to enjoy drinks. Location wise, you’re right behind the iconic Durham cathedral so you can get additional photographs in the stunning city. The value for money at this venue was also worth mentioning. We had a strict budget and we were able to have the day we wanted within that budget. The food was exceptional, top restaurant quality, and our guests couldnt finish the buffet at the end of the night because the portions were generous. I am lucky to say that the best wedding I’ve ever been to was ours! Thank you all at St. Chad’s! Especially Darryl and Lesley! You made our dream wedding come to life!

Joe and I had a fabulous time returning to Durham for our wedding in March. We were both alumni of the university, so Chad’s offered the perfect setting for a throwback to our student days. The college grounds are stunning and surprisingly spacious, tucked away on the Bailey. The college staff do an excellent job of turning the site from an undergraduate place of work and study to an elegant wedding venue.

As the first wedding of 2026, we were sceptical of getting outside for the drinks reception but the college gardens were very sheltered and we were able to have almost all of it outside.

The staff were excellent, responsive and helped the event run seamlessly. We have had so many compliments from guests on the venue, atmosphere and the quality of food.

Chad’s were very flexible and accommodating with any ideas we had. This was particularly helpful with the menu choices for dinner. As well as having their own extensive list of suggestions, they also worked with us to develop custom options (beef wellington/affogato). We were able to pay corkage to cater our own reception drinks which was a bonus and managed to squeeze the venue capacity to 130 by seating on both sides of high table.

The new renovations are tasteful and in keeping with the traditional atmosphere of the building. We were slightly worried about them being finished on time, but Darryl and the contractors really pulled through (I gather it was a stressful night before!!).

Thanks to Darryl, Lesley and all the rest at Chad’s.

We had the most wonderfully joyous celebration at St Chads for our wedding day this spring. We are very grateful to Darryl, Leslie and the wider team of staff, servers, chefs, and porters for bringing the day together and taking very good care of us. In the lead up to the wedding we appreciated the clear and quick communication from the wedding coordinator who put us at ease and talked through plans of the day and the set up so we didn't really have to think about much on the wedding day itself. Darryl is responsive, reassuring and attentive, he has lots of experience coordinating weddings and it really shows.

The venue of St Chads is quietly special, tucked away unassumingly, where most will be distracted by Durham Cathedral just outside. Once inside the venue you can appreciate the pretty glass ceiling inner courtyard and secret gardens out back, as well as the attractive dining hall and senior common room. The Cassidy Quad is a beautiful space for both the ceremony and the reception and creates a brilliant atmosphere for live music and to dance the night away. We made the most of the space all day and were lucky enough to have sunshine to max out the garden during the drinks reception, and spring blossom for some photo opportunities. The immediate vicinity outside of the venue offers plenty of further photo opportunities for capturing the day also.

The food and drink offer at the venue was a delight, the canapes and drinks reception was well received and the wedding breakfast with plenty of wine and evening curry buffet was complemented by guests also. We found the venue to be fairly reasonable in price compared to other venues and this could be adapted again to suit various budgets. Durham has plenty of lovely hotel options nearby but we stopped at the venue before the wedding day for ease... the get ready room for the bridal party was a decent size for a posse of us and we were grateful for the breakfast selection brought up to us whilst we got ready.

All in all, we are very grateful to have chosen St Chad's for our wedding day and we would recommend the venue to anyone looking to get married in the North East. Thank you again. Alice + Kris xx

[Photos by Claire McGowan Photography]

We honestly could not have asked for a more perfect wedding venue than St Chad’s in Durham. From start to finish, everything was absolutely exceptional, and the whole team went above and beyond to make our day so special.

A huge thank you to all of the staff for their professionalism, kindness, and hard work throughout the entire process. Every detail was handled so smoothly, which made the lead up to the wedding completely stress-free and allowed us to fully enjoy every moment of the day itself.

We especially want to thank Darryl for everything he did for us both before and during our wedding day. His support, organisation, and attention to detail were incredible, and nothing was ever too much trouble. He played such a big part in making the day run perfectly, and we are so grateful for all of his hard work and care.

The venue itself is beautiful, the atmosphere was amazing, and so many of our guests commented on how wonderful everything was.

We will always look back on our wedding at St Chad’s with such happiness and gratitude. We would recommend it to anyone looking for a truly special wedding venue.

Couldn’t recommends St Chad‘s enough. Everything went smoothly they did things before I even had time to ask them too. Lovely venue with lots of fun places to take photos.

We recently got married at St Chad's College and honestly could not recommend it enough as a wedding venue. From start to finish, the whole experience was amazing.

A huge shout out to Darryl, the wedding coordinator, who was fantastic throughout the entire process. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and he helped everything run so smoothly on the day which made a massive difference to us.

The recent building works and renovations on site have also given the venue such a fresh, modern feel whilst still keeping all of the original charm and character that makes St Chad’s so special. It’s the perfect mix of historic and contemporary.

The food, atmosphere, staff and overall setting were incredible, and so many of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was. We’re so glad we chose St Chad’s for our wedding day.

My daughter chose this venue for her wedding. We liked the city centre location, reasonable prices & attention to detail. Darryl who heads up the hospitality team was very professional, friendly & very flexible when discussing & designing the perfect day for my daughter. Nothing was too much trouble & we all had a perfect day which ran perfectly smoothly. We had a ceilidh & DJ which worked very well in the glass covered atrium. I would highly recommend Chad's as a wedding venue.