Find Wedding venues for rent in Reading, UK

About Reading

Reading (pronounced Red-ing) is best known for being the largest town in the UK. It’s also popular for its exceptional river frontages providing stunning views of the famous Thames River. In fact, it has the longest Thames frontage of any UK town or city, even more so than neighbouring capital, London. And it’s also the 2nd home of the Queen in the close-by Royal Borough of Windsor.

If you’re planning your upcoming wedding celebration in Reading, you’ll find many wedding venue options here. Choose from a barn wedding venue, vineyards or a riverside venue location to exchange your vows, host your wedding reception, or both.

Reading is also home to a canal system which allows for a unique and romantic way to arrive at your Reading wedding venue or leave for your honeymoon. Being close to the big city of London, you’ll also be spoilt for choice in terms of additional wedding vendors who will add to the magic of your very special wedding day.

Wedding Venue Options in Reading

Being pretty close to the UK’s capital city, Reading benefits from having many services necessary to smooth the running of your wedding day. You’ll find these services are of very high quality, too, thanks to a lot of healthy competition coming from nearby London.

• An Officiant
  No marriage in the UK can go ahead without the presence of a legally licenced officiant. This position was previously only held by a priest, or spiritual leader, though today you can find those specialising in non-religious weddings.
  Your chosen officiant will lead your wedding ceremony on your big day, perform your vows, and help both you and your fiance prepare the necessary materials on its lead-up. They’ll also announce your official union in front of all of your loved ones, bringing your ceremony to a close.
  If you’re looking for an officiant to help you tie the knot in your chosen wedding venue, you’ll find many great options to choose from here, regardless of your religious or spiritual needs.
  Note; if you’re having a religious ceremony, your officiant will need to be certified and qualified under that religious organisation, as well as by the state, too.
  
  
• Transportation
  Along with transporting your guests to the venue (if you’re planning a large wedding), you’ll also likely need a car to bring you to your ceremony and reception wedding venues.
  If you’re planning a budget wedding, this could be as simple as using a loved one’s car. But if you’re planning a more lavish affair, you may want to hire a vehicle service with a little more charm, class, or luxury to it.
  Its often tradition for the bride and groom to arrive separately to the ceremony, so many couples using will often hire at least 2 vehicle services. Many will also hire a larger additional vehicle to bring them to their reception venue, to leave in, when they head back to their honeymoon suite after the celebrations have ended.
  Reading has many vehicle hire options to choose from with polite, friendly drivers that will help to add to the magic and excitement of your special day.
  Of course, the decision on what type of transportation service you’d like to use is completely personal and down to your taste and budget size.
  
  
• Wedding Planner
  Planning a wedding is often a lonely, stressful affair. Even if you’re planning your wedding at the same time as another friend or relative, your experiences and preferences will be completely unique. Not to mention, many parents and in-laws will try to impose their own wishes on your special day. This can make finding help tricky to say the least.
  That’s where the help of a good wedding planner comes in.
  Wedding planners are easily one of the most popular wedding services used today. Given the fact that they help to relieve so much stress and tension around planning your union, it’s easy to see why.
  Your chosen Reading planner will help to fulfil your wedding wishes and make any necessary suggestions without completely taking over completely (unless of course, you want them to)!
  Reading has a huge number of wedding planners for you to choose from with a ton of experience and great client testimonials behind them.

Wedding Venue Companies in Reading

• Stanlake Park Vinyard
  If you and your fiance are planning to exchange vows in the summer, Stanlake may make the perfect venue for you. With stunning views of the gorgeous rolling vineyards and a charming barn with restored orange beams and mood lighting, it’s no wonder so many end up experiencing their dream wedding day here. This romantic venue offers an idyllic setting for an intimate wedding ceremony and can cater to mid-sized weddings, too. They also offer couples the option for an outdoor wedding.
  
  
• The Great House at Sonning
  The Great House at Sonning is a riverside wedding set in the heart of the Reading Countryside. Couples getting married here benefit from the ability to have an outdoor wedding, as well as the option of in-house caterers. And it sleeps up to 99 guests (enough room for everyone in your wedding party) and there are many beautiful gardens here, ideal for taking memorable wedding photographs.
  They also only host one wedding per day, giving you and your guests exclusive access to the venue on your special day.
  
  
• De Vere Wokefield Estate
  Looking almost like a castle from the outside, it’s easy to see how De Vere Wokefield Estate can help you create your fairytale wedding.
  Complete with gorgeous statues, 250 acres of parkland, beautifully decorated honeymoon suites, and all the beauty and charm only an 18-century country house can have, this venue is more than capable of creating your dream wedding.
  It also caters to up to 400 wedding guests, making it the perfect place to plan large wedding celebrations, too.

Pros and Cons of Weddings in Reading

Like any great town or city, Reading has many reasons why you should hold your nuptials here. There are also some things to look out for here, especially in terms of travel. It is a good idea to consider all of the following before making any solid wedding plans, to ensure your special day runs perfectly.

Advantages:

• Beautiful historic buildings
  There are many beautiful Edwardian and Victorian buildings here. The Queen’s second home, Windsor Castle is also only a short car trip away.
  
  
• It has a ton of fun, romantic activities
  After your wedding, enjoy a romantic stroll through the surrounding countrysides, a boat ride for two down the Thames or canal systems, or even a delicious picnic in one of Reading’s idyllic parks.
  
  
• Many gorgeous spots for photographs
  Reading is home to many beautiful buildings, parks and countrysides that will help to create the perfect backdrop for your wedding photographs.
  
  
• Good transport links
  Get to other cities and towns like Windsor and London quickly by train or car. If you’re preferred method of transport leans more to the unconventional side, get here via boat on the Thames or canal system instead.
  
  
• Some of the best shopping in the UK
  This makes it perfect for picking up important items for your upcoming wedding day like your wedding dress, suit, accessories and more.

Disadvantages:

• Costs
  It’s pretty close to the UK capital, London (25 minutes by train). This makes the costs of most things much higher than the UK average.
  
  
• The colour scheme of the city
  The city can sometimes feel a bit grey when the weather is cloudy or when it’s raining. If you’re wanting to include a little more colour in your wedding day photos, you’ll find many great options in the surrounding areas of the city centre.
  
  
• Small country roads
  If you’re not used to the shockingly narrow UK country roads, it may be best to leave all driving to someone who has a little more experience.
  These roads are often wide enough to fit one car at a time, with pull-in spaces only appearing every so often to allow two cars to pass by each other simultaneously.
  You’ll frequently have to wait for any oncoming traffic to reach you and drive past before you’re able to use the road again. This quickly becomes a nightmare when you meet inevitably meet a good distance away from any designated pull-in spots and have to reverse back down the winding road.
  
  
• Tricky, fast-moving roads
  Getting off of some roads or joining them can be a little dangerous at times thanks to walls and structures that create blind spots for drivers. Extra vigilance is recommended for anyone who chooses to use these roads.

• Navigation
  Reading uses names for their roads, rather than numbers. They also have roads in varying lengths, shapes and sizes -- including those that weave. This is a far cry from many cities around the world that follow a grid format (thank you Romans!). Because of this, those unfamiliar with the area are more prone to getting lost here.

Famous Wedding Locations in Reading

• Basildon Park
  This gorgeous Georgian mansion is actually in fact a recreation of the original building. It was rescued from ruin in the 1950s by Lord and Lady Ilife.
  The now-restored 18th-century mansion is surrounded by 400 acres of gorgeous parkland and boasts many picturesque sites on its ground. This makes it the perfect backdrop for stunning wedding photographs.
  The beautiful historic spot can also be booked out for wedding ceremonies and receptions. This stunning venue can host between 70 and 120 guests and has a choice of 4 rooms and many wedding packages to choose from.
• Kennet & Avon Canal
  After saying “I do” in your chosen Reading wedding venue, you might be thinking of sticking around to enjoy this beautiful town for your honeymoon. If this is the case, the Kennet & Avon Canal may be a great spot for you both to visit.
  Enjoy a romantic walk along this peaceful stretch of water, a great spot for seeing some wildfowl including the swans who hold the status of being a royal bird who’s protected and owned by the Queen herself.
  If long walks aren’t really your thing, you could also opt for a romantic boat trip instead -- a perfect way to bond and spend your time together as a newly married couple.
  There are also a number of great pubs along the canal side to enjoy which offer traditional pub food options, as well as tasty English beers, ciders and lagers.
  
  
• Silchester Roman City Walls
  Silchester Roman City Walls offers visitors the opportunity of an exciting historical walk that will take them back in time to 55 AD when the Romans Invaded the UK.
  The 2,000-year-old wall was part of the Roman amphitheatre, used for gladiator combat and brutal fights with wild animals. It’s surrounded by the gorgeous Reading countryside which provides a romantic backdrop for newly married couples visiting, regardless of the time of the year.
  The complete circuit of the Roman wall offers some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the UK. There are even still some remains of the wooden amphitheatre here too, so bring your camera!