Weddings at Goodwood House Absolute Reviews
Set in the midst of idyllic rolling countryside, on the outskirts of Chichester, the magnificent Goodwood Estate has been home to the Dukes of Richmond for over three hundred years. This spectacular 12,000-acre West Sussex estate remains a magical part of England and is hailed as one of the most elegant and romantic wedding venues not just in West Sussex, but in the whole of the UK. From the magnificence and quintessentially English charm of Goodwood House to the classical style of The Kennels and the contemporary luxury of the Hotel, each venue exudes character and offers a unique and much sought-after destination for your ceremony and celebration.
With an authentic heritage in hospitality, Goodwood is highly regarded for their exceptional team of experienced in-house butlers and chefs who are passionate about what they do and all work together to fulfil and exceed every couple’s expectations on their big day. You are not simply with the Goodwood team for your wedding day, you are welcomed into the Goodwood family.
Goodwood House has hosted family celebrations since 1697 and as a result, there is a palpable sense of history in this fabulous venue that was designed purely for entertaining and pleasure. With its classic Regency architecture, fabulous collection of art and furniture, and breathtakingly beautiful grounds, it’s hard to imagine a more English setting for your wedding.
From the first glimpse of the house as you come up the long sweeping drive, to the impressive portico that welcomes you into the Front Hall, Goodwood House offers a wonderfully romantic setting for your wedding. From small and intimate receptions to lavish wedding breakfasts, Goodwood is perfect for what is possibly the most important day of your life.
Whatever you wish for your wedding, be it a lavish banquets or a contemporary parties, with off-the-wall entertainment or perhaps more traditional approach, the team can help make it happen and if it can’t be done in-house, the many friends of Goodwood that range from set designers to cake makers will fulfil your every wish.
As well as being able to cater for parties of all sizes, from small private affairs to balls of over a thousand people, Goodwood House is also licensed for civil wedding ceremonies. You can trust the team to oversee every aspect of your wedding and your very own Goodwood wedding planner will be constantly at hand to help you plan and arrange your dream wedding. The head chef will design the menu with you, while your butler will ensure the smooth and seamless running of the day itself and make sure that you and your guests have everything you could possibly need. With such high-levels of personal service, you’ll be able to truly relax, take it all in and enjoy every moment.
To truly appreciate this spectacular venue, we highly recommend you pay the team a visit, but for now let us set the scene and take you through what your special day could look like. The time has finally come and upon arrival, Goodwood’s butler will greet you and your guests and show you into the Front Hall. As you relax with your guests and enjoy drinks, you are surrounded by three great paintings by George Stubbs.
It’s time for your wedding ceremony and there is nothing quite like the unique setting of the Egyptian Dining Room. Once seen, it is never forgotten. This room is a testament to the 19th century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. Richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes and crocodiles, it is perfect for intimate ceremonies for up to 80 guests and even wedding breakfasts for 70.
Or perhaps you will choose to make your vows in glorious ornate splendour of The Yellow Drawing Room. With its sheer breath-taking beauty and elegance, the Yellow Drawing Room is a stunning setting as you walk down the aisle surrounded by up to 150 of your friends and family, take your Wedding Breakfast with 80 guests or enjoy a drinks reception with 225.
For a large ceremony of up to 245 guests, The Ballroom was executed in the French style of Louis XV, with a charming minstrel’s gallery to one end. This grand space is hung with portraits of Kings and Queens and the Dukes and Duchesses of Richmond and Gordon. The Ballroom combines romance with opulence, providing a memorable backdrop and can also host a Wedding Breakfast for up to 180 or drinks reception for 350.
When it comes to signing the register, you’ll be taken to The Card Room, a sumptuous and eminently photogenic setting the houses a unique collection of Sèvres porcelain and boasts spectacular views across the park.
It’s time to celebrate and running parallel to the Ballroom, you’ll find the Supper Room which was originally designed as a ‘sitting out’ room. Today it is most frequently used as a party space following a wedding breakfast in the Ballroom. You and your guests can dance the night away, to the accompaniment of a live band or DJ and when you feel like taking a little quiet time catching up with friends and family, The Music Room with its remarkable chimney piece and chairs by William Kent is close but and the ideal setting.
Capturing those special moments during your special day is so very important and The Tapestry Drawing Room provides the most exquisite back drop for wedding photography. The Goodwood tapestries are designed to look like paintings and form part of a set ordered by Louis XV for his private Château at Marly. The room’s unique position offers beautiful views of the sunset, also making it an ideal retreat for the happy couple to enjoy a private moment together.
As you would come to expect from the Goodwood Estate, only excellence and the finest quality is produced when it comes to food. With one of Europe’s largest self-sustained organic farms at its heart, all Goodwood produce can be traced every step of the way, from the fields to your party.
The menu can be designed by you. From a traditional three-course meal, to a bountiful feasting banquet, or even an afternoon tea inspired wedding breakfast, the chefs can create whatever you have in mind. Organic Goodwood Home farm produce together with local ingredients will be the inspiration for the menu, which the talented in-house team will turn into delicious, beautifully-presented dishes. To accompany this exquisite gastronomy, an exceptional selection of wines are available and your personal butler can advise on the best choices for your menu.
As the evening draws to an end, a night of luxury lies ahead for you and your close wedding party in the Hound Lodge, a private country retreat with 10 fabulous and unique bedrooms. With your own butler and chef, you will not have to lift a finger as you will be looked after and spoilt in every possible way.
The rest of your wedding party can stay at The Goodwood Hotel – the perfect place with 91 bedrooms and suites, where guests can relax with a wide range of beauty treatments to choose from, including facials and massage. Your hotel guests will arrive at Goodwood House aboard the estate’s very own vintage bus, which will return everyone at the end of the evening.
“Goodwood House was quite simply the best big decision we ever made. Weddings are a lot of money and you want to be sure you are spending it wisely. We went back and fourth with venues and when Geoff walked into Goodwood House within 10 minutes he said “it’s a no brainer”. From receiving the brochure, the show round to the planning meeting to the day itself, everything was perfect. We felt like part of the family. David, the Head Butler and Mike the Head Chef – the very best team a bride and groom could ask for, for their special day. Mike is a culinary genius!
I will never forget literally feeling the weight off my shoulders when I dropped all of items the day before with David and the team. I knew they would set it up perfectly, and they really did! When we first walked into the Ballroom to see the set up for our Wedding Breakfast, Geoff actually shed a tear which is really unlike him! It was magical.”
Ellie Martin-Foster (newly wed to Geoff!)
For a chic and contemporary wedding day, The Goodwood Hotel is your perfect destination. Standing at the gateway to the 12,000-acre estate and the hotel is surrounded by picturesque countryside, making it an idyllic setting for a wedding. With 91 bedrooms and a choice of spacious reception rooms, The Goodwood Hotel can host up to 150 guests. With a range of wedding packages available and a choice of rooms to suit your every need, the team will create your perfect day.
For a quintessentially English wedding with an intimate feel, The Kennels is the perfect choice. As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere. Hosting wedding parties of a smaller size, The Kennels can be exclusively yours for the day, or you can choose from a range of reception rooms in a beautifully stylish setting.
Enchanted by glorious and utterly romantic Goodwood Estate and in awe of the expectational reputation and expertise of the team there, we spoke to Goodwood Event Manager Hannah Barrow to find out just what it is that makes a Goodwood Wedding and what it takes to be part of the Goodwood Family.
What does it take to be a Goodwood Wedding Planner?
You need the ability to understand precisely what your client wants and deliver this in the most fabulous way. Other skills include being able to listen and respond to different ideas and always being willing to adapt to ensure the couple experience their perfect wedding day.
Whatever you wish for your wedding, from lavish banquets to contemporary parties, from off-the-wall entertainment to a more traditional approach, we can make it happen here at Goodwood. In addition to our brilliant in-house team, we have many trusted suppliers that we can recommend for the finishing touches including music, fireworks, lighting, flowers or theatrics.
What is important when selecting your venue?
To ensure the venue has an extremely skilled in-house team that are always on hand to help with every aspect you require to make your wedding day perfect.
All of Goodwood’s three venues offer a really personal service with our own team of internal wedding planners along with our own chefs, butlers and the opportunity to use home grown organic produce in the menu.
You want to be assured that your venue has experience hosting weddings and can be trusted to oversee every aspect of the day with meticulous attention to detail.
At Goodwood our in-house staff are experts at organising incredible parties and events for up to 1,000 people, serving delicious sustainable food that could be anything from an afternoon tea to a full scale banquet. Our understanding of how to seamlessly run an event means that couples can relax knowing that their special day will go exactly according to plan.
What makes Goodwood unique?
Weddings at Goodwood are an experience not just an event. At Goodwood we offer three unique countryside venues, which are equally beautiful for couples to choose from. It’s our job to be able to work with our clients to find the ideal venue to bring their dream to life on the estate.
Our wedding venues are Goodwood House, the Goodwood Hotel and The Kennels, and we offer several flexible packages. A bespoke menu can be designed by clients with options ranging from a delicious three-course meal, to a feasting banquet or a traditional wedding breakfast.
A wedding at Goodwood House includes the use of a spectacular choice of rooms, two of which are licensed for civil ceremonies. Couples can have exclusive use of the State Apartments, with a Goodwood wedding planner, Goodwood butler and even a vintage bus to make sure everything is delivered in superb style.
The Goodwood Hotel, in the picturesque countryside, makes an idyllic setting for a wedding and includes a complimentary suite for the bride and groom and a banqueting manager to help run the day.
We offer a quintessentially English wedding with a more intimate feel at our private clubhouse, The Kennels with personal service and a relaxed atmosphere. The Kennels can be hired on an exclusive basis or there is a choice of reception rooms.