The Best Banquet Halls for Hire in the UK: Our Top Picks
Do you have dreams of hosting a feasting-style banquet for your wedding breakfast? One of these venues will be perfectly suited…
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If the more modern alternatives of hog roasts and BBQs don’t tickle your fancy, a feasting-style banquet wedding breakfast might just be for you.
For that, you’ll need a wedding venue with a banquet hall that is historic and spacious with a large capacity and period features aplenty. Think swinging chandeliers, candelabra and a whole lot of atmosphere.
To help you find the perfect banquet hall for your wedding feast, we’ve rounded up the best banquet halls in the UK which are available to hire for your wedding. But which will be your favourite? Keep scrolling to find out.
READ MORE: The Best Large Capacity Wedding Venues
The Best Banquet Halls for Hire in the UK
The Banqueting House – South West London
The name is a bit of a give away, but London’s Banqueting House is the perfect place to host an impressive wedding banquet.
Originally built for entertaining guests of the monarch in the 17th century, it is steeped in history and can accommodate up to 450 people.
The grand masterpiece of a ceiling in the Main Hall, created by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, is certainly the pièce de résistance of this wedding venue. Your guests will be mesmerised by their surroundings as they tuck into their delicious feast.
You could even host your ceremony in here, too. What’s not to love?
READ MORE: The Best Wedding Venues in London
Skinners Hall – East London
Nestled away as one of East London’s greatest hidden gems is Skinners Hall – a Grade II-listed building which dates back to 1670.
The Hall itself was rebuilt after the Fire of London and boasts period features which make it a magical space for your wedding breakfast banquet.
On the day itself, long or round tables can be set up for up to 170 guests. After enjoying reception drinks in the courtyard, everyone can head inside to take their seats for a truly delicious meal.
Thanks to its central London location, range of reception rooms and variety of different wedding packages, we think Skinners Hall might just be the wedding venue for you.
Stationers’ Hall – East London
In keeping with the London theme, we also have Stationers’ Hall – a historic wedding venue situated just a few minutes’ walk from St Paul’s Cathedral.
After your ceremony, host reception drinks in the beautiful, secluded garden. It’s lovely, private space to catch up with your loved ones.
The Livery Hall is perfect for your wedding banquet, as it seats up to 205 people. There’s an on-site caterer as well as a list of trusted alternative caterers for you to use, so finding someone to create the banquet of your dreams will be easy.
Once the party is over, you and your guests can rest your heads for special rates at any of five City of London Hotels. Dreamy!
READ MORE: The Most Unusual Wedding Venues in London
Ashridge House – Hertfordshire
The next banquet hall for hire is out in Hertfordshire – we’re talking about the beautiful castle wedding venue that is Ashridge House.
This property is Grade I-listed and has a fascinating history spanning over 730 years. Today, it is licensed for civil marriage and partnership ceremonies for up to 170 guests. You can choose to exchange your vows in a number of breathtaking locations, including the sweeping staircase which overlooks the Main Hall or the South Terrace outside.
There are a range of function rooms which can host up to 190 for a formal, sit-down banquet-style dinner, and the team of talented chefs will help create a bespoke menu which is perfect for you.
They are able to cater for all dietary requirements, and if you have a particular theme in mind (*cough cough*, an almighty feast!) they’ll be able to create something spectacular. This venue is not open to dry hire, since all catering is done in-house.
Merchant Taylor’s Hall – East London
Merchant Taylor’s Hall in East London is a spectacular banqueting venue that’ll fascinate your guests.
The magnificent Great Hall dates back to the 14th century and boasts high ceilings, period features and chandeliers aplenty. We can’t imagine a more beautiful banquet hall.
To accompany your delicious food, you can create a fantastic wine list from the venue’s remarkably stocked wine cellar. An on-site expert will be more than happy to help you select the perfect wines and Champagnes to complement each course.
What’s more, ahead of the big day, you’ll be invited to a menu tasting session to discuss your tastes, options and ideas. Get married here and you’ll host a wedding banquet to remember.
READ MORE: 15 Cheap Wedding Venues in London
Berkley Castle – Gloucestershire
Situated in Gloucestershire, Berkley Castle offers a spectacular setting for your wedding day with a banquet hall to match.
The team at this venue believe that no two weddings should be the same, so they’ll be on hand from your first visit through to the big day itself to help you create something magical.
With exclusive use available to you, the entirety of the venue and grounds will be yours. Host your drinks reception on the Gun Terrace or relax by the roaring fire of the Drawing Room before heading to the grand hall for your banquet.
With space for up to three long tables plus one top table across the front, you’ll really be able to set the scene. The team of talented chefs will work closely with you to create a menu which you adore, and as you tuck into your food while admiring the chandeliers and stained glass windows, you’ll feel pretty chuffed that you chose this venue for your big day!
Drapers’ Hall – East London
Couples that choose Drapers’ Hall for their wedding reception will benefit from not only an incredibly simple planning process but one which lends itself perfectly to the planning of a wedding banquet.
This hall is the perfect banquet hall, not least because in every package candelabra candelabra centrepieces and a Steinway grand piano are included.
There’s a range of bespoke catering options here, and with two outdoor spaces for your guests to enjoy, you’ll be able to stretch celebrations out for the entirety of the day.
If that wasn’t enough, this venue’s central London locations means it is ideally situated close to transport links, stunning accommodation and great ceremony spots. What’s not to love?
READ MORE: 12 of the Best Barn Wedding Venues in Yorkshire
Brympton D’Evercy House – Somerset
As far as banquet halls go, the dining spaces at Brympton D’Evercy House are slightly more intimate and modern, but perfect for your elaborate wedding breakfast all the same.
This spectacular medieval manor house is located in Somerset and stands proudly within 33 acres of beautiful parkland.
The exquisite Elizabethan Great Hall complete with an impressive roaring fire is perfect for your pre-banquet reception drinks, and the bright ballroom can seat up to 228 guests for a formal feasting meal.
It boasts stunning views of the lake which are particularly great as the sun sets (or as fireworks illuminate the sky above).
READ MORE: The Best Country House Wedding Venues
LSO St Luke’s – East London
LSO St Luke’s is a totally magical venue with a banquet hall fit for an urban princess. Seriously, would you look at that colourful space?
Nestled on Old Street and flooded in natural light, this venue is the perfect marriage of traditional and contemporary and boasts exposed brick walls and original architecture.
The Jerwood Hall is a banquet hall like no other. It seats 220 guests and is your very own blank canvas to create exactly the sort of event you’ve been dreaming of. With a little help from the venue’s list of approved suppliers, the space can be totally transformed.
In addition, the venue can offer a comprehensive coloured lighting package, use of a PA system for background music and speeches and a dedicated wedding planner who’ll assist you throughout your journey. We’re obsessed with this place.
Eastnor Castle – Herefordshire
Nestled in the Herefordshire countryside, a stone’s throw away from the quaint market town of Ledbury and at the foot of the Malvern Hills is Eastnor Castle, a stunning historic wedding venue.
It sits within a 5,000 acre estate, and when hired exclusively, can offer four impressive rooms from which to host your wedding.
The best banquet hall of the bunch is The Great Hall. Complete with a 60-foot-high ceiling and roaring log fires, it is spectacular for a winter wedding. The room has a capacity of 150 people.
For a smaller banquet-style feast, the State Dining Room would be perfect. It seats up to 80 guests and is richly decorated.
READ MORE: The Best Wedding Venues in the West Midlands
The HAC – East London
The HAC is an exceptional and thoroughly unexpected wedding venue in the heart of London. You’d never guess quite how central you are, though (the venue’s closest station is Moorgate), since the Armoury House is set within a six acre garden!
The oak-panelled Long Room would be the perfect banquet hall to hire for your wedding breakfast. It seats 150 people and features a minstrel’s gallery, stone fireplaces and huge picture windows from which guests can admire lovely views of the garden.
If you’re hosting an even larger celebration, the stylish and contemporary Prince Consort Room seats up to 350 guests.
With a range of packages on offer, delicious in-house catering, DJ facilities and more, it is the perfect banquet hall for your big day.
Hedsor House – Buckinghamshire
Here at Hitched HQ, we’ve long been fans of the beautiful Hedsor House. Set within 100 acres of historic parkland, this gorgeous Grade II-listed property has tranquillity and elegance in abundance.
Central London is just 26 miles away, but since this stately home wedding venue is nothing but peaceful, you’d never guess. It really does offer the best of both worlds.
There are a range of function spaces from which to host your big day, but we’ve got our eyes on the Grand Ballroom. It looks wonderful decked out with long tables ready for your banquet.
You’ll have exclusive run of the entirety of the house and gardens if this is your chosen venue, plus access to one of the largest and most luxurious bridal suites in Europe. What more could you want?
READ MORE: The Best Wedding Venues in Buckinghamshire
Rowton Castle – Shropshire
Rowton Castle is a highly popular and desirable wedding venue – and for good reason. It sits within the beautiful Shropshire countryside and will be exclusively yours on your big day.
You’ll start your day with a ceremony either inside the ornate and lavish Cardeston Suite or outside on the lawns.
Afterwards, the 17 stunning acres of land complete with hidden ponds and woodlands will be perfect for your wedding photographs, while the manicured gardens are great for a drinks reception.
Inside you’ll find a perfect banquet hall-style space for your lavish sit-down wedding breakfast. And just wait until you try the food.
READ MORE: The Best Wedding Venues for Your Outdoor Ceremony
Stanbrook Abbey – Worcestershire
Stanbrook Abbey is set in the heart of Worcestershire and is surrounded by rolling hills, magnificent villages and picturesque woodland.
This Grade II-listed, 16th century property is a former abbey which has been converted into a luxury hotel.
The Callow Great Hall is the perfect banquet hall, complete with period features and stained-glass windows. We’re in love.
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama – Cardiff
What’s a venue round-up without a bit of a curve ball thrown in for good measure? This might not be your stereotypical banquet hall, but with plenty of space for rows of long tables and the highest ceilings imaginable, we’re pretty confident this place fits the bill.
We’re talking about the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, a Cardiff city centre wedding venue which is both contemporary and striking.
The main hall is magnificent and glass-walled with a terrace overlooking the park. There are endless photograph opportunities, space for 250 guests and the chance to create a menu which will really help your banquet come to life.
We’re huge fans of this Cardiff wedding venue, and we think you will be too.
READ MORE: How to Choose a Wedding Venue
Still not found something to fall in love with? In keeping with the large capacity theme, check out our favourite spacious wedding venues for your ever-growing guest list.
