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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2022

Last update: June 2024

Hay Castle is a monumental wedding venue with centuries of history, nestled in the heart of the "town of books", Hay-on-Wye. The castle's origin dates back to medieval times and maintains its classic architecture whilst embracing contemporary design. With impressive views of the Black Mountains (a dreamy backdrop for newlywed photos), Hay Castle is a unique and unforgettable location to celebrate special moments.

Facilities and Capacity

The castle is licensed to host weddings, blessings and civil ceremonies for a full-day exclusive hire of the fortress and its grounds. As only a select number of weddings occur here each year, it is a wonderful opportunity to intertwine your love story within this area's rich history. Hay Castle can host ceremonies and receptions of up to 60 guests (plus an additional 40 evening guests) with stunning spaces accented with iconic architecture. Couples can celebrate their wedding on the manicured castle lawns in fine weather. Alternatively, intimate ceremonies can be held on the private medieval tower viewing platform, surrounded by the serene landscape and overlooking the rooftops of the town of books and the river Wye. After the ceremony, celebrations can continue with dinner and dancing accompanied by a live band or DJ in the 17th-century great hall. Pets are also warmly welcomed and accommodated by this venue so couples can include their beloved friends on their special day.

Services Offered

The team at Hay Castle is highly attentive and works closely with couples to elevate their wedding dreams and experience. The on-site wedding coordinator will guide you throughout your wedding planning journey, from the moment you first get in touch to your last twirl on the dancefloor. The venue has a list of trusted suppliers who can help you personalise the venue with floral designs, decorations, music and more. Your food and drink choices will be safe in the hands of the expert catering partners, Epicure Events, who will create a bespoke banquet, for a truly memorable wedding day feast.

Reach out to Hay Castle for more information or to book a tour of the castle and grounds.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Unusual weddings
Castle
Historic
Outdoor license
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

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

Evening entertainment:

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

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Confetti permitted
Pet-friendly
Horse baraat permitted
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Reviews for Hay Castle

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to make your big decisions easier.
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
7 reviews
99% recommend it
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
E
Ellie Sent on 08/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

WOW - April wedding at Hay Castle

We had our wedding ceremony at Hay Castle in April and they made our planning experience so special because they were willing to cater to all of our needs and requests to make sure that we had the best day. The process was so calm with plenty of meetings and communication throughout to make us feel ready and prepared, and it felt so personal to us. The venue itself was gorgeous, we loved the 15 minutes we had alone together straight after the ceremony on the viewing platform, enjoying the views of Hay on Wye whilst watching our guest getting ready to cover us in confetti!
A
Annie M. Sent on 08/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Hay castle

From the moment we arrived we were guided and helped by Sara who was incredibly professional but also kind and friendly. The venue is stunningly beautiful with many interesting places for the photos, again shown by Sara before so it could be planned. We would recommend Hay Castle to anybody who is thinking of an attractive historic place to be married.
A
Amy S. Sent on 28/10/2023
4.8 out of 5 rating

Personal in a beautiful setting

We got married at Hay Castle on September 2023, through out the process the events manager was very supportive and hands on. They went out of there to make our day as personal as it could be, and on the day we were able to leave everything to them and focus on our special day.
S
Sophie O. Sent on 13/09/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The PERFECT venue 💞💞

We had the most perfect wedding day at Hay Castle. Helen, our point of contact, was incredibly helpful, communicative & friendly throughout the planning process - she kept the whole day running so smoothly and managed everything for us so we didn’t have to arrange a thing. The in house caterers, Epicure, created the most stunning menu which our friends and family are still raving about weeks later. Lastly, the venue itself was of course absolutely stunning! We had rain when we’d initially wanted to marry on the lawns, but a last minute move to the old state rooms was executed perfectly and made for just as stunning photos regardless!
J
Jesse C. Sent on 29/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Cannon Wedding June '23

From the first emails enquring about having Hay Castle host our wedding, we felt totally confident that it would be a wonderful and successful day and we were right. At the time, the castle was just in its early stages of reopening and our details were passed onto what would be the new wedding events planner, Helen. Once we started speaking to Helen, she was welcoming and helpful in guiding us along the framework for our big day. Every step along that journey she gave us advice, was proactive with stuff and helped us put everything in place. Always at hand via email or phone with anything we needed.

We viewed the castle and the grounds with Helen and went through some of the finer details on site. It's a beautiful venue in an even more beautiful town, a special place in our hearts. The day itself went without any problems, Helen was on site all day from start to beggining and more than someone just working, as a welcome guest having spent a year in contact with us every step of the way. The teams working front of house and behind the scenes were amazing also, keeping everyone in supply of food and drink all night. Thom and epicure supplied a wonderful buffet of food catered to our tastes and needs. Everybody was raving about how beautiful the food was.

I would highly recommend to anyone to have Hay Castle as their wedding venue. You wont regret it!

Thank you all so much! We hope to see you again soon when we visit.
L
Lynne A. Sent on 18/07/2023
5 out of 5 rating

More than we could have hoped for!

Wonderful, romantic location…
Seamless organisation by Helen and Hay Castle team and Epicure Events who provided the food and bar.
What else can we say - our family and friends all loved it too!!! It was an amazing day which we will remember for ever!
O
Olympia K. Sent on 16/07/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful wedding day!

We got married at Hay Castle in April 2023 and had the most wonderful wedding day. Helen & the team couldn't have been more helpful, from our first enquiry to the planning and day itself.

Hay Castle were thorough and detailed throughout the planning stages. We had a small wedding (
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Map

Oxford Street HR35DG Hay on Wye (Herefordshire)
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