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About
On Hitched.co.uk since 2023
Last update: December 2024
One of England's most iconic landmarks and crowned best Manor House and Boutique Hotel wedding venue of the year! St Osyth Priory, offers a historic wedding venue for couples looking to celebrate in Colchester, Essex. The estate takes its name from the 1,400-year-old legend of Osyth, the daughter of Frithwald. Just over an hour away from London by train, with direct lines from Liverpool Street Station, this accessible venue is the perfect setting for a wedding steeped in grandeur.
Facilities and Capacity
St Osyth Priory is nestled on a 350-acre estate home to rare breeds of deer, sheep, and cows, enhancing the majesty of the area and making for more unforgettable moments. This gorgeous wedding venue holds a civil ceremony licence; However, there is a church just three minutes away for a traditional ceremony. You can also host celebrant ceremonies or other religious blessings within the extensive grounds, surrounded by glorious nature. The property features many beautiful spaces for your festivities, including Darcy House - The Gallery, The Great Hall, the historic Chapel, under the Gatehouse, on the Precinct, and in the gardens. This choice allows for extraordinary memories and incredible photo opportunities. Darcy House can seat 110 guests upstairs in the Gallery for your wedding breakfast and 110 loved ones downstairs in the Grand Hall. There is a lift inside and wide corridors for easy access, so everyone can move about in comfort. The venue's flexibility allows couples and event planners the freedom to have marquees or structures in many areas of the grounds if they wish to host an extravagant soiree. There are striking, scenic, and historic accommodation options throughout the estate for you and your guests. You can also book one of the self-catering retreats to return for your anniversaries to come.
Services Offered
Hosting your wedding at St Osyth Priory means you will have nothing to worry about. The team of exclusive wedding planning experts will be there from the very start to guide you. On the big day, an event manager will be present to coordinate your festivities and ensure everything runs smoothly. The Head Chef, who formerly served the late Queen Elizabeth II, will be overjoyed to continue providing phenomenal menus for your special day. The team will be of service to all dietary requirements, ensuring exquisite dishes everyone can enjoy. Your day will be bespoke to you, your partner and your guests.
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St Osyth Priory -
Dapper Chaps Formal Wear -
Courtyard Bridal -
Day and Knight Photography
Frequently asked questions
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Reviews for St Osyth Priory
`The best day of our entire lives!
Everything was simply perfect and we are so grateful for the amazing team, especially our venue co-ordinator Livi for going above and beyond to make our dream day happen and run smoothly.
The venue itself is absolutely stunning and when we first viewed it, every part of it took our breath away. We knew immediately this was the venue for us. Our guests were also blown away with the beauty of the venue, as well as our suppliers, especially our photographer and videographer, who felt absolutely spoilt for choice with the options for perfect beautiful backdrops.
Our friends and family are still raving about the day and have said it has been the best wedding they have ever attended.
We will never ever forget our wedding day at St Osyth Priory and have the most beautiful memories that we will cherish forever. We just want to do it all over again!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Mr & Mrs Durrance
Went beyond to make sure everyone's dietary requirements were catered for
Wedding of Dreams
Our dream wedding
As we were on quite a tight budget and a pair of control freaks, we DIY'd as much of the day as we could; we were able to set up the dining tables the day before; we also set up the disco and photo booth in the bar area. We had hundreds of different sized glass jars filled with flowers which were placed on every flat surface, even in the toilets! L & L ensured that all of our food allergies/requirements were catered for; nibbles and custom made cocktails in the sunken garden were moreish. Our BBQ wedding breakfast was the best meal we've had at a wedding! The presentation was just as we'd requested when we met the chef at our initial meal tasting; the waiting staff were brilliant with a good sense of humour.
We had the use of D'Arcy West during the morning of our big day. The building is beautifully decorated with a huge kitchen, where I put the finishing touches to our wedding cake. As we stayed overnight, a continental breakfast had been left in the fridge.
L & L went through the whole process in detail, as a result we ended up with a wedding day just as we had hoped for. There were a couple of little hitches but these went unnoticed by our guests. As we live locally to St Osyth Priory we're looking forward to going back to celebrate our anniversaries.
A Fairytale Wedding
Obviously the venue is absolutely breathtaking and speaks for itself, but the indefatigable team ensured that everything happened just as I had envisioned, and even suggested things that I hadn't thought of to help make our day perfect: from making sure that my husband and I were kept apart in the morning, to laying on irresistible canapes, prosecco and the house cocktail, 'A Dozen Roses' straight after the ceremony.
In the weeks leading up to our wedding Lizzie and Livi were always happy to respond to my increasingly flustered queries. They are both efficient and friendly and remained unflappable in the run up to and on our big day.
Getting married at St. Osyth Priory has created some unforgettable memories and has earned a special place in our hearts. We hope to be able to celebrate an anniversary or two there in the future!
Stunning Venue
The venue for us definitely had the wow factor which we were constantly being told by many of our guests.
As for the staff and the wedding planners (Lizzie & Livi) nothing was too much trouble and the timing’s of the whole day were faultless.
We can’t thank you all enough for making our day so special, and the memories will last forever.
Our Dream Venue
My dreams came true
I’ve just had my wedding at St Osyth Priory Estate and it was the most magical day, asa DIY bride, finding a high quality venue, who allowed creative control was going to be difficult, but the team at St Osyth done just that, they went above and beyond to ensure I had nothing to do on the day! From decorating my wedding table, putting together my boxes for cake and being my personal assistants, it was like having two best friends to make my day run beautifully. I cannot explain in words how wonderful Lizzie and Livi were and they have my heartfelt thanks for an eternity of beautiful memories.
The venue itself was everything we could’ve hoped for, everyone commented on how breathtaking it was, from the Darcy west house, to the chapel built in the 1100s, the winding rose gardens, twinkling wisteria walkway and flock of white and red deer. There are so many different settings to fit in with your day and these girls really will help you to have the day you’ve been picturing.
I love that the venue is currently growing and adding new restored areas,I’ll be coming back each year for my anniversary to see it grow and thrive and cannot wait to enjoy the rooftop hot tub!
The food is covered by an internal caterer and we had a free private food tasting with our chef who has previously cooked for the queen. We had our own lamb on the day and they were the most accommodating, helpful and incredible team of cooks, no long waits between courses, beautifully presented and cooked to perfection!
I genuinely cannot explain how incredible this venue is and I owe them my biggest thanks for making my day more than I could’ve ever imagined.
If you can imagine it, they seem to find a way to make it happen… if you’ve struggled to connect with wedding co-ordinators and felt they’ve not truly listened to what you want, then this is the place for you!
Best day ever!
Such an incredible team and venue
Dream duo - Livi & Lizzie
We personalised our wedding quite abit & nothing seemed too much trouble. Any concerns we had were swiftly dealt with. Livi & Lizzie are a great asset to St Osyth Priory.
I’d say 2 organizers onsite for weddings would be better as it’s impossible for 1 person to be everywhere. This is not a reflection on Livi & Lizzie capabilities :)
We hired the entire venue and all accommodation available at the time, it’s premium price especially for the area, but it’s premium luxury in every way & the condition of the venue is flawless, maybe partly due to how new the venue is.
Top Tips:
discuss ceremony seating plan & indoor backup plans in detail (in case of inclement weather)
There are works ongoing across the venue, so something to factor in when planning
We wholeheartedly recommend these suppliers:
Flowers @amnesia_flowers
DJ/ Master of ceremony/ photobooth @dj2four7
Photography & videography @cjdreamzs
Drummer @magicfingers_beats
Makeup artist @jo.xoartistry
Hairstylist @hairupbydevonne
Performers @rockitwithrho_entertainment
Seamless from start to finish. The perfect venue
We have had countless compliments from all of our guests saying what a beautiful venue this was and how outstanding the food was, including our evening food.
Even our suppliers (who had been in the industry for many many years said it was one of the best venues they had been too).
Every detail has been executed to perfection. Every room smells great and they even had little baskets in the toilets.
We have had some of our pictures back and the backdrop has made them look like they are straight out of a wedding magazine.
We would highly recommend and we are so pleased with how everything turned out.
Hidden gem - totally amazing
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St Osyth Priory Real Weddings
Deals
Events
We are thrilled to invite you to our Wedding Showcase at the stunning St. Osyth Priory on Sunday 26th January, from 11am – 3pm.
This exclusive event is a wonderful opportunity to explore our beautiful wedding spaces, meet our talented wedding team, and gather inspiration for your dream day.
You’ll also get a special sneak peek inside The Gatehouse, which has undergone a year of careful restoration. The newly transformed space will now offer luxurious self-catering accommodation and our brand-new dressing room — the perfect location to prepare in style.
Whether you're just starting to plan or looking for those final details, our team will be on hand to guide you every step of the way.
Don’t miss out on the chance to see what makes St. Osyth Priory the perfect setting for your celebration!
Photo by Dion Denmark Photography
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