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Weddings

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WEDDINGS AT DERBY MUSEUMS

At Derby Museums we truly believe each wedding is unique. We offer you the opportunity to design your own wedding, giving you the freedom to create your vison. We don’t offer set packages, allowing you the freedom and creativity to make your special day whatever you want it to be. Our experienced staff can offer advice and suggest trusted suppliers to help you plan every detail. It’s your day, it should be perfect for you.

There are four beautifully unique venues within Derby Museums for you to choose from. Flexible spaces are on offer to cater for the most intimate or extravagant of celebrations, from 5 to 250 guests, in whatever style suits you best.

Pickford’s House - a Grade I listed town house

Pickford’s House belonged to the 18th Century architect Joseph Pickford; it is a celebration of Georgian living with stunning furniture and fittings. The beautiful Georgian Garden, with fragrant herbs and the heady perfume of Jasmine filling the air, make it a delightful space for your ceremony or to enjoy drinks with your guests before your meal, as well as creating a wonderful backdrop for your photos.

An intimate venue with capacity for a maximum of 25 guests in the Dining Room. The house is licenced for both marriages and civil partnerships, whether you chose to marry in the house or in the gardens, the choice is yours.

The Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill – Grade II listed UNESCO World Heritage Site

On the site of the world’s first factory, Derby’s iconic Silk Mill offers a stunning industrial backdrop on the banks of the River Derwent. The dedicated ground floor Italian Mill embraces the industrial look, with bare brick walls and can host weddings, ceremonies and dinners for up to 180 people. The Italian Mill also has its own private entrance from the Cathedral Green, an exclusive bar featuring items from local breweries and distilleries. Depending on seating and layout, the Italian Mill has a maximum capacity of 200 people.

Adjoining the Italian Mill and available to hire outside museum opening hours is the Civic Hall. this space is perfect for ceremonies underneath the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, for welcome drinks underneath the cross section of the suspended Toyota Corolla or as an additional space for your evening reception. As a stand alone space, the Civic Hall has a capacity of 100 people.

The Museum and Art Gallery on The Wardwick – Grade II Listed former Library

Derby's stunning red brick former Central Library is a stylish venue designed in Flemish Gothic Style, with its long and illustrious history spanning centuries, it is undeniably one of Derby’s most iconic buildings. The Wardwick boasts a splendour of its own, with features such as the striking arched entrance, beautiful glass atrium and the ornate mezzanine balcony full of curiosities. It offers flexible spaces to cater for up to 200 guests, with plenty of space for entertainment, in whatever style suits you best.

The Museum and Art Gallery on The Strand

This venue is home to the world’s largest collection of works by the internationally renowned 18th Century artist Joseph Wright of Derby. This Museum offers a selection of galleries available to hire for ceremonies, post ceremony drinks and canapé receptions, or a more intimate afternoon tea wedding breakfast. These include, “Objects of Love, Hope and Fear: A World Collection”, “notice nature, feel joy” and the “Ceramics Gallery”. Due to the unique layout of the spaces, capacity can vary between galleries upto a maximum of 80 people.

At all our venues we can provide a fully staffed bar and will work with you to create your own drinks menu. At the Museum of Making we have our in-house catering team from the award winning River Kitchen who can provide you with a menu to suit your theme, taste and budget.

For an informal discussion about our venues please contact us at venuehire@derbymuseums.org- we would love to hear your ideas for your special day!

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

Unusual weddings
Historic
Landmark
In the city
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Corkage option
Private catering allowed
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:

Master of ceremonies/toastmaster
Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Confetti permitted
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Reviews for Derby Museums

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
10 reviews
100% recommend it
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    5 out of 5 rating
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  • Professionalism
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    5 out of 5 rating
Jenny
Jenny B. Sent on 25/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely Faultless

Not only is this a fabulous, gorgeous venue, but the team who manage its weddings and events are nothing short of perfection. Christine, Annie and Jess were always polite, professional and went above and beyond to make our wedding day perfect. No query was too diffificult or unusual, dietary requirements were expert catered for, they were so helpful and thier expertise and experience was invaluable. I am a little bit sad not to be working with them any more now that we have had our wedding. Our guests on the day were constantly complimenting how wonderful the venue was, how professional and friendly the staff were, and how fabulous the food was. I would 100% reccomend everyone to have thier wedding, and reception at the Museum of Making!
Joseph
Joseph B. Sent on 22/02/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Day

Our guests were 'wow-ed' with our multiple venue wedding across Derby Museum sites! Beautiful spaces, great team, just a perfect day.
Annie
Annie H. Sent on 19/02/2023
5 out of 5 rating

An Amazing Adventure!

Our wedding plans changed quite a lot throughout the process and we are so lucky that they did! We had our ceremony in The Dining Room, with drinks and canapes in the garden before moving on for celebrations. It is such an amazing and naturally romantic space. I loved this house as a child, often visiting with my mum, never to dream that she would walk me down the aisle in the very same house one day! My only wish was that we had enjoyed more time there, the show our guests around so that they could see why we love Pickford's so much.

We had a pit stop at the Museum and Art Gallery for a small tea and toasts, before dinner and dancing at Museum of Making. We even had a vintage bus to get the whole crowd around!

I have heard so many say what an amazing day it was, thank you so much 😀
Beck
Beck L. Sent on 20/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Pickford's House - fab location!

We had our wedding breakfast at Pickford's House and it was absolutely amazing! The venue was everything we wanted it to be. We only had 14 guests and this provided an intimate and informal atmosphere. The weddings planners, Christine, Annie and Jess, were so lovely and helpful. They made the day so easy, relaxed and enjoyable. Thank you x
Ian
Ian M. Sent on 18/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Superb and Intimate Wedding in Georgian Splendour.

Elaine and I got married at Pickford's House Museum in the beautiful and historic Georgian Dining room under the gaze of several Joseph Wright Paintings, an absolutely stunning and elegant setting which we chose to have decorated in an autumn theme.
Following the ceremony drinks were served in the garden and photographs were taken, and then whilst the dining room was being reset for dining our wedding party were taken on a 1 hour guided tour of the house by one of the excellent guides in period costume.
It is a superb venue with its own car park, private garden, extremely friendly and efficient staff, and finally it is amazing value! Several guests said it was the best wedding they had ever attended.
Simon
Simon C. Sent on 02/08/2022
5 out of 5 rating

First class service

From the first meeting to the actual wedding day, the service from the events manager Christine, and all of the staff at the Museum of Making , was absolutely first class, so much so that we actually booked a 4 day event for our art exhibition there.
I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Christine and her team for your special day.
G
Georgia F. Sent on 04/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Excellent venue with wonderful staff

We got married at the Derby Museum in July 2023 (ceremony in the Joseph Wright Art Gallery and a mini reception in the World Collection Room). The entire experience was smooth from start to finish. Christine and Anne were happy to help us with any questions or queries we had prior to the event. The day went flawlessly thanks to the staff. This is a fantastic venue and you (and your guests) will love it's uniqueness.
O
Orianne B. Sent on 27/05/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Incredible venue with incredible food

We celebrated our wedding with Derby Museums at the end of April 2023. We had the most incredible day, starting with our ceremony in the World Collection Gallery and then moving to the Italian Mill for our reception. Christine, Jess and Annie (the event coordinators) were incredible as were all the staff. The food was absolutely incredible and all our guests said how much they enjoyed it. If you are looking for a beautifully unique wedding venue with fantastic staff - choose derby museums.
H
Heather S. Sent on 18/10/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic team who made our day extra special

Right from the start of our wedding planning process, the team at Derby Museums were incredibly helpful and attentive. We wanted to choose a venue within Derby, and we both loved the character and the unique surroundings that the museums offered. We opted for our ceremony in the Joseph Wright Gallery at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, a drinks reception in the Nature Gallery, then had the reception at the Italian Mill at the Museum of Making. Both venues are absolutely beautiful and are reasonably flexible with how they can be used. They are perfect for smaller weddings (ours was under 50 for the day and 120 for the evening) that offer something special in the heart of Derby.
Christine and Annie were fantastic answering our many questions, and largely left the planning to ourselves on the lead up to our wedding day. They threw loads of different ideas to us on how the spaces can be used, and they are incredibly experienced with events of all sizes, and put you at ease at every step. The staff at the Italian Mill were in particular fantastic at help us out the day before setting up, bringing their wealth of experience on setting up our tables and the rest of the space. The food they offered at The River Kitchen was absolutely amazing too - every guest we had raved about what was offered and how well it was presented.
All in all, I thoroughly recommend using Derby Museums for your wedding. Christine, Annie and the team are just fantastic and made the day unforgettable. They are incredibly professional, friendly and just made the whole experience so easy for us!
M
Matty C. Sent on 20/04/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding Breakfast and Evening Party for 120 Guests

My partner and I choose the Italian Room at the Museum of Making, and it could not have been a better decision.

Christine was brilliant, couldn’t have done more for us, really calm and ensured everything went smoothly. She was responsive to our budget as well.

All the staff were really friendly and attentive, including getting some cushions out for my 4 year old daughter to have a sleep on during the wedding breakfast.

The food was amazing, especially the hog roast. The wedding breakfast was delicious.
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Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill DE1 3AF Nr. Derby (Derbyshire)
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