Hever Castle and Gardens

Weddings

Exclusively Yours - Hever Castle is set in spectacular award winning gardens and is the perfect setting for your wedding day.

The Astor Wing is licensed to permit weddings and partnership ceremonies all year round. It provides an idyllic surrounding and has numerous breathtaking photography opportunities which helps ensure that any wedding day at Hever Castle is the most joyous and memorable experience.

The wonderfully oak paneled Tudor Suite Sitting Room overlooks the castle and formal lawns and is a unique place to be married. Adjacent is the Tudor Suite Dining Hall, again shrouded with oak panelling with a stunning fire place and is able to seat up to 64 guests. Reception drinks can be taken within the Astor Wing or, weather permitting, on the lawns.

There is the opportunity to take formal pictures in the Gardens that surround the Astor Wing using the Castle as a magnificent backdrop.

During the winter (December, January and February) it is possible to marry in the Castle Inner Hall and celebrate by having the reception in the spectacular Castle Dining Hall which can seat up to 40 guests.

It is not possible to dance in the Castle or Astor Wing, however, the Moat Restaurant, a short two minute walk, can be transformed into a venue for music and dancing for an evening reception for up to 120 guests.

New for Spring 2010 - Italian Garden Weddings

Hever Castle is pleased to announce a stunning new location for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Summer months will see the Award Winning Italian Gardens come to life as ceremonies for up to 120 guests take place under the beautiful arched columns of the Italian Loggia overlooking the 38 acre lake. This magical lakeside location can also be extended to your drinks reception where guests can take in the views from the stone piazza complete with our very own inspired Trevi fountain.

A short walk away is the Guthrie Pavilion. Extensively refurbished in Palladian style, the vaulted ceilings and full length arched windows make for a light and airy atmosphere from day into night without losing the romantic backdrop of the lake and gardens. With a maximum capacity of 200 seated guests and license till 1.00am, the Guthrie Pavilion is available for wedding receptions and disco’s (or live bands) all year round.

History of the Castle

There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls and so it became the childhood home of its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ownership of Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. From 1557 onwards the Castle was owned by a number of families including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys and the Meade Waldos. Finally, in 1903, William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake.

Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and open to the public. The castle has a homely atmosphere and houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artefacts include two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. Costumed figures of Henry VIII and his six wives in the Long Gallery adds to the atmosphere and is popular with the children. The Council Chamber in the thirteenth century gatehouse contains collections of historic swords, armour, instruments of execution, torture and discipline.