There’s so much to love about a country house wedding. From the moment you pull up the (typically grand) driveway, you’re transported into another world – one filled with history, luxury and a whole lot of character. At Hodsock Priory, our dazzling country house wedding venue in Nottinghamshire, we’ve hosted hundreds of unique weddings and love to help couples make the most of our incredible setting. If you’re planning a country house wedding, here’s all the inspiration you need for the perfect ceremony, from styling tips to readings and chic music ideas.
Ways to style your country house wedding ceremony
All the décor ideas you need, right here…
Keep it simple
One of the best things about a stately home wedding venue is that the interiors speak for themself. From statement chandeliers to antique portraits lining the walls, a country house venue has centuries of history to show off. Which means when it comes to styling your ceremony, you can keep it simple. Let the sumptuous surroundings set the scene for a spectacular ceremony instead.
Stylish touches
Of course, if you want to add personal touches to your ceremony room, go for it. At Hodsock Priory our couples have decorated our ceremony spaces with chic chair ties and floral displays, to showcase the beauty of the room and their big day style. Things like floral arches are a great way to highlight the head of the aisle. Don’t forget to lean into the seasons too – a winter wedding is a great excuse to add snowy, Christmassy décor.
Go outside
As well as gorgeous interiors, a stately home venue will often have formal gardens and acres of outdoor space for a romantic alfresco ceremony. Again, the beautiful surroundings provide an idyllic backdrop for your ‘I do’s, so keep décor pared back and let the gardens shine, whatever the season.
Ceremony readings for a country house wedding
Getting married at a country house wedding venue means you’re not tied to religious ceremony readings, like you would be in a church. Herer are some moving readings we think would work perfectly in a country house wedding setting.
An Excerpt from Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith
“People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.”
A Vow By Wendy Cope
I cannot promise never to be angry;
I cannot promise always to be kind.
You know what you’re taking on, my darling
It’s only at the start that love is blind.
And yet I’m still the one you want to be with
And you’re the one for me – of that I’m sure.
You’re my closest friend, my favourite person,
The lover and the home I’ve waited for.
I cannot promise that I will deserve you
From this day on. I hope to pass that test.
I love you, and I want to make you happy.
I promise I will do my very best.
Sonnet 18 BY William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Not lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee.
A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns
O my Luve is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.
Ceremony Reading: An Excerpt from Romancing Mister Bridgerton
“I love you with everything I am, everything I’ve been, and everything I hope to be. I love you with my past, and I love you for my future. I love you for the children we’ll have and for the years we’ll have together. I love you for every one of my smiles and even more, for every one of your smiles.”
Happiness Is You by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Way down the mountain I chased a moonbeam
On the beach I built sand castles too,
My moonbeams faded, my castles tumbled
All of this was meaningless ’cause happiness is you.
No more chasing moonbeams or catching falling stars,
I know now my pot of gold is anywhere you are.
My heart won’t miss you, my heart goes with you,
Loneliness is emptiness but happiness is you.
I tried to doubt you and live without you,
Tried to deny but I love you like a do.
But I realise now and I’ll admit it,
You’ll always be a part of me ’cause happiness is you.
No more chasing moonbeams.
Music ideas for a country house wedding
Classical or modern; it’s your call.
Traditional choices
If you want ceremony music to match the grand surroundings of your stately home venue, it’s hard to beat a harp. Enduringly romantic, harp music makes a beautiful accompaniment as you walk down the aisle – as well as creating a real sense of occasion.
Bridgerton vibes
Take inspiration from Bridgerton for your ceremony music. We love when couples choose to have contemporary music played by a string ensemble – from Lady Gaga’s Always Remember Us This Way to Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police, every song sounds country house wedding venue perfect when played by strings.
Get personal
While your wedding venue helps set the tone of the day, it certainly doesn’t dictate what you can or can’t include in your ceremony. Some of our favourite country house weddings at Hodsock Priory are the ones where couples have stayed true to their own style. Create a playlist of your favourite love songs – whatever genre – and play these out to your waiting guests before the ceremony.
Finding your perfect Midlands country house wedding venue
Now you’ve got all the ideas for a romantic and utterly memorable wedding ceremony, we can help with the venue. If you’re looking for a luxurious, exclusive-use stately home wedding venue in Nottinghamshire, we’d love to show you around Hodsock Priory. From our Tudor Gatehouse to 800-acre countryside setting, everything about Hodsock brings the wow factor for your wedding. Click here to book a viewing or to ask our team a question, and we’ll get right back to you.
