Top 10 Pembrokeshire Wedding Venues | Castles, retreats, barns, and more
Here in West Wales we’re so lucky to have so many beautiful wedding venues right on our doorstep. And as a West Wales-based wedding photographer, I’ve been lucky enough to see so many of them up close and personal! With that in mind, I wanted to share my Top 10 Pembrokeshire wedding venues, to help you narrow down the choice a bit…or maybe even add some new must-see venues to your list. Sorry in advance – they’re just too gorgeous not to share!
Top 10 Pembrokeshire wedding venues
1.Gellifawr Woodland Retreat
First up on my list of favourite Pembrokeshire wedding venues is Gellifawr Woodland Retreat. Situated within Pembrokeshire National Park, it’s the perfect example of just how gorgeous the county is! With an outdoor ceremony space, a stunning purpose-built barn, and a pond nestled in amongst the landscaped gardens, it’s a dreamy destination for an idyllic, romantic wedding. You can even check out my blog all about Gellifawr
2. Rhosygilwen
Next up on the list of top Pembrokeshire wedding venues is Rhosygilwen, a countryside retreat nestled between Cilgerran Castle and Cardigan Castle. It tells you a lot about this venue that the fact that it’s built on the grounds of a Grade II listed Victorian mansion is probably the least interesting thing about it!
That’s because there’s so much to love about Rhosygilwen: from the ceremony room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and elegant checkerboard tiled-floor to the Oak Hall, or Neuadd y Dderwen, with its stunning mural and feature beams. You may have even heard of it before, because when its not hosting epic weddings, it’s also an iconic host of music, theatre, and dance events (so the acoustics are out of this world!) And that’s without mentioning their glasshouse and gardens, why they grow all their own produce…and allow you to take gorgeous wedding photos, too.
3. Gwesty’r Emlyn Hotel
If you’re looking for Pembrokeshire wedding venues with accommodation, then you might want to check out Gwesty’r Emlyn Hotel, which has 27 rooms available. With beautiful stone walls, beams, and a fun L-shaped floorplan (which might not sound super sexy but, believe me, makes a difference on the day itself!), it’s a lush choice.
Whilst its sister company Gellifawr is a woodland retreat, Emlyn Hotel is a riverside retreat situated just a short walk away from the River Teifi. This means it’s also only a short walk away from the Newcastle Emlyn Castle ruins, which make for a gorgeous backdrop during your portraits session.
4. Woodhouse Barn
If Glasto met Grand Designs, you’d be somewhere close to Woodhouse Barn. Originally a lambing shed, then converted into a venue for the owner’s daughter’s wedding in 2014, it’s a drop-dead gorgeous site to get married at! Alongside the 11-sided Hen House, the main barn can hold 160 sat down or a whopping 250 in a more informal setting, and you get use of the accompanying camping facilities too.
But the best thing about it – if I had to pick – is inside the main barn. On the top floor there’s beautiful rounded balconies overlooking the dancefloor, as well as a bar and a plush gentlemen’s lounge-esque seating area – everything you could possibly want in a reception venue! (Plus, it has a heliport…just leaving that thought with you.)
5. Nantwen
The second of these Pembrokeshire wedding venues to be situated inside Pembrokeshire National Park, Nantwen is a gorgeous spot for intimate Welsh weddings and elopements. The light, airy barn building can hold up to 30 guests, but it works just as well when it’s just the two of you. Plus, the super cute cottage onsite is the perfect place to get ready, as well as celebrate after the ceremony! A labour of love from owners Daniel and Jemma (who’s also a wedding jeweller and cakemaker), you’ll feel the magic as soon as you arrive at Nantwen, and immediately become part of it.
https://www.nantwen.co.uk/wedding
6. Fforest Farm
Fforest Farm weddings are one-of-a-kind: gorgeous, earthy, natural, chilled-out celebrations. You get exclusive use of the 200 acres for the weekend, including the secret woodland sauna, tiny stone pub, and huge communal barn, as well as a choice of event spaces such as tipis, barns, or garden pavilions!
If you’re looking for a wedding where you can totally relax, wear boots with a dress and just roam free with your loved ones, then you’re in luck: Fforest Farm is definitely for you (and if you’re wondering which forest it is, it’s the ancient, magical Cilgerran forest.)
https://www.fforestweddings.co.uk/
7. Cardeeth
Cardeeth is perhaps the newest venue on this list of Pembrokeshire wedding venues, and will forever have a special place in my heart as I shot their first ever wedding!
It’s a lovely family-run business based on a farm, with loads of outdoor space and rustic stone buildings too. The ceremony space is a gorgeous walled garden in the middle, which feels simultaneously cosy but intimate! All in all, it’s a really chilled-out but beautiful space which you can totally make your own.
8. Picton Castle
Want to live out your fairytale dreams? Picton Castle gives you that chance. Built in the 13th Century and treasured as a family home for over 700 years, the castle is surrounded by 40 acres including play areas, a maze, and a scented walled garden (I mean, c’mon!) Though it’s a hard act to follow, the interiors are just as stunning, with Georgian elegance abounding in every state room.
This venue works just as well for smaller weddings as it does for larger weddings, too: your guests can all lounge around on the old furniture whilst you say your I dos, for the best cocktail party ever!
9. Trefloyne Manor
With an 18-hole golf course, AA rosette restaurant and onsite treatment room, this elegant manor house is a wonderful place to spend your wedding weekend. The main events room is the beautifully light and bright Orangery, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the rolling green of the golf course, and make you feel like you’re almost sitting outside! With a bar area, two separate lounge areas for guests to sit and 12 rooms too, it’s got everything you could possibly need. Plus, Tenby Beach is only a short drive away!
10. Manorbier Castle
Last but absolutely not least on this list of my favourite Pembrokeshire wedding venues is the absolutely breathtaking Manorbier Castle. Manorbier is a Norman castle, meaning it dates back to the start of last millennium (!) and you do get a sort of otherworldly feeling when you enter up the long sweeping drive, over the wooden bridge, and across an actual, real-life MOAT. They even filmed parts of the Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Manorbier!
But, back to weddings: you’re then face to face with the Vaulted Chapel. The Vaulted Chapel is an incredibly romantic room, complete with distressed stone walls and (you guessed it!) a vaulted ceiling, making the room feel cosy and intimate whilst also luxurious and elegant. Plus, outside, there’s a huge lawned area for guests to chill and children to play (or guests to play and adults to chill, of course), and you’re not too far away from Manorbier Beach, either.
Pembrokeshire wedding photography
If any of these Pembrokeshire wedding venues are floating your boat and you’re looking for someone to capture your day for you – I’d love to chat about how me and my natural, relaxed, love-filled photography style could help. Alternatively, maybe you’re getting married somewhere else – I’d still love to hear from you (and also, know where I’ve missed off my list!) You can get in touch here to tell me all about your plans so far…I can’t wait to hear from you.
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