Wedding venues in Forest of Bowland

The Forest of Bowland is a National Landscape, the name that replaced Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2023. It covers 803 square kilometres across parts of the Ribble Valley, Lancaster, Wyre, Pendle, Preston and North Yorkshire. Its wedding venues are spread out, so most couples here choose somewhere guests can stay or arrange transport.

The Inn at Whitewell takes 75 for the ceremony, 150 for the wedding breakfast and 200 in the evening, with 25 bedrooms, and publishes an exclusivity fee for the whole inn. Browsholme Hall and its Tithe Barn at Cow Ark seat 130 and take 200 in the evening, with lodges and cottages on the estate. Bowland Tipis at Chipping runs a three-day hire with a partner caterer.

On the Wyre side, Wyresdale Park near Scorton seats 144 in its wedding barns, and Wyreside Hall at Dolphinholme offers exclusive use. Slaidburn Village Hall seats 120 and is on the council's approved list, and Abbeystead Village Hall publishes a weekend hire for receptions where couples bring their own caterer.

Village halls carry a lot of Bowland weddings. Chipping Village Hall seats 150, Bleasdale Parish Hall 120 and Newton-in-Bowland Village Hall 160, each hired by the hour or as a weekend package, and the Meanley Estate near Newton has a marquee field.

Several Bowland venues are exclusive use, including the Inn at Whitewell, Browsholme Hall, Bowland Tipis and Wyreside Hall, so the whole place is yours for the day. Outdoor ceremonies are offered at the Inn at Whitewell, Browsholme, Bowland Tipis, Wyresdale Park and Wyreside Hall. Notices for a wedding in the Lancashire part of Bowland are given at a Lancashire registration office, such as Clitheroe's, at least 29 days before the wedding.

Catering differs a lot here. The Inn at Whitewell cooks in-house and publishes a wedding package per head on top of its exclusivity fee. Bowland Tipis works only with its partner caterer. Wyresdale Park and Slaidburn Village Hall allow either their recommended caterers or your own, and at Abbeystead Village Hall couples bring their own. Browsholme works with a named caterer. Ask each venue what is included before comparing prices, since a hall hire fee and an all-inclusive package are very different things.

Five of the eleven Bowland venues here are on the council's approved list for ceremonies. Abbeystead Village Hall and Wyreside Hall were not on the list we checked, so confirm with them how a ceremony would work, or marry first at a register office. Book transport early for guests.

Because many Bowland venues are halls or estates rather than hotels, plan the ceremony first. Marry at the register office or at one of the approved venues here, then move to the hall or marquee for the meal and the evening, and check how late each place allows music.

Roads through the Trough of Bowland are narrow, so give your guests clear written directions and allow extra time between the ceremony and the reception itself.