Wedding Photography at Brocket Hall, Welwyn

Brocket Hall is a private estate near Welwyn, home in turn to two prime ministers, Lord Melbourne and Lord Palmerston. It is a licensed civil wedding venue in 543 acres of parkland, offering three settings: the Hall itself, the Oak Room at The Melbourne Club on the banks of Broadwater Lake, and the waterside restaurant Auberge du Lac on an exclusive-use basis (weddings page). Inside, weddings run to 150 guests; larger ones use a marquee in the grounds.

Our studio is at 21 Joel St, Northwood Hills HA6 1NU, photographing weddings since 2001 and rated 4.8 out of 5 from 580+ Google reviews. We are glad to photograph at Brocket Hall, and coverage starts from £750. Brocket publishes its spaces and history but little on price or rules, so this guide also lists what to ask.

What a Brocket Hall wedding costs: not published

Brocket Hall does not publish wedding prices, packages or minimum spends on its wedding pages (weddings page). Enquiries go through the weddings form or the main number, +44 (0)1707 368700. Ask for prices for each of the three settings, since the Hall, the Oak Room and Auberge du Lac are priced as separate offers, and for the cost of hiring the grounds if you need a marquee.

Points worth covering in that first conversation: whether the Hall is offered on exclusive use with all 30 bedrooms, what the butler service includes, the room rate for Melbourne Lodge on the wedding night, and whether specialist external caterers carry a kitchen or service charge.

Ceremonies at Brocket Hall: the Oak Room, the Hall or Auberge du Lac

Brocket describes itself as a licensed civil wedding venue (weddings page). The Oak Room is the one setting described as "fully licensed for civil ceremonies", for up to 120 guests, with an exclusive terrace that the venue suggests for blessings. The pages do not say which rooms in the Hall carry the licence or the Hall's ceremony capacity, so ask the wedding team before you plan a ceremony in the house. Auberge du Lac, a former 17th-century hunting lodge, is offered for weddings on an exclusive-use basis; its capacities are not shown on the pages we read.

For more than 150 guests, the marquees page says couples may hire the grounds and bring a marquee from an external supplier, which provides the flooring, dance floor, bars, lighting, tables and chairs. Brocket has its own chefs and "relationships with a selection of exclusive external catering companies" for specialist catering. It does not publish anything specific on Asian weddings, fire ceremonies, a mandap or a baraat; with a 150-guest ceiling indoors, most Asian weddings here would mean a marquee, so ask about each of these in writing.

Getting ready in the Hall's feature suites or Melbourne Lodge

The Hall has 30 bedrooms, including eight feature suites with original oil paintings and period furniture (the Hall), which makes the house itself the natural place to get ready if the Hall is booked. Melbourne Lodge, the former stable block, has 16 en-suite rooms named after 18th-century racehorses, with views of the Hall (Melbourne Lodge), and suits a second party. Check-in times are not published.

A planning outline for a Brocket Hall wedding

An outline for planning, not a schedule. Times are shown only where the venue publishes them; everything else is a stage to time with you and confirm with the venue.

Paine's house, the Lambs and two prime ministers

Matthew Lamb, a lawyer and banker, bought the estate in 1746 and hired Sir James Paine to build a new house; it took 15 years and was finished after his death (history page). His son Sir Peniston Lamb became the first Lord Melbourne. William, the 2nd Lord Melbourne, was Prime Minister from 1832 (his wife was Lady Caroline Lamb), told the young Victoria in 1837 that she would become Queen, and died at Brocket in 1848. The estate then passed to his sister Emily and her husband Lord Palmerston, Prime Minister from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 until 1865. The weddings page dates the Hall to 1760 and notes visits from George IV and Queen Victoria.

Parking at Brocket Hall: ask the team

Parking arrangements are not published on Brocket's visitor or wedding pages (plan your visit). Ask the wedding team where guests park for the Hall and for the Oak Room, whether cars may stay overnight, and which entrance taxis should use at the end of the night.

Brocket Hall wedding photography, frequently asked questions

Other wedding venues we cover

• Hatfield House, Hatfield
• Tewin Bury Farm, Welwyn
• Knebworth House, Knebworth
• Fanhams Hall, Ware

Related pages

• Wedding Venues in London: What Each One Publishes
• Best Asian Wedding Venues Near London
• Photography in St Albans
• Wedding photographer in Welwyn Garden City
• Asian wedding photographer in Welwyn Garden City
• Wedding photography
• Asian wedding photographer in London

The photographer is Kaushik Bathia, a fellow of the BIPP and the MPA with five European Kodak Gold Awards and over a thousand weddings photographed since 2001.