Wedding Photography at Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire

Chicheley Hall is an early 18th-century Grade I listed mansion near Newport Pagnell, on the Milton Keynes edge of north Buckinghamshire. It was bought by its current owners in 2021 and reopened with weddings as its main business, after years as the Royal Society's Kavli conference centre (About Chicheley Hall). The whole house can be hired exclusively, and the bedrooms are reserved for your wedding party (Chicheley Hall weddings page).

The scale suits a smaller day in the house: 80 for the ceremony and wedding breakfast in the Grand Hall, 150 in the evening, with the Wolfson Suite for 110 and a marquee for up to 600 when the guest list is longer. Our studio is at 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6 1NU, photographing weddings since 2001 and rated 4.8 out of 5 from 580+ Google reviews. We are glad to photograph at Chicheley Hall, we travel to Newport Pagnell from the studio, and coverage starts from £750. Below is what the venue publishes, and what it does not.

What Chicheley Hall publishes on price and capacity

Chicheley Hall does not publish wedding prices on its website. The weddings page offers a "brochure & pricing" download, but it is a request form, so the figures arrive by email after you enquire (weddings page). The only published price is for guest rooms: on the accommodation page, booking 10 or more rooms in the north and south wings is £99 per room (accommodation page). Check whether that offer applies to a wedding block, since wedding stays are handled separately.

Capacity is the figure to pin down in writing, because the venue's own documents differ:

• Current weddings page: civil ceremonies for up to 80; wedding breakfast for up to 80 in the Grand Hall; up to 150 in the evening; the Wolfson Suite seats up to 110; a marquee for up to 600.
• December 2022 brochure: licensed for ceremonies of up to 100; the Main House holds 80 for ceremony and breakfast and 110 in the evening; the Wolfson Suite takes 100 for ceremony and breakfast and 110 in the evening (2022 brochure, PDF).

The newer page is likely to reflect the current set-up, but ask which room holds the licence for your date and how many it seats. Ask too what the marquee price includes, whether exclusive use of all rooms is a separate charge, and the cost of a late-night extension, which the weddings page mentions without a price.

Grand Hall, garden or St Lawrence Church: ceremonies at Chicheley

Chicheley Hall is on Milton Keynes Council's list of licensed venues, with a licence running to 30 June 2029 (Milton Keynes Council licensed venues). The council asks couples to check availability with the venue first, then contact the registration service to book a ceremony team and their notice appointments; the registrars' fees are charged separately from the venue's.

The weddings page describes four ceremony settings: the Grand Hall, reached down the sweeping staircase; the sculpted gardens; the Manor House steps; and the wood-panelled drawing rooms for smaller ceremonies (weddings page). Outdoor ceremonies need a wet-weather room agreed in advance; ask which room is held for you.

For a church wedding, St Lawrence Church stands within the estate, a one-minute walk from the Manor House, and guests can walk back through the gardens to the reception. Contact the parish directly about banns and booking.

Catering is by the hall's own team, led by its chef (2022 brochure). The venue publishes nothing on external caterers, Asian menus, a mandap, a havan, a nikah or a baraat. If any of these matter to you, ask the wedding coordinators in writing before you book.

The Honeymoon Suite and 47 bedrooms for getting ready

All bedrooms are reserved for the wedding party when you marry at Chicheley (wedding stay page). The accommodation page lists a Honeymoon Suite with antique furniture, 14 Superior rooms in the main house, and guest rooms in the north and south wings, the south wing above the original Coach House and stables (accommodation page). Neither page names a bridal preparation room, so ask which rooms are set aside for each party to get ready in. A main-house room keeps preparation close to the Grand Hall and the staircase entrance.

A planning outline for a wedding day at Chicheley Hall

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.

From the Chester family to the Royal Society and back to weddings

The venue's history page says the present hall was built between 1719 and 1723, with the interior finished in 1725, on the site of an older manor of the Pagnell and later Chester families. It was long attributed to Thomas Archer and is now attributed to Francis Smith. One Jacobean overmantel and some panelling survive from the earlier house (About Chicheley Hall).

In the Second World War the hall was Special Training School No. 46 for the Special Operations Executive, training Czechoslovak and then Polish agents, and later a FANY wireless school. It stood in for Bletchley Park in the 2001 film Enigma and has appeared in Pride and Prejudice and other productions. The Royal Society bought it in 2007 and ran it as the Kavli Royal Society International Centre, and in 2021 it was sold to the current owners, who reopened it for weddings.

Parking at Chicheley Hall: what is and is not published

The contact page says there are electric vehicle charging points on site (contact page). The number of parking spaces, coach access and whether guests can leave cars overnight are not published; with 47 bedrooms on site many guests will stay, but ask the coordinators how parking works for a full house and for a 600-guest marquee.

Chicheley Hall wedding photography, frequently asked questions

Other wedding venues we cover

• Stowe House, Buckingham
• Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
• Notley Abbey, Haddenham
• Cliveden House, Taplow

Related pages

• Wedding Venues in London: What Each One Publishes
• Best Asian Wedding Venues Near London
• Wedding photographer in Milton Keynes
• Asian wedding photographer in Milton Keynes
• Wedding photography
• Asian wedding photographer in London

Enquiries for this venue are handled by Kaushik Bathia, FBIPP and FMPA, who has photographed more than a thousand weddings since 2001 and holds five European Kodak Gold Awards.