Wedding Photography at Danesfield House, Marlow

Danesfield House is a hotel and spa on the Henley Road between Marlow and Henley, in the parish of Medmenham. The current house was completed in 1901, and its gardens look out over the River Thames to the Chiltern Hills (Danesfield House). The wedding brochure prices two all-inclusive packages, Snowdrop and Lavender, for Friday, Saturday and Sunday weddings, with the Versailles as the main room for the ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening (wedding brochure, PDF).

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 Danesfield House, we travel to Marlow from the studio, and coverage starts from £750. Below is what the hotel publishes, where its own figures disagree, and what to ask.

What a Danesfield House wedding costs in 2027 and 2028

The 2027/2028 brochure prices two packages, including VAT, with high season May to September and low season October to April (wedding brochure, PDF):

• Snowdrop: Saturday £11,400 high, £10,200 low, based on 60 guests; Friday £8,500 and £7,500, based on 50; Sunday £6,400 and £5,600, based on 40.
• Lavender: Saturday £12,600 and £11,400 (60 guests); Friday £9,500 and £8,500 (50 guests); Sunday £7,200 and £6,400 (40 guests).

Snowdrop includes a red or ivory carpet, one glass of Prosecco on arrival, a three-course wedding breakfast, half a bottle of house wine each, a Prosecco toast, the Versailles for the meal and evening, the Chiltern for the evening, evening light bites, a midweek menu tasting, the couple's accommodation and discounted rooms for guests. Lavender adds a second glass of Prosecco, three canapés each and dinner for two on your first anniversary (your wedding day page).

On top of the package, civil ceremonies carry a £850 fee payable to the hotel, plus the registrar's fee paid directly by the couple. The hotel books a toastmaster for weddings of more than 50 guests at no charge. The brochure does not publish a price per extra guest above the 40, 50 or 60 the packages are based on, so ask for that figure early. For a smaller or midweek wedding, the website asks couples to request a bespoke proposal.

There is no corkage at the hotel, though it will discuss sourcing a preferred wine, champagne or beer through its suppliers. External catering is allowed for the evening reception only, with facility charges discussed with your coordinator.

Civil ceremonies in the Versailles, Chiltern and Henley

The hotel's civil ceremonies page names three licensed suites: the Versailles, with mirrors, high ceilings and chandeliers, for up to 120; the Chiltern for up to 50, the only space with direct access to a private terrace, overlooking the gardens and the Thames; and the Henley Room for up to 30, with bay windows (civil ceremonies page). The page gives the range as five to 120 guests.

The figures do not all agree. The brochure says the licensed ceremony rooms take between 10 and 110 guests and that the maximum for ceremony and wedding breakfast is 110, subject to set-up. It also mentions "licensed outdoor areas" without naming them (wedding brochure). Buckinghamshire Council's venue listing names six licensed rooms: the Versailles 120, the Grand Hall 110, the Chiltern 60, the Henley 50, the Oak Room 40 and the Hambleden 19, and lists no outdoor area (council listing). Ask the events team which room and which number the licence carries for your date, and whether an outdoor ceremony is possible.

Registrars come from Buckinghamshire, booked by the couple through the Beaconsfield Old Town Registration Office (ceremonies@buckinghamshire.gov.uk, 01494 475 092). The brochure lists a celebrant among its recommended suppliers. Danesfield does not publish anything on religious ceremonies, a mandap, a nikah, a baraat or specialist Asian catering, so ask in writing about each before you book.

Getting ready in 60 bedrooms and suites

Both packages include complimentary accommodation for the couple and discounted rooms for guests (your wedding day page). The hotel has 60 bedrooms and suites. The largest published types are the Junior Suites, 40 square metres with a separate lounge, and the split-level Duplex Suites, 56 square metres over two floors; selected Deluxe Rooms are south facing over the grounds and the Thames, some with four-poster beds (rooms page). No bridal suite is named. Guaranteed check-in is from 3pm, so if you want to dress in the hotel in the morning, the brochure says to reserve rooms for the night before. When this guide was written the rooms page also said the lift was out of order, so check access to upper floors for anyone who needs it.

A suggested order for a Danesfield House wedding day

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.

Medlycotts, RAF Medmenham and a 1901 mansion

The hotel's history page traces the site to prehistoric earthworks, with a ravine west of the house said to be part of an old fortification. Edmund and Margaret Medlycott were granted the land in 1664 and probably built the first house. John Morton bought the freehold in 1750, rebuilt the house and named it Danesfield, and Robert Scott-Murray built a Georgian house after buying the estate in 1787 (Danesfield House history).

Robert William Hudson bought the estate in 1897 and completed the present mansion in 1901, demolishing the old house and chapel. The RAF requisitioned the house in 1941 for its reconnaissance and photographic intelligence section and stayed until 1977, when Carnation Foods made it a headquarters. Danesfield House Hotel opened on 1 July 1991, and the 65 acres of gardens and parkland were restored from 1989.

Parking at Danesfield House: what is and is not published

Danesfield does not publish its parking arrangements for weddings on the pages we read: the wedding pages, brochure and directions page give no space count, overnight rule or coach access (directions page). Ask the events team how many cars the hotel can take, whether guests staying over can leave cars until morning, and where coaches set down.

Danesfield House wedding photography, frequently asked questions

Other wedding venues we cover

• Hedsor House, Taplow
• Cliveden House, Taplow
• Chenies Manor House, Rickmansworth
• Stowe House, Buckingham

Related pages

• Wedding Venues in London: What Each One Publishes
• Best Asian Wedding Venues Near London
• Photography in Beaconsfield
• Wedding photographer in Marlow
• Asian wedding photographer in Marlow
• 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.