Wedding Photography at Offley Place, Hertfordshire
Exclusive use of Offley Place in 2026 is published from £15,550 to £20,050, with the 250-seat Hester Ballroom, the Manor House, the Rose Garden and all 16 bedrooms.
★★★★★ Rated 4.8 from 580+ reviews
Wedding photography from £750
Bespoke packages · fast response · free consultation
Offley Place is a country house hotel at the end of a long drive in Great Offley, between Hitchin and Luton. The venue describes a 17th-century manor house in 27 acres of parkland, with two licensed rooms (the Hester Ballroom for up to 250 and the Conservatory for up to 120) and a Rose Garden licensed for outdoor civil ceremonies (weddings page). It also has a dedicated page for Asian weddings and runs an Asian open day.
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 Offley Place, and coverage starts from £750. Below is what the venue publishes, and what you should ask about before you book.
Offley Place at a glance: rooms, licence and access
| Address | Offley Place, Kings Walden Road, Great Offley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 3DX |
|---|---|
| Operator | Offley Place Country House Hotel; weddings team on 01462 768 787, reservations@offleyplace.com |
| Grounds | 27 acres of parkland and lawns around the Manor House, with a Rose Garden |
| Licensed ceremony spaces | Hester Ballroom (up to 250), Conservatory (up to 120) and the Rose Garden outdoors |
| Ceremony times | 1.30pm or 3pm, with Stevenage registrars |
| Wedding breakfast | Hester Ballroom 250 seated; Conservatory 82 on rounds or 78 with a long top table; Conservatory and Spencer Restaurant together 118 |
| Bedrooms | 16 hotel rooms, all included with exclusive use; none on the ground floor |
| Exclusive use 2026 | £15,550 (November to March), £17,050 (April and October), £20,050 (May to September) |
| Catering | In-house caterers, or your own choice from the venue's supplier list; dry hire allows approved or your own caterers |
| Finish time | Last orders 11.30pm, music licensed until midnight |
| Parking | Free for the wedding party, but limited; overflow on the grounds |
| Nearest station | Hitchin, about 4.2 miles; Stevenage about 9.2 miles |
| From our studio | About 22.7 miles in a straight line from the studio at 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6 1NU (road distance is longer) |
Figures are as published by the venue or its licensing authority. Where a venue's own pages disagree, both are shown. Confirm anything you are planning around.
Sources
What an Offley Place wedding costs in 2026 and 2027
Offley Place publishes its hire prices for 2026 and 2027 on its wedding packages page. Exclusive use is required for any Saturday and any Bank Holiday Sunday, and covers the Hester Ballroom, the Manor House and all 16 bedrooms:
- 2026: £15,550 November to March, £17,050 in April and October, £20,050 May to September.
- 2027: £16,050 November to March, £17,550 in April and October, £20,550 May to September.
On other days you can hire the Hester Ballroom with the Gabriel Bar. The published prices are for Monday to Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday or Sunday:
- 2026: November to March £7,500, £8,000 and £9,000; April and October £8,500, £9,500 and £10,500; May to September £10,000, £10,500 and £12,500.
- 2027: November to March £8,000, £8,500 and £9,500; April and October £9,000, £10,000 and £11,000; May to September £10,500, £11,000 and £13,000.
Published extras include the Manor House (£3,250), the 16 bedrooms (£2,800), the Roseview Dressing Room from 6am (£650), The Cottage at £500 a night (sleeps up to four), early Ballroom access from 10am (£600) and an on-site civil ceremony (£600, with the registrar's own fee on top). A dry hire option gives the Hester Ballroom from 12pm to midnight with 20 round tables and no corkage; rubbish disposal for caterers is £300. Every wedding carries a £1,000 damage deposit, and all weddings include access to the parkland and the Rose Garden.
Catering, drinks, décor and the registrar are on top of hire, so treat these figures as the starting line. Ask the team for the current per-head menu prices, which the packages page does not list.
Ceremonies at Offley Place: the Ballroom, the Conservatory or the Rose Garden
The venue says it has indoor and outdoor spaces licensed for civil ceremonies (weddings page). The Hester Ballroom is licensed for up to 250, the Conservatory for up to 120, and the Rose Garden takes ceremonies outdoors; the wedding brochure describes it as the place to "host a more intimate service outdoors". The Rose Garden capacity is not published, so ask, along with the wet-weather plan.
Civil ceremonies run at 1.30pm or 3pm. Offley Place falls under Stevenage registrars, and the venue asks you to contact them before your booking is confirmed. The venue charges its own ceremony room fee and the registrars charge theirs separately.
For Asian weddings, the venue's Asian weddings page speaks of its experience with Asian weddings, says it would like to see more mandaps, and offers a list of recommended Asian suppliers covering caterers, entertainers and décor; the supplier directory has categories for dhol players and caterers filtered by cuisine. What it does not publish is whether a havan or other fire ritual is permitted indoors, whether a baraat with a horse or vehicles can come up the drive, or a maximum for a standing evening crowd. Ask about each in writing.
Confetti at the front of the house: Offley Place's published rules
Offley Place publishes few photography rules. Its weddings page says photographers and hair and make-up artists may arrive early if agreed in advance with the wedding team, and it recommends that couples provide meals for suppliers working on the day.
| Photography during the ceremony | Not published; ask the Stevenage registrars, who conduct the ceremony |
|---|---|
| Own photographer | No restriction published; the venue's supplier list includes photographers and the weddings page advises feeding suppliers on the day |
| Flash | Not published |
| Drones | Not published |
| Confetti | The venue's sample day includes a confetti shot at the front of the house; rules on type are not published |
| Supplier access | Manor House from 10.30am and Hester Ballroom from 8am, per the weddings page; the packages page also sells Ballroom access from 10am for £600, so confirm which applies |
| Dogs | Allowed at the ceremony, for example as ring bearer, and for a few photographs afterwards, then taken off site by a handler |
| Finish time | Last bar orders 11.30pm, music until midnight; décor and gifts removed by 2am |
Where a rule is shown as not published, ask the venue in writing before the day.
Getting ready in the Rose View Suite
The venue names two places to get ready: the bridal hotel room and the Rose View Suite, which it describes as having "stunning views across our Rose Garden" and "ample dressing and makeup space" (our spaces). The Roseview Dressing Room can be booked from 6am for £650 (packages). For a second party, the 16 bedrooms come with exclusive use. Check-in is normally 2pm, so if you want a bedroom for preparation in the morning, book the night before; that needs at least eight rooms and is only confirmed one month before the wedding.
From a 1.30pm or 3pm ceremony to a midnight finish
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Morning | Getting ready in the bridal room or the Rose View Suite. Suppliers can reach the Manor House from 10.30am. |
| An hour before | Guests are asked to arrive an hour before the ceremony. |
| 1.30pm or 3pm | Civil ceremony. The venue's sample day has the couple coming down the spiral staircase into the Conservatory; the Ballroom and Rose Garden are the alternatives. |
| After the ceremony | Confetti at the front of the house, then drinks on the front lawn and the patio, a natural time for group photographs. |
| Evening | Wedding breakfast in the Hester Ballroom, followed by dancing and drinks at the Gabriel Bar. |
| 11.30pm to midnight | Last orders at 11.30pm and music until midnight; décor cleared by 2am. |
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.
Light by month at Great Offley
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour from | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:02 | 16:19 | 15:21 | GMT |
| February | 07:17 | 17:15 | 16:26 | GMT |
| March | 06:16 | 18:05 | 17:21 | GMT |
| April | 06:06 | 19:58 | 19:13 | BST |
| May | 05:08 | 20:48 | 19:58 | BST |
| June | 04:41 | 21:23 | 20:28 | BST |
| July | 04:59 | 21:15 | 20:22 | BST |
| August | 05:45 | 20:26 | 19:39 | BST |
| September | 06:35 | 19:17 | 18:33 | BST |
| October | 07:25 | 18:08 | 17:22 | BST |
| November | 07:20 | 16:11 | 15:16 | GMT |
| December | 08:02 | 15:50 | 14:48 | GMT |
Computed for the 15th of each month of 2027 at the venue's postcode centroid with the NOAA solar equations. Evening golden hour starts when the sun drops to 6 degrees; trees and buildings shorten it. Times are UK clock time.
Planning photographs in the Rose Garden, Conservatory and Hester Ballroom
- The Conservatory is described in the brochure as "an elegant and bright setting" with rustic brickwork and chandeliers; the venue's spaces page calls it a "rustic orangery" with exposed brick and sage green. Brick and daylight suit ceremony and family pictures.
- The sample day brings the couple down a spiral staircase into the Conservatory, a strong entrance shot if the ceremony is held there.
- The Rose Garden is described as in bloom at all times of year (our spaces).
- The front of the house and the patio host drinks and confetti, so group photographs fit there between the ceremony and the breakfast.
- The Hester Ballroom, opened in 2018, is lit by chandeliers and has a stage for entertainers, which matters for first dance and speeches pictures in the evening.
- The Salusbury Lounge (warm mahogany, with a fireplace) and the brighter Hughes Lounge in the Manor House are indoor options if it rains.
- There is wheelchair access to the main spaces, but no bedrooms on the ground floor; plan where older relatives wait during group pictures.
The Manor House and the 27-acre estate
The venue's about page says the house and grounds date back to the Saxon period and were once Offley Palace, and its home page describes a 17th-century manor house in 27 acres of parkland. It now runs as a country house hotel with 16 individually designed bedrooms, the Spencer Restaurant and three bars, among them the Gabriel Bar beside the Ballroom (the largest of the three) and the smaller Oriental Bar in the Manor House. The Hester Ballroom is the newest addition, built for up to 250 seated guests. Listing grade and architectural detail are not published on the venue's own pages.
Hitchin, the A1(M) and the A505
The venue advises arriving via junction 8 of the A1(M) and the A505 between Hitchin and Luton (guest information). Hitchin station is about 4.2 miles away and Stevenage about 9.2 miles; Luton Airport is about 6.2 miles. The page lists four local taxi firms (A1 Taxis 01582 735555, Circle Cars 01582 400400, Tiny's Taxis 01462 888888 and Boxall Taxis 01462 433333) and advises booking in advance. We travel to Great Offley from our Northwood studio; travel is set out in the written quote.
Parking at Offley Place for wedding guests
Parking is free for the whole wedding party, at the owner's risk (weddings page). The guest page says on-site parking is limited, extra cars can park on the grounds, and parking on the day is around the side of the country house. Cars may stay overnight but must be collected by 10.30am the next morning (guest information). A space count is not published, so for a 250-guest wedding ask how many cars the grounds hold.
Offley Place wedding photography, frequently asked questions
How much does an Offley Place wedding cost?
How many guests can Offley Place hold?
Can you have an Asian wedding at Offley Place?
Can we bring our own caterer to Offley Place?
Can you get married outside at Offley Place?
What time do weddings finish at Offley Place?
Where is Offley Place and which station is nearest?
Do you photograph weddings at Offley Place?
Our work
Asian wedding photography
Other wedding venues we cover
Related pages
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.
Civil · Church · Hindu · Sikh · Muslim · Tamil
Planning a wedding at Offley Place?
Tell us the date and the venue and we will come back with availability and a price. Coverage starts from £750.