Wedding Photography at Stowe House, Buckinghamshire

Stowe House is the 18th-century mansion at the heart of the National Trust's landscape gardens near Buckingham, and it is also the main building of Stowe School. Because the school comes first, the events team says weddings take place only during school holidays, so there are a limited number of dates each year (Stowe House weddings page). On those dates the house is hired exclusively, with three State Rooms, the South Portico, the kitchens and corkage to the end of the wedding breakfast included in the hire.

The venue publishes more for Asian weddings than most stately homes do: a mandap in the Marble Hall for up to 180, a baraat along the long driveway with horses and dhol, and a 2026 approved supplier list that includes Asian caterers. 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 Stowe House, we travel to Stowe from the studio, and coverage starts from £750. Below is what the venue publishes, and what it does not.

What a Stowe House wedding costs in 2026, 2027 and 2028

Stowe publishes venue hire for three years in its wedding brochure. Every price covers three State Rooms, the South Portico through the day, access from 10am for set-up, guest arrival from midday until midnight, the Stowe kitchens, and corkage until after the wedding breakfast (wedding brochure 2026 to 2028, PDF). All figures are plus VAT.

• 2026: January to March and November to December, Monday to Thursday £8,460, Friday £9,510, Saturday £10,560, Sunday £9,590. April and October £9,510, £11,085, £12,660 and £11,085. May to September £10,560, £12,660, £14,760 and £12,660.
• 2027: winter months £8,740, £9,840, £10,940 and £9,840. April and October £9,840, £11,495, £13,145 and £11,495. May to September £10,940, £13,150, £15,350 and £13,150.
• 2028: winter months £9,050, £10,180, £11,350 and £10,180. April and October £10,625, £11,915, £13,650 and £11,915. May to September £12,200, £13,650, £15,950 and £13,650.

The brochure lists every month, but the weddings page says events only happen in school holidays. Ask which dates are actually open before you compare prices.

Extras published by the venue: bringing your own caterer costs £2,750 plus VAT for kitchen hire and a supervising chef; extending corkage to cover the evening bar is £500 plus VAT; a mandap ceremony adds £1,000 plus VAT for a fire warden; fireworks carry a £1,000 plus VAT facility fee, not including the display; and the 1am extension is £1,000 plus VAT (weddings page). Tables and chairs are provided free, in royal red and gold, though the venue says most couples hire their own.

Winter package: for October to March (excluding December) the brochure offers an all-in package based on 90 guests, at £23,750 plus VAT for October 2026 to March 2027 and £25,050 plus VAT for October 2027 to March 2028. It includes three State Rooms from midday to midnight, drinks, canapés, a three-course set menu, half a bottle of wine per guest, a DJ, uplighting, two security staff and an events manager. Extra day guests are £150 plus VAT each, children 12 and under £40, and evening guests £40.

Marquee: ground hire on the South Lawn is £21,000 plus VAT in 2026, £22,050 in 2027 and £22,950 in 2028, not including the marquee, which must come from T&L Marquees (marquee package, PDF). It includes the South Portico for drinks, parking on the North Front, four security staff, the kitchens and changing facilities.

Civil, mandap and church ceremonies at Stowe

The brochure says Stowe House is licensed for civil ceremonies from midday until midnight and is registered with the Buckinghamshire Registration Service; you book the registrar yourself (wedding brochure). The weddings page lists three ceremony settings: the Marble Hall for 180, the Music Room for 120, and the South Portico outside for 95 (weddings page).

For religious ceremonies the brochure says the house welcomes a variety of faiths, and a mandap is available from £1,000 plus VAT, the fee covering a dedicated fire warden. The Asian weddings page says Stowe has hosted Hindu, Sikh and Muslim weddings, names mehndi parties, nikah ceremonies and Hindu weddings, and describes the long driveway as the route for a baraat with horses and dhol drummers (Asian weddings page). The Marble Hall takes a mandap for up to 180, depending on the mandap's size, with the State Dining Room for the wedding breakfast and the lawns for a marquee.

Stowe Parish Church is a short distance from the house and is suggested in the brochure for a church service. The venue does not publish whether a havan or other open flame is permitted beyond the mandap fire-warden fee, so ask in writing about any fire element, and confirm the baraat route and timing for your date.

The Blue Room and getting ready at Stowe House

Stowe has no bedrooms on site. The brochure describes the Blue Room as an intimate space within the house for "smaller gatherings, private moments, or preparations before the ceremony" (wedding brochure). It does not say whether the Blue Room is part of the standard three-room hire, so confirm it is held for you from 10am. For an overnight stay the venue works with local hotels that offer discounted rooms; ask the events team for the list if one party will dress off site.

Midday arrival to a midnight finish: a Stowe House outline

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 Temple family to Stowe School

The Stowe House Preservation Trust's history traces the estate to Peter Temple's lease in 1571. Sir Richard Temple built a new house in 1677 to 1683, designed by William Cleare, and his son, later Viscount Cobham, extended house and gardens with William Kent, John Vanbrugh and Lancelot "Capability" Brown. Earl Temple redesigned the North and South Fronts between 1749 and 1779 (Stowe House history).

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed for three days in 1845, and most of the contents were sold at auction in 1848 to clear debts. Stowe School opened in the house in 1923, the gardens passed to the National Trust in 1989, and the Preservation Trust was founded in 1997 to restore the house. The trust puts the restoration of house and gardens at £100 million.

Parking at Stowe House for wedding guests

The brochure says there is parking on site for guests with up to 150 spaces. Cars can be left overnight because the site has 24-hour security, but must be collected before 10am the next day (wedding brochure). For a marquee wedding, parking moves to the North Front of the house, with parking marshals in the marquee package. Accessible parking is available at the house.

Stowe House wedding photography, frequently asked questions

Other wedding venues we cover

• Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
• Chicheley Hall, Newport Pagnell
• 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 Buckingham
• Asian wedding photographer in Buckingham
• 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.