Wedding Chat: Choosing our perfect Northumberland Wedding Venue

Going against tradition Simon and I have decided that we'll be getting married in the North East. Neither of us are from this part of the country and I'm sure a few people may have expected that we'd be getting married in my home county of Norfolk.

But the North East is our home and it is important that our big day happens somewhere that is special to us both.  From our first "I love you" at Newcastle's Central Station to our lovely new house just outside the city, the North East has played a big role in our love story and getting married anywhere else just wouldn't have felt right.

Here in the North East we are rather spoilt when it comes to venues. Not only are there some truly gorgeous locations in Newcastle but we also have the whole of Northumberland to explore which offers venues to suit every taste.

We had a fantastic weekend last Summer pottering around the countryside in our hire car exploring some of the best venues in the area for an idyllic country wedding. Believe me the decision making process was tough with us loving each and every venue that we visited.

High House Farm Brewery

High House Farm is a working brewery that offers the perfect country backdrop to your wedding. When we met with them we were so impressed by how much they care about wanting to give the bride and groom the perfect day.  With no venue charge, no hidden costs and no set wedding packages they are the ideal venue if you want to plan the day you've always dreamed of but don't want to be paying a silly amount of money for it.   If the weather is kind you can get married in the gorgeous barn which offers amazing views of the Northumberland countryside.

Doxford Barns

Doxford Barns is a new venue that offers a three day wedding weekend set in the most stunning countryside.  Perfect for spending quality time with your guests the renovated farm cottages on site mean that you'll never be far away from your loved ones.  The Threshing Hall is the location for indoor weddings and it literally took our breath away with its original oak beams and beautiful fairy lights, or if you're after an outdoor ceremony you can get wed overlooking Doxford Lake.  If all that wasn't enough, the catering is provided by two of our favourites The Plough and Jolly Fisherman

Healey Barn

I'd never heard of Healey Barn until a friend mentioned she'd seen photos of the beautiful barns. Made up of traditional stone buildings and a beautiful courtyard, it's a stunning venue. We particularly loved the ceremony barn where the high ceilings were lit with pretty fairy lights.  As we looked round the barn was being decked out with bunting which looked gorgeous and we loved the idea of toasting marshmallows in the fire pits.

Matfen Hall

Matfen Hall is one of the most well known venues in the area and initially we wrote it off presuming it would be very expensive.  When we realised it was actually a pretty reasonable price we decided to add it to our list of venues as a "wild card".  It was very different to all the other venues we looked at but if a grand country hotel is what you're after Matfen Hall certainly has it all. 

I loved the Great Hall with its stunning fire place and red carpet and the bride certainly makes an entrance down a very grand looking staircase.  Matfen also has an underground bar and dance floor which effectively gives you your very own nightclub for the evening .. that was something I found very tempting!

If you're planning a Northumberland wedding we'd recommend making appointments with each of these venues - believe me, my hastily taken iPhone photos really don't do the venues justice!

As for our venue, in the end we didn't pick any of the above!

We ended up booking the first venue that we looked at and it is absolutely perfect for us.  The date is set and we'll be getting married on 24th September.  I'd love to tell you more but we're trying to keep at least some element of surprise for the moment, I can't wait to share all our plans with you - watch this space!

This post is part of the #lovenortheast link up