Wedding Chat: Weddings at the South Causey Inn, County Durham

I have loved every moment of wedding planning and if you were to ask me what my favourite part has been I'd definitely say choosing a wedding venue. We were completely spoilt for choice in the North East and looked at so many beautiful places. Making a decision was hard work!

Today I thought I'd share with you the gorgeous wedding venue at the South Causey Inn tucked away in the beautiful Beamish Valley in County Durham. Simon and I recently popped along to their wedding open evening and fell in love with the venue (we are kicking ourselves that we didn't look round earlier!) The South Causey Inn is an independent hotel with a very popular restaurant and is set in 100 acres of picture perfect countryside - making it the perfect venue for a North East Wedding.

Venues and Ceremony Rooms

Weddings at South Causey Inn come in all shapes and sizes with the smaller Beamish Suite and the Cobbles available for more private intimate weddings. We were particularly impressed with the Elopement Package which has been designed for couples that don't want a fuss.  Beautifully romantic and private if you want a discrete wedding just for two the South Causey cater to your every need and will even provide witnesses if you need them. 

If you are after more of a traditional wedding with all of the trimmings then the South Causey have the choice of two stunning venues. The brand new venue, The Old Barn promises a private area away from the main hotel with capacity for up to 200 guests, a garden with breathtaking views across the Beamish Valley and a magical room for your wedding breakfast complete with old features, a draped ceiling and lighting. The Old Barn is set to open in early Spring 2017 and after a quick tour of the space I wasn't surprised to hear that they are already taking bookings.

The Durham Suite is a pretty converted stone stable block that has been hosting weddings for 4 years. Attached to the main hotel it has its own staff and entrances ensuring that you wont be bumping into any other brides during your special day.

The chapel style Tanfield Suite hosts civil ceremonies for up to 150 guests and the beautiful aisle took my breath away. With a plush red carpet giving the bride a grand entrance, beautiful candles and wooden beams decked out in natural foliage and twinkling lights I couldn't resist taking a little walk down the aisle and found myself imagining how it must feel to be a bride walking down the aisle on her wedding day.

Celebrations move into the larger room adjacent where the wedding breakfast takes place in an equally beautiful room where the South Causey can help you with your choice of dressings, table decorations and backdrop if you need it. They really do think of everything and are a great venue to plan a beautiful yet stress free wedding.

Wedding Packages

We were so impressed with the variety of packages available to couples, the indulgent Infinity Package offers couples the ultimate VIP treatment including hen and stag parties, a pamper on the eve of the wedding, stationery, favours (made onsite at the Distillery & Brewery), cake and full room dressing.

The Platinum Package has everything that you need to make sure that your day is perfect including complete room dressing, a Casino Table (which includes the prize of an overnight stay at the Inn) and a Sweet Cart filled with a selection of treats.

The Gold Package is ideal for couples who want to dress the room themselves, leaving you to work with your own suppliers to create your perfect day.

Every package includes a personal Wedding Attendant and Master of Ceremonies, arrival drinks, a three course Wedding Breakfast (including wine), toasting drink, evening reception, resident DJ, giant Love Letters, Sparkle Dance Floor, Evening buffet, luxury bridal suite for your first night as a married couple and a first anniversary stay to the value of £100.

Dressing and Decorations

If you don't want the stress of sorting out your own decorations and don't fancy dealing with an army of suppliers yourself (believe me it can lead to a lot of drama!) then the South Causey can help you with all of the details.

Their dedicated wedding planner is available to talk you through the important details for your day and the South Causey have a number of suppliers they work with to fit your theme and budget. From caricaturists to photo booths there's plenty to choose from.

Accommodation

When we were looking at wedding venues the one thing that turned us off more than anything else was venues forcing us to take on bedrooms that we didn't want. The South Causey has over 30 rooms available but the bride and groom are under no obligation to fill them which was so refreshing. Small touches like this really made us feel like the South Causey are a venue that care about their couples and wanting to offer them great value for money.

The bedrooms at the South Causey are ideal for your family and guests with larger group rooms for bridesmaids, smaller rooms for your parents and of course the all important Bridal Suite for the new Mr and Mrs. Wedding guests are offered a 10% discount on the night of the wedding.


Having everyone on site together would definitely make for a great holiday atmosphere for your guests and gives you the freedom to be able to socialise with your guests before and after the wedding.

There are plenty of beautiful bedrooms or if your guests appreciate something a little more fun then there are a number of themed rooms that look amazing. Our friends Sam and Steve recently stayed in the Tree House Suite - check out their review of their blissful overnight stay.

Photo by North East Family Fun

Ask me for my favourite though and it has to be the "Trafalgar Square", a renovated 1960s Double Decker Bus complete with hot tub. Imagine how fun it'd be staying there the night before your wedding! I'm now heavily hinting to Simon that I'd quite like a romantic break on the bus.

Wedding Photographs

Locations for your all important wedding photos is crucial when hunting for the perfect wedding venue and South Causey has some beautiful options. With a small farm onsite with a duck pond, pigs and horses there are some stunning backdrops for photographs (as well as plenty to keep the little ones entertained!)

Food

Of course one of the most important elements of our wedding is the food and having a wedding venue that provides really delicious food was essential. We decided to have some dinner whilst we were at the South Causey and couldn't believe our eyes when the menu appeared, it was huge - literally a book containing all of our favourite dishes. I went for the Corned Beef Pie which was served with crispy chips and salad. Even though it filled me up I also couldn't resist a dessert and ordered myself a massive slab of chocolate fudge cake.

We both loved our meal at the South Causey so it's safe to say your guests would be treated to fantastic food.

I'm really hoping that this has inspired those of you planning your wedding to take a look at the South Causey, make sure you let me know how you get on (and of course send me an invitation because I'm now desperate to go to a wedding there!)

As for me, I may have missed out on booking the South Causey for my own wedding but I do now have a South Causey Wish List including the Ladies Pamper Package, Gourmet Overnight Stay (seriously check out the packages, they look amazing!) and, of course, a night on that bus!

For more information about weddings at the South Causey check out their website or give them a call on 01207 235 555.

The South Causey invited us to look round their beautiful wedding venue but believe me this post is very much from the heart - we fell in love!