Elvaston Castle Weddings
A Photographer’s Guide
Elvaston Castle sits in a country park on the edge of Derby. It’s a Gothic Revival house with formal gardens, topiary and long tree-lined avenues, and you can marry inside its Gothic Hall or outside in the Old English Garden.
I photographed Jordanna and Shaun’s wedding here in September 2025, with the ceremony in the Gothic Hall. Elvaston is just a few miles from my home in Spondon, so it’s one of my local venues.
This guide covers the ceremony options, the light inside the castle, my favourite spot for portraits, and how a day works when your ceremony and evening party are in different places.
Elvaston Castle weddings at a glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Where | Elvaston Castle Country Park, Borrowash Road, Elvaston, Derby DE72 3EP |
| Ceremony | Licensed for civil ceremonies in the Gothic Hall (indoors) and the Old English Garden (outdoors) |
| Gothic Hall size | Around 50 seated, so best for smaller weddings |
| Run by | Derbyshire County Council, as part of the country park |
| Evening options | Jordanna and Shaun moved to Elvaston Village Hall, about five minutes’ walk away |
| Parking | Plenty of parking, with disabled parking closest to the castle |
| Pricing | Check the latest with the council weddings team |
The Gothic Hall
The Gothic Hall was once the castle’s entrance hall, built in the early 1800s. According to the council, the 4th Earl of Harrington had it designed as a token of his love for his wife, which makes it a fitting place to get married. It also appeared in Ken Russell’s 1969 film Women in Love.
Inside, it’s all dark carved wood, a vaulted ceiling and tall windows. It’s a dramatic room, and it holds around 50 people seated, so it suits a smaller wedding. Jordanna and Shaun had 50 guests in the day, which filled it nicely without feeling cramped. After the ceremony, the hall was reset for afternoon tea, so their guests stayed in the same room for the meal and speeches.
The light. The light inside is slightly limiting, as you’d expect in a dark, historic room, but it’s absolutely manageable. I plan for it and work with what’s there, so you don’t need to change anything. Your vows will look like the room feels: warm, moody and full of character.
The Old English Garden. If you’d rather marry outdoors, the Old English Garden is also licensed for ceremonies. Have a plan for rain, and talk to the venue team about the indoor back-up.
My favourite spot: the Italian Garden
My favourite place at Elvaston is the Italian Garden. It’s only about 50 metres from the castle, which makes it very convenient. You can step out after the ceremony, take ten or fifteen minutes for portraits, and be back with your guests before anyone misses you.
The clipped topiary and the castle behind give you a formal, slightly fairytale backdrop, and the open lawn means there’s always somewhere with good light.
Elvaston is a public country park, so other visitors will be around, especially on a sunny weekend. That’s rarely a problem. Guests and passers-by usually give a wedding couple plenty of space, and the gardens are big enough to find a quiet corner.
How the day works across the park
Elvaston isn’t a one-building venue, so it helps to plan how everyone moves between places. Here’s how Jordanna and Shaun’s day ran:
- Getting ready. They both got ready at Breedon Hall Hotel in Breedon on the Hill, at different times, and travelled to the castle.
- The ceremony. 1.30pm in the Gothic Hall, followed by confetti outside the main doors.
- Afternoon tea. The Gothic Hall was turned around after the ceremony for afternoon tea from Wyatt’s, the tea rooms in the park. Speeches came after the meal, then the cake.
- The evening. From 5pm, everyone wandered over to Elvaston Village Hall, about five minutes’ walk away, with time to relax in the grounds before the evening guests arrived.
That gap between afternoon tea and the evening is useful. It gives you time for a few more photos in the gardens in softer light, and your guests get a breather before the party starts.
Parking. There’s ample parking at the park, and the disabled spaces are the closest to the castle. If you have older or less mobile guests, point them to those.
Jordanna and Shaun’s Elvaston Castle wedding
Jordanna and Shaun chose Elvaston because it’s where they went on their first dates. They wanted an intimate day with their closest friends and family, and they warned me not to expect a serious wedding. They were right.
Jordanna’s best friend Sam walked her down the aisle, and her other best friend, Josh, gave the “father of the bride” speech. Her maid of honour flew in from Bermuda for the day. In the evening, they had their first dance to Louis Armstrong’s “We Have All the Time in the World”, the song they usually dance to at home.
See more of Jordanna and Shaun’s Elvaston Castle wedding.
Elvaston Castle wedding FAQs
Yes. The Gothic Hall and the Old English Garden are both licensed for civil ceremonies.
Around 50 seated, so it suits smaller, intimate weddings.
Jordanna and Shaun had afternoon tea from Wyatt’s, the park’s tea rooms, in the Gothic Hall after the ceremony, then moved to Elvaston Village Hall, about five minutes’ walk away, for the evening.
Yes, there’s plenty of parking in the country park, with disabled parking closest to the castle.
The Italian Garden, about 50 metres from the castle, with its topiary and views back to the house. It’s close enough for portraits without leaving your guests for long.
Yes. I photographed Jordanna and Shaun’s wedding here in 2025, and Elvaston is a few miles from my home in Spondon, so there’s no travel fee. Full-day coverage starts at £2,000, and I photograph weddings seven days a week.
Getting married at Elvaston Castle?
I’ve been photographing weddings since 2006, seven days a week.
If you’d like to check my availability, get in touch, or we can arrange a relaxed chat about your plans.
