Wedding FAQs

Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about hosting your wedding at Allington Manor.

If there’s anything we haven’t covered here, take a look at our FAQs for visiting Allington Manor.

Frequently asked questions ~

Weddings ~

Frequently asked questions ~ Weddings ~

VENUE ESSENTIALS

  • Allington Manor’s maximum guest capacities are detailed below.

    We don’t have a minimum guest capacity for weddings.

    Ceremony

    Indoor ceremony - 50 guests
    Outdoor ceremony - 80 guests

    Dining

    House - dining for up to 36 guests
    House - sharing platters for 40+ guests
    Marquee - dining for up to 80 guests

    Evening 

    House - 74 evening guests
    Marquee - 100 evening guests

  • View our latest wedding brochure for up to date pricing.

  • No. Our Welby and Vincent packages illustrate our more popular celebration arrangements, but we’ll always work with you to customise a day that meets your vision and budget.

  • We have six ensuite guest rooms available on-site. Most of them will fit a cot or an extra Z-bed for children (we can provide two Z-beds for children but these are unsuitable for use by adults).

    If you need more rooms for your guests, The Barn & Coach House, and The Welby Arms sit just across the village green and offer a great mix of boutique and self-catered accommodation.

  • For one-day weddings, we will ensure one room is ready for the bridal party at 11am. The entire venue, including the rest of the bedrooms, will be available from 12 noon until departure at 10am the following morning. 

    For multi-day weddings, the entire venue, including all six bedrooms, will be available from 3pm on the first day of your arranged venue hire, until departure at 10am on the final day. 

  • Allington Manor is an inclusive venue run by a family that is dedicated to ensuring every guest feels welcome, respected and at ease to create wonderful memories here.

    We invite all couples, including same-sex unions and from all faiths, to celebrate their love at Allington Manor.

  • Accessibility for wheelchairs is available in the gardens and on the ground floor, although please note that there are several levels, including small steps and uneven surfaces such as gravel, grass and flagstone. A toilet is located on this level, though it is not a dedicated disabled toilet.  

    Where possible, please let us know in advance of your wedding day if any guests require disabled facilities so we can ensure arrangements are in place for smooth access to ceremony spaces.

  • With the restraints of a listed Jacobean property, there is no lift facility to the bedrooms for overnight guests.

    Please also note that the bedrooms situated on the top floor – the Maid’s, Butler’s and Footman’s rooms – are reached by a steep and winding staircase, making them unsuitable for guests with limited mobility. 

  • Complimentary parking is located at the front of the house where there is space for approximately 18 cars.

    For larger celebrations, additional parking can be arranged in advance of your wedding day.

    Any guests not staying here are welcome to leave their cars on-site overnight and we ask that they are collected by 10am the following morning.

  • Allington Manor is in South Lincolnshire, on the edge of the Vale of Belvoir. It’s a short drive from the market towns of Grantham and Newark, and not far from Stamford, Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Southwell. 

    We’ve put more useful information about our location on our Guest Information page.

Your ceremony

  • Yes, we have three licensed areas for hosting civil ceremonies and partnerships; our elegant drawing room, our 16th-century hall and beneath our romantic garden pergola.

  • We are a Lincolnshire County Council licensed wedding venue but our venue hire fee does not include your licence-to-marry fee. This can only be arranged by yourselves, directly with Lincolnshire County Council.  

    Information about this can be found here: lincolnshire.gov.uk/marriage-civil-partnerships/booking-registrars

  • Yes. Our historic Holy Trinity Church seats 100 people and is tucked away along a picturesque path, just a stone’s throw from the house.

    You can find out more about weddings and ceremonies at the church at this link saxonwellchurches.co.uk/getting-married-in-church

  • By all means!

  • Absolutely, and we can make recommendations for local professional celebrants.

    It should be noted that a celebrant-led wedding ceremony is not legally binding though. This means you will still need to arrange the legal part of your union through Lincolnshire Registrar or your religious place of worship.

    But this also means they are not restricted by the law, so a celebrant can bring personality and flexibility to your ceremony!

More about the venue

  • We’d love to meet you and show you around! Use our Weddings page to get in touch or book your personal show round.

  • Yes, Allington Manor lends itself perfectly to small, intimate gatherings.

  • You can hire a marquee for the garden too! Or as an attachment to extend the capacity at the rear of the house, leading into the garden.

    Marquees can be provided at an additional charge by one of our approved suppliers. Depending on your wedding package there may also be an additional charge to include extra furniture and for time to allow the marquee to be put up and taken down.

  • Our venue hire packages always include staffing as well as tables and chairs, crockery, cutlery, linen and VAT at 20%, so there are no surprising hidden charges. 

  • Yes. Your wedding hire includes the expertise of our exceptional Venue Coordinator who will be with you throughout your wedding day.

    Our Venue Coordinator provides a full wedding day management service, overseeing the running of the venue and staff, and coordinating suppliers to ensure you have the most seamless day.

  • When you hire Allington Manor, the only celebration during your stay will be yours! 

    Allington Manor is our family home, but our living area is completely private and separate to the rest of the venue and guest bedrooms.

  • We have one guest toilet downstairs and two guest toilets upstairs. If you are hosting a larger number of guests, our grounds can accommodate event-purpose portable toilet hire.

  • Yes, the house can accommodate a DJ or a small band in our drawing room, or a larger band in a marquee if you choose to hire one.

  • Our license for alcohol and music runs until 11pm, and we kindly ask that all non-residents leave by midnight.

  • Absolutely! Your wedding hire includes all six of our ensuite guest rooms.

  • Children are welcome at Allington Manor, provided that a parent or responsible adult looks after them.

  • Yes, you can bring up to two of your own well-behaved dogs. They are welcome in the communal areas of the house and the garden but unfortunately, we cannot allow any dogs or other pets in the guest bedrooms.

  • You can direct your guests to our Guest Information page where we’ve put together some useful information for all guests visiting Allington Manor, including how to find us.

Catering & drinks

  • To ensure you have the best experience, we request that you use one of our nominated suppliers for formal dining services. For more informal options, including food trucks, hog roasts and pizza ovens, we’ll be on hand to give our recommendations, but you are welcome to source a supplier of your choice.

  • Yes, Allington Manor has an on-site, fully stocked, staffed and licensed cash bar.

  • Sorry, this isn’t possible but we’re a fully licensed venue and are happy to source your favourite drinks.

  • Our on-site accommodation is provided on a B&B basis, with a freshly prepared cooked breakfast included each morning of your stay.

    If you’d like other guests not staying in our rooms to join you, we’ll set extra places at £14 per person.

SUPPLIERS & DÉCOR

  • We do! Apart from catering for dining, you are also very welcome to use your own suppliers or provide items yourselves.

  • Your wedding hire includes your exclusive use of the estate and you are more than welcome to use your own suppliers to dress the venue with floral arrangements and décor. We’ll be on hand to give our recommendations, but it’s your event to style as you choose.

  • Yes. If you aren’t using one of our recommended suppliers, we do require a list of your chosen suppliers three months prior to the wedding, along with their contact details. We’ll get in touch with them to request their insurance documents and coordinate timings for the day.

  • You can light candles on the tables for dining but they must be extinguished before the evening party. Candles cannot be used for other decoration, although candle-effect electric lights give a wonderful replica effect and may be used.

  • We are happy for you to use biodegradable confetti or organic petals in the grounds.

  • Our house is in the heart of a peaceful village and with consideration to our wonderful neighbours, we don’t set off fireworks or release lanterns.

    Sparklers can be used outside but must be extinguished in sand buckets.

BOOKING & PAYMENT

  • Once you have set your heart on Allington Manor, we’ll pencil your desired wedding date in our diary and will hold it for three weeks while you arrange your ceremony.

    We are licensed to host civil ceremonies and partnerships, but an authorised registrar must be in attendance to conduct and legally register the ceremony.

    You’ll need to book this arrangement separately with the Lincolnshire Registrar by visiting: lincolnshire.gov.uk/marriage-civil-partnerships/

    If you are planning a religious ceremony, you will need to book the date and make arrangements directly with your chosen place of worship.

    For the Holy Trinity Church here in Allington, you can call 01400 281524 or visit saxonwellchurches.co.uk/getting-married-in-church.

    Once you have secured the date for your ceremony, we will meet with you to go through your plans for the rest of your wedding.

    When we have agreed the finer details and package, we will ask you to sign a booking form and pay a booking fee and first instalment of £1,000. This payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.

    Everything we agree together will be shared openly through regular communications. This will include your desired venue arrangements, menu and wine choices, guest lists, final guest numbers and payment terms.

    Around six weeks before your wedding, we recommend meeting again or scheduling a virtual call to finalise your most important details, including your timeline, details of suppliers and guest numbers (don’t forget to include yourselves!).

    Following this one-to-one, the remaining balance will be due 30 days before the date of your wedding.

  • Before deciding to cancel your wedding, we encourage you to explore all your options carefully and consider whether any challenges are related to budget or other concerns.

    If finance is a factor, we would be happy to work with you to explore how you could adjust your celebration plans.

    If you still want to cancel your wedding, we will be sorry to lose you.

    All cancellations must be given to Allington Manor in writing, by letter or email. Please remember to notify any suppliers you have engaged, as well as the church or registrar. Notifications must include both of your signatures or email addresses.

    Please note the following:

    • If a written cancellation is received more than six calendar months before your event date, you will forfeit only the booking fee.

    • If a written cancellation is received less than six calendar months before the event date, you will forfeit all payments made.

    We strongly advise taking out an insurance policy that covers unforeseen circumstances which might prevent your wedding from taking place.

Frequently asked questions ~

Weddings ~

Frequently asked questions ~ Weddings ~