Ruthin Castle

C astle Wedding Venue in North Wales

Ruthin Castle Wedding Photography | North Wales Wedding Photographer

Driving though the medieval stonewalled gateway, Ruthin Castle is sure to leave a lasting impression on you and your guests. Its grand sweeping drive to the castle and expansive acres of gardens create a picturesque setting, providing the ideal backdrop for breathtaking photos that will be cherished for years. Situated against the stunning Clywdian Range in North Wales, Ruthin Castle is a fairy tale venue steeped in history. Whether you planning an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, this castle offers an idyllic setting for your special day. Their professional wedding and events team clearly take pride in planning, organising and ensuring the perfect day for all of the couples who choose Ruthin Castle for their special day.

Aerial view of Ruthin Castle in the North Wales countryside. Stuart Morris Photography.

Staying Over The Night Before

The various Suites at Ruthin Castle are ideal for the soon-to-be weds to stay over the night before the big day and for getting ready on the wedding moring, there's a historic feel, featuring period-appropriate decor with antique furnishings, and architectural details that reflect the castle's heritage, each room in the castle is uniquely designed, showcasing the castle's character and charm with a luxury feel to them. Compared to rooms that you get in standard hotel rooms, the suites at Ruthin Castle typically provide you with much more space to get ready and with additional seating areas for taking a minute and a time out from the hustle and bustle of the wedding prep. Another plus for staying over at the venue the night before the wedding in one of the castle's suites is that you'll have access to the castle grounds, allowing guests to explore the gardens, walking paths, and other scenic areas surrounding the castle and the historic town of Ruthin..

Ceremony Rooms

Ruthin Castle offers various venue options for the different parts of your wedding celebration, wether it's for the ceremony, wedding breakfast and reception, the castle's historic architecture and scenic surroundings provide a romantic, spectacular and a unique backdrop for your special day.

The choice of Event Suites at Ruthin mean you can tailor your choice of ceremony room to the number of guests your'e planning on inviting, if it's a smaller more intimate wedding then there 's The Cornwallis Suite, steeped in history, beautifully decorated and can hold up to 60 guests or if it's on the larger side there's The Peacock Suite and Terrace with views across the historic battlements of the castle, there's huge windows that create a light and airy feel and with its own terrace and gardens to enjoy. Finally, there's The Grand Salon, premier wedding suite in the heart of Ruthin Castle, it's grand in name and grand in style, classically themed featuring high ceilings, huge windows & its own private terrace & gardens. Both can comfortably accommodate up to 100 wedding guests.

wedding guests start to arrive at Ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography

empty wedding ceremony room at Ruthin castle. north Wales wedding photographer. Stuart Morris Photography

groom waves to the flower girls walking down the aisle at ruthin castle Stuart Morris Photography

groom wipes his eyes as the bride walks up the aisle with her dad. Stuart Morris Photography.

Bride and Groom exchange vows at Ruthin castle. north Wales wedding photographer. Stuart Morris Photography.

bride and grooms first kiss. Ruthin hall wedding photographer. Stuart Morris Photography.

bride and groom hold hands walking up the aisle at Ruthin castle north Wales. Stuart Morris Photography

Congratulatory Drinks

After the ceremony is finished and you're officially married it's probably one of my favourite parts of the day. Typically after the newlyweds have left the ceremony room, they'll head to the drinks reception, the guests then start to filter out of the room to say their congratulations to the couple and it's a great opportunity for guests to socialise, relax, and mingle. So why is it one of my favourite parts of the day? Well it gives me the perfect opportunity to photograph lots of candid moments, capturing genuine emotions and some of the best reactions and of course, memories for the couple and their guests to relive. Ruthin Castle offer a range of wedding packages with drink reception for you to choose from, tailored to suit various budgets, wedding size and depending on the time of year.

bottles of beer chilled in ice ready for wedding guests at Ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography.

wide shot of wedding guests after the ceremony in one of the rooms at Ruthin castle north Wales wedding photographer.

Champagne glasses in a hearth shape ready for wedding guests at Ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography.

Relaxed, Informal Portraits

You're spoiled for choice of photo locations at Ruthin Castle and it would be criminal not to make the most of them! The gardens and grounds of Ruthin Castle are beautifully landscaped and the natural beauty of the surroundings provides an enchanting, picturesque setting and the historic castle itself with its' medieval charm, towers, and stone walls all add a timeless and romantic quality to wedding photos. The wedding featured here was an Autumn wedding in October but the changing seasons can bring changing colours and feel to the gardens, providing a dynamic, changing backdrop for your wedding photos depending on the time of year you're planning on tying the knot. The gardens have lots of intimate spaces with secluded pathways and quiet corners, even a charming old wooden bridge and all of them are ideal for capturing more private and personal moments between the couple during the relaxed, portrait session with just the two of you. So with the convenience of having beautiful outdoor spaces within the wedding venue itself, it means that we can easily move between a beautiful indoor and stunning outdoor setting if the weather doesn't want to play nicely!

bride and groom kiss on the bridge in the grounds at Ruthin castle north Wales. Stuart Morris Photography.

bride and groom walk across a rustic wooden bridge at Ruthin castle. north Wales wedding photographer

bride and groom have fun in the gardens at Ruthin castle. relaxed portraits by Stuart Morris Photography

peacock sitting on the wooden bridge. Ruthin castle wedding photographer. Stuart Morris Photography

bride and groom stand under a stone archway at the end of the wooden bridge at Ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography.

bride and groom kiss under the archway in an old stone wall in the gardens at Ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography

bride and groom kiss on the rustic wooden bridge in the grounds at Ruthin castle Stuart Morris Photography

Breakfast Time

Given that it's usually later afternoon / early evening it seems strange calling it a wedding breakfast, apparently it's derived from the old English tradition of breaking the fast, weddings were traditionally held in the morning in the early 1800s when people would have the ceremony very early on and wouldn’t eat beforehand. In those days it literally was breakfast, I've never seen full English served at one yet though! Another favourite part of my day for candid photographs and reactions, are the speeches, especially when they're made personal rather than Googling "wedding speeches", funny and embarrassing stories are guaranteed some awesome reactions and The Grand Salon pictured here makes a spectacular backdrop.

reception and banqueting room at ruthin castle ready for the wedding guests. Stuart Morris Photography.

wedding guests take their seats for the wedding breakfast. ruthin castle wedding photographer Stuart Morris Photography

bride and groom introduced to their wedding guests in the ruthin hall banqueting room. Stuart Morris Photography

bride laughing, groom head in hands, brides mum hand over her mouth during the wedding speeches. ruthin castle wedding

groom gives a speech to wedding guests. ruthin castle wedding photographer. Stuart Morris Photography.

bride and groom raise a glass in a toast in the banqueting room at ruthin castle. Stuart Morris Photography.

Dancing

Once the Wedding Breakfast is over and the guests have retreated to the lounge to relax or headed off to reception to check into their rooms, the team at Ruthin Castle are hard at work turning the room around and getting it ready for the party, it never fails to impress me at just how efficient they are in getting it done while the DJ is setting up his equipment. Cleared, cleaned and set up in a short amount of time, impressive!

With it being an October wedding, the room lighting for the evening was tailored to suit, with a soft reddish-orange glow to compliment the couples Autumn theme.

If you're looking for a stunning venue for your own big day, make sure Ruthin Castle is on your list of places to visit before deciding!

FAQ

Why is Ruthin unique in North Wales?

Ruthin is a small historic market town in Denbighshire, North Wales, overlooking the River Clwyd in the beautiful Vale of Clwyd. Ruthin has a long, exciting and interesting history spanning over 700 years including scandal, battle and siege. Today it is the administrative centre of Denbighshire.

Is Ruthin Castle a real castle?

Ruthin Castle is a medieval fortress that has been transformed into a luxury hotel. It is located in the town of Ruthin, Denbighshire, North Wales. The castle has a rich and fascinating history that dates back to the 13th century.

Can you get married in a castle in Wales?

Ruthin Castle is the perfect place to host the fairy-tale wedding of your dreams, steeped in history and set against the Clywdian Range in North Wales. Plan according to your taste and budget. The 400-year-old Hensol Castle is a grand backdrop for your fairytale wedding.

What is the history of the Ruthin Castle?

It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on a red sandstone ridge overlooking the valley. Part of the ancient walls still remain and now form part of the Ruthin Castle Hotel.