Great Venues for a Fun City Wedding

26th January 2022

According to Bride magazine, before 2020, 25% of weddings were destination weddings, where couples would fly across the world with their family and friends to get married, often combining the trip with a honeymoon. In the past two years however, staycations in the UK have been extremely popular, with 83% of people going away for at least two nights. A city staycation is a great way to combine a fun weekend with a unique wedding. The most popular cities to get married in are Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham, and they have so many beautiful and interesting venues for your big day.

Edinburgh – Scotland

If you’re looking for some fun city wedding inspiration, Edinburgh has no shortage of unique venues where you can get married. The advantage of getting married in a city is that everything is very accessible, your guests can stay locally and won’t have to travel too far. Edinburgh Zoo is a really unique place to say “I do,” and you can even combine your big day with saying hello to the penguins and the giant pandas. The Mansion House at the zoo can accommodate up to 100 guests and there are beautiful panoramic gardens for your photos. The Caves is another fun venue in Edinburgh, and is only a few minutes walk from The Royal Mile. The atmospheric underground vaults are part of the sub-structure of the South Bridge, also known as Whisky Row. It is a popular venue for a vintage wedding with family and friends, and beautifully decorated.

Glasgow – Scotland

If you’d like an ethereal backdrop for your wedding photos, then the Kibble Palace in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens is a wonderful place to get married. The glasshouse, which is home to Scipione Tadolini’s iconic statue of Eve, can accommodate up to 200 guests in amongst the forest of ferns (look out for the carnivorous plants though). If you’d like a nautical-themed wedding, then The Tall Ship is a really unique place to get married. The beautiful merchant sailing vessel was built on The Clyde 125 years ago, but still looks just as magnificent today. The ship is the ideal place for a small wedding, of up to 50 guests.

Birmingham – England

There are some really quirky venues in Birmingham, “the first manufacturing town in the world.” If you’re a fan of the silver screen, you could get married in The Electric Cinema, the UK’s oldest working cinema, which first opened in 1909. At the cinema you can enjoy an intimate celebration, and even screen some videos of your favourite moments together. The Old Library, Digby is another historic venue for a fun wedding. Birmingham’s first free library was built in 1866 in the Custard Factory, and has wonderfully high ceilings, giving the space a light and airy feel. At The Old Library you can have a ceremony for 150 guests and enjoy some literary-themed cocktails at your reception.

When you get married in a city, you can combine your wedding with a wonderful urban staycation. There are plenty of fun and quirky venues where you can enjoy your big day and have a celebration you will remember forever.