Getting married at Hampton Court Palace: venues, prices and how to book
Henry VIII married his sixth wife here. Every space you can marry or celebrate in at Hampton Court today, with capacities, 2026–27 hire fees and how to book.
Yes, you can get married at Hampton Court Palace, and you’d be in good company. On 12 July 1543 Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, in the Queen’s Closet here. Today the palace is licensed for civil ceremonies and hired out for weddings by Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that runs it. This guide sets out the spaces you can choose from, how many guests each holds, what the 2026–27 hire fees are, and the practical steps from first enquiry to the day itself.
We’re an independent guide, not the venue. Prices are taken from Historic Royal Palaces’ 2026–27 wedding brochure and exclude VAT unless we say otherwise. Always confirm them with the events team.
The wedding spaces
There are three main ways to marry at Hampton Court, from intimate to grand.
- The Little Banqueting House is a small 1700s pavilion built for William III above the Thames, with painted walls and ceilings by Antonio Verrio and views over the river and the Pond Gardens. It suits a ceremony of up to 50 guests, and you can stay on for a reception or dinner of the same size.
- The Garden Room is a modern event space in the palace gardens, reached through a rose arch. It takes up to 180 for a ceremony or dinner and 300 for a standing reception, and it’s the most popular choice for a whole wedding day in one place.
- The palace itself. In the evening, after the visitors have gone, you can have the state apartments to yourselves: a ceremony in one of the great rooms, drinks in a courtyard or chamber, dinner in the Great Hall or the Cartoon Gallery, and dancing in the Undercroft, once Henry VIII’s beer cellar. Palace weddings take up to about 250 guests.
Several outdoor spaces are licensed too, including the Privy Garden and the Orangery beside it (up to 140 for a ceremony) and spots along the river. Outdoor ceremonies are usually paired with an indoor space in case of rain.
Hire fees for 2026–27
Hampton Court is a dry-hire venue: the fee covers the space, and catering, drinks, flowers and music are booked separately from the palace’s approved suppliers.
| Package | Guests | Times | Fee (+ VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremony in the Little Banqueting House | Up to 50 | 12.00–13.30 or 16.00–17.30 |
£3,500 |
| Reception in the Little Banqueting House | 50 seated 80 standing |
11.00–17.00 or 16.00–22.00 |
£6,000 |
| The Garden Room (ceremony and reception) | Up to 180 seated | 10.00–21.00 or 13.00–00.00 |
£5,000 weekdays £6,000 weekends |
| Little Banqueting House ceremony + Garden Room reception | 50 / 180 | 12.00–00.00 | £7,000 weekdays £8,000 weekends |
| Ceremony only in the state apartments | 140–220 | 18.30–20.30 | £8,000 |
| Palace reception: drinks, dinner and dancing in the Undercroft | Up to 220–250 | 18.30–00.00 | £18,000 |
| Garden Room ceremony and drinks + palace reception | 200 / 250 | 15.00–00.00 | £20,000 |
| Palace ceremony, drinks and dinner | 140–250 | 18.30–00.00 | £22,000 |
Palace receptions can run past midnight: an extra hour to 1am costs £1,000 + VAT, and a second hour to 2am another £2,000. With VAT at 20%, the popular £18,000 palace reception comes to £21,600 before any food, drink or flowers.
Rooms inside the palace
For a palace wedding, the events team will help you choose rooms to suit your numbers. These are the spaces most often used, with Historic Royal Palaces’ capacities:
- The Great Hall, Henry VIII’s feasting hall, the last great medieval hall built for an English king, with its hammerbeam roof and Tudor tapestries: up to 200 for a ceremony and 220 for a wedding dinner.
- The King’s Guard Chamber, hung with hundreds of arms and armour: up to 140 for a ceremony, 150 for dinner and 200 standing.
- The Queen’s Guard Chamber (up to 120 for a ceremony) and the Great Watching Chamber (up to 100).
- The Cartoon Gallery, built for Raphael’s tapestry designs: up to 200 for dinner and 300 standing.
- The King’s Eating Room, for an intimate dinner of up to 40.
- Clock Court, the Tudor courtyard under Henry VIII’s astronomical clock, for drinks for up to 400.
- The Undercroft, a vaulted Tudor cellar, for dancing and late-night drinks for up to 220.
A typical palace wedding runs like this: ceremony in a state room at 6.30pm, photographs in Clock Court or the Privy Garden in the evening light, drinks, then dinner in the Great Hall and dancing below in the Undercroft until midnight.
The palace also caters for cultural weddings. Historic Royal Palaces says its spaces suit Asian and Jewish celebrations, with room for a mandap or a baraat procession, and its approved suppliers include caterers experienced in these traditions.
The legal side: registrars and notice
Hampton Court Palace is an approved venue for civil marriages and civil partnerships. It sits in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, so your ceremony is conducted by Richmond’s registrars. The usual order is:
- Book the venue with Historic Royal Palaces.
- Book the registrars with Richmond register office for the same date and time. They charge a separate attendance fee, which is higher on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. See Richmond’s current fees.
- Give notice of marriage at the register office in the district where you live, at least 29 full days before the wedding. Each of you pays a statutory fee: £42 for UK and Irish citizens.
Under current law in England, a civil ceremony can’t include religious content: no hymns, prayers or religious readings. Couples who want a religious service often marry in church or another place of worship and hold the celebration at the palace, or add a blessing afterwards. Check with the events team and the registrar what’s allowed.
What’s included, and what isn’t
Your hire fee buys exclusive use of the spaces you’ve booked, at the times listed. Everything else comes from the palace’s approved suppliers: caterers, florists, furniture hire, lighting, bands and DJs. They know the building and its rules, which matter in a Grade I listed palace full of priceless paintings and tapestries. Candles, confetti and some decorations are restricted, so ask early.
Budget for the extras: catering, drinks, styling and music often cost as much as the venue again, or more, and VAT applies to most of it.
Tips for planning
- Book early. Summer Saturdays go first, often more than a year ahead. Weekday and winter dates are easier to get, and the Garden Room is cheaper Monday to Friday.
- Visit as a normal visitor first. A palace ticket lets you walk the Great Hall, the state rooms and the gardens at your own pace before you sit down with the events team. Read our ticket guide for prices.
- Think about the light. Palace receptions start at 6.30pm, after the palace closes to visitors. In June and July you’ll get golden light in the gardens; in winter it will be dark, and candlelit rooms come into their own.
- Plan for July. The RHS Garden Festival is held in Home Park every July, which brings crowds and traffic. Ask about it if you’re choosing a July date.
- Consider a smaller ceremony. The Little Banqueting House takes just 50 guests, but at £3,500 + VAT it’s one of the most affordable ways to marry in a royal palace.
Getting your guests there
Hampton Court station is a few minutes’ walk from the palace gates, with trains from London Waterloo every 30 minutes, taking about 35 minutes. Check the times of the last trains back for an evening wedding. There’s a car park beside the palace, and taxis from Kingston are quick. Our guide to getting to Hampton Court covers every option. For guests staying over, there are hotels just across the bridge in East Molesey, and many more in Kingston and Richmond.
Thinking about other royal venues? Our sister site has a guide to weddings and events at Kensington Palace, in central London, where the Orangery takes up to 300 guests.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to get married at Hampton Court Palace?
Venue hire starts at £3,500 + VAT for a ceremony in the Little Banqueting House, £5,000 + VAT for the Garden Room and £18,000 + VAT for an evening reception in the palace (2026–27 prices). Catering, drinks, flowers and music are extra.
How many guests can you have?
Up to about 250 for a wedding in the palace, 180 seated in the Garden Room and 50 in the Little Banqueting House.
Can you get married in the Great Hall?
Yes. The Great Hall is licensed for ceremonies of up to 200 guests and can seat 220 for dinner. Many couples marry in another room and use the Great Hall for dinner.
Did Henry VIII get married at Hampton Court?
Yes, once. He married Catherine Parr, his sixth wife, in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court on 12 July 1543. Read more about Henry VIII’s six wives.
Can we have a religious ceremony at Hampton Court?
The palace is licensed for civil ceremonies, which can’t include religious content under current law in England. The palace’s Chapel Royal is a working chapel and isn’t offered as a wedding venue.
Who do I contact to book?
Historic Royal Palaces’ events team, through the official Hampton Court weddings page.
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