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Somerset

Wells

Bishop's Palace

(9)

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Price: £2,500.00 – £6,500.00

Guests: 120

Description

Mark the start of your married life together in our breath-taking 800 year old medieval Palace, which never fails to wow as guests arrive over the drawbridge and into the grounds. Entertain inside the impressive Palace building and enjoy 14 acres of RHS partner gardens. Part of the fun of your wedding day is the planning and we want to make this as enjoyable for you as the actual day itself. Our dedicated wedding planner will take care of all the details for you, advising about timings, décor and offering menu tastings. Drinks and canapés are served in the original medieval Entrance Hall and on the garden terrace whilst you spend time with your photographer and guests. There are 14 acres of gardens to explore and plenty of space for families to run around or play games in. And don’t worry if the weather lets you down, the Entrance Hall is the perfect place to enjoy drinks and if it’s really cold we’ll light the impressive medieval log fire. Once it’s time to eat you will be called into the medieval Undercroft for the feasting to begin. Seating up to 120 guests, the Undercroft is a stunning environment in which to enjoy your wedding breakfast. The room will be beautifully dressed and you have the opportunity to make it your own by choosing flowers and decorations to match your colours and themes. The Undercroft is the location for your evening reception, we’ll move some of the furniture to create space for a DJ or band and dancing which means that your first dance will be set to a breathtaking backdrop. One of the big attractions of the Palace is the 14 acres of gardens that surround it. A mixture of formal Dutch style flower beds, a picturesque style South Lawn, the wild freedom of the aboretum and of course the well pools that give the city of Wells its name, offer a wonderful space for guests to explore and enjoy and an amazing backdrop to your wedding photographs, why not take a look using the following link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-_hydiJ7Lc

Message from the team

Name of Wedding Contact: Chloe Kennedy

Welcome to The Bishop's Palace! I'm the Wedding & Venue Manager, and I'm delighted that you're considering The Bishop's Palace as your wedding venue. I'd love to have a chat, so do drop me a line and we can discuss your wedding vision in more detail. I've worked for and with a number of different companies within the wedding industry (including other wedding venues) and The Bishop's Palace is by far the most amazing venue I have had the pleasure of experiencing. It is an absolute must-see!

Experience

Year Business Was Established

1205

No. of Weddings Hosted

More than 50

Public Liability Insurance

Yes

No. of People In Team

Overview of Bishop's Palace

Wedding Venue Type

Stately Home

Wedding Venue Capacity

Dining Capacity

120

Reception Capacity

165

Wedding Ceremony & Reception

Confetti permitted

Church within walking distance

Dancefloor available

Wedding Venue Details

Open Flame Permitted

Water view

Landscaped gardens

Wedding Catering

In-House Wine List

In-house catering

Halal catering

Pricing for Bishop's Palace

Wedding Venue Hire Only

£2,500.00 – £6,500.00

Show details

Here at The Bishop’s Palace we have two options for venue hire of the Palace and Gardens for your wedding reception. The first is our standard venue hire which gives you and your guests the use of our beautiful medieval Palace and access to 14 acres of stunning gardens. We have the capacity for 120 guests to sit down for a wedding breakfast meal in our breath-taking vaulted Undercroft and numbers can go up to 160 guests for your evening party. You would also have use of the elegant Long Gallery for tea/coffee and a quieter area and an outdoor terrace to enjoy the views. Venue hire is from 2pm until 11.30pm and we ask that the site be clear by midnight. Also included in the hire price is the use of tables, linen, crockery and glassware, chairs, plus the use of our bar and waiting staff. With this package, members of the public will still have access to visit the Gardens, but would not be able to enter the Palace buildings. The Gardens close to the public at 6pm in Summer and 4pm in Winter. The price for this option is £3500 for 2018. With our exclusive venue hire option, in addition to the above, the entire site would be yours exclusively and no members of the visiting public would be allowed past the Drawbridge. Our prices for this hire package are £6000 for 2018.

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In-house Catering (price per head)

£28.00 – £43.00

Packages (price per head)

£40.00 – £70.00

Minimum number of guests: 0

Packages (total price)

£7,000.00 – £12,000.00

Number of guests included: 75

Show details

Reviews (9)

M
Mr and Mrs M
11/02/2020
Winter Wedding at The Bishop's PalaceWinter Wedding at The Bishop's Palace
We had our wedding reception at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells in March 2018. This was after being failed by another wedding venue in Taunton. Changing our venue to the Bishop’s Palace was the best decision we made for our wedding. Organising the reception was a smooth and relaxed process from start to finish. Initially we had a guided tour around the palace and gardens whilst chatting about the different options available to us. Once we decided to book the venue we were put in contact with our wedding coordinator, Kelly. We had several meetings with Kelly to discuss how we wanted our day to run, nothing was too much for Kelly, she was always offering her assistance, not just with plans at the Bishop’s Palace but with other aspects of the wedding like the flowers and disco. We had a food tasting at the palace cafe to help us decide on the food for the day, this was a great experience and we were able to discuss the options available to vegetarians and those with food intolerances. The wedding day itself was amazing, it ran without any issues, despite the fact it snowed!! The food was brilliant, all of our guests were complimentary. We certainly didn’t go hungry! Everyone said how beautiful the venue was. We spent most of the day inside of the palace due to how cold it was outside, but this was lovely as the fires were lit in the beautiful fire places. It was an idyllic winter wedding! The cost of the whole reception was far less than I ever would have imagined. We opted for a winter package, which was great value for money. Overall it was definitely a 10/10 and we would highly recommend the Bishop’s Palace to anyone else getting married in Wells! We had our wedding reception at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells in March 2018. This was after being failed by another wedding venue in Taunton. Changing our venue to the Bishop’s Palace was the best decision we made for our wedding. Organising the reception was a smooth and relaxed process from start to finish. Initially we had a guided tour around the palace and gardens whilst chatting about the different options available to us. Once we decided to book the venue we were put in contact with our wedding coordinator, Kelly. We had several meetings with Kelly to discuss how we wanted our day to run, nothing was too much for Kelly, she was always offering her assistance, not just with plans at the Bishop’s Palace but with other aspects of the wedding like the flowers and disco. We had a food tasting at the palace cafe to help us decide on the food for the day, this was a great experience and we were able to discuss the options available to vegetarians and those with food intolerances. The wedding day itself was amazing, it ran without any issues, despite the fact it snowed!! The food was brilliant, all of our guests were complimentary. We certainly didn’t go hungry! Everyone said how beautiful the venue was. We spent most of the day inside of the palace due to how cold it was outside, but this was lovely as the fires were lit in the beautiful fire places. It was an idyllic winter wedding! The cost of the whole reception was far less than I ever would have imagined. We opted for a winter package, which was great value for money. Overall it was definitely a 10/10 and we would highly recommend the Bishop’s Palace to anyone else getting married in Wells!
M
Mr and Mrs Lewis
11/02/2020
Best weddingBest wedding
We had an amazing day and we had such fun so very many thanks to everyone at the Bishops Palace for such a memorable day. Everyone is telling us it is the best wedding they have ever experienced!! and we agree!! Thank you so much!We had an amazing day and we had such fun so very many thanks to everyone at the Bishops Palace for such a memorable day. Everyone is telling us it is the best wedding they have ever experienced!! and we agree!! Thank you so much!
M
Mr and Mrs Molesworth
11/02/2020
THANK YOUTHANK YOU
Our daughter, Helen, had the most truly memorable wedding at the Bishop's Palace on Saturday 23rd July. I can't begin to thank you all enough. The organisation and pre -wedding communications were conducted with a permanent atmosphere of willing to please and efficiency! The food was wonderful, from the tasting, to the breakfast and finally the buffet. This was the biggest party that we will ever throw, and thanks to you all it was the most WONDERFUL day from start to finish. It was the most memorable day.Our daughter, Helen, had the most truly memorable wedding at the Bishop's Palace on Saturday 23rd July. I can't begin to thank you all enough. The organisation and pre -wedding communications were conducted with a permanent atmosphere of willing to please and efficiency! The food was wonderful, from the tasting, to the breakfast and finally the buffet. This was the biggest party that we will ever throw, and thanks to you all it was the most WONDERFUL day from start to finish. It was the most memorable day.
M
Mr and Mrs Bradshaw
11/02/2020
Marvellous EfficiencyMarvellous Efficiency
I just wanted to express our huge gratitude to the Bishop’s Palace a brilliantly executed wedding for my wife and I last weekend. In particular, we can not praise high enough the hard work and pure professionalism shown by Kelly Emery. At every point she was accommodating, responsive and helpful. On the day she and her team made everything run with marvellous efficiency and so very smoothly. We also thought all the staff were very friendly and that the chef did a first class job – as so many guests commented on the excellent food. We could not have been happier.I just wanted to express our huge gratitude to the Bishop’s Palace a brilliantly executed wedding for my wife and I last weekend. In particular, we can not praise high enough the hard work and pure professionalism shown by Kelly Emery. At every point she was accommodating, responsive and helpful. On the day she and her team made everything run with marvellous efficiency and so very smoothly. We also thought all the staff were very friendly and that the chef did a first class job – as so many guests commented on the excellent food. We could not have been happier.
M
Mr and Mrs Davis
11/02/2020
We couldn't have wished for a better dayWe couldn't have wished for a better day
We just wanted to say thank you so much for everything you did for us. The wedding ran so smoothly even with the cake issue! You were literally amazing and we never had to worry about anything with you. We couldn't have wished for a better day. Everybody loved the food and the venue and said how great it was. So can't thank you enough really!We just wanted to say thank you so much for everything you did for us. The wedding ran so smoothly even with the cake issue! You were literally amazing and we never had to worry about anything with you. We couldn't have wished for a better day. Everybody loved the food and the venue and said how great it was. So can't thank you enough really!
A
Alice McGee
05/11/2018
Stunning, beautiful and personal venueStunning, beautiful and personal venue
We would definitely recommend the Bishop's Palace as a wedding venue. We were looking for somewhere beautiful that would allow us to have a more personal day than a standard hotel package and that is absolutely what we got. The Palace and gardens are really stunning and Kelly and her team were flexible, understanding and really accommodating, helping us make the day just as we wanted it. Kelly was really helpful right from the start and really went out of her way for us, from sourcing shot glasses for the soup canapés, to taking care of dietary requirements and frequent changes to the plans at the last minute. We went for an afternoon tea and then hog roast which went down really well with all our guests (and Bishop's Palace makes some of the best home-made scones we've tasted). Even though we managed to hit the one rainy day in about 2 months of sunshine, our photos are gorgeous and we had a wonderful day. The only challenge was not having on-site accommodation/ late licence but with hotels within a short walk this wasn't a big problem. We would definitely recommend the Bishop's Palace as a wedding venue. We were looking for somewhere beautiful that would allow us to have a more personal day than a standard hotel package and that is absolutely what we got. The Palace and gardens are really stunning and Kelly and her team were flexible, understanding and really accommodating, helping us make the day just as we wanted it. Kelly was really helpful right from the start and really went out of her way for us, from sourcing shot glasses for the soup canapés, to taking care of dietary requirements and frequent changes to the plans at the last minute. We went for an afternoon tea and then hog roast which went down really well with all our guests (and Bishop's Palace makes some of the best home-made scones we've tasted). Even though we managed to hit the one rainy day in about 2 months of sunshine, our photos are gorgeous and we had a wonderful day. The only challenge was not having on-site accommodation/ late licence but with hotels within a short walk this wasn't a big problem.
G
Gemma and Will Brockbank
13/10/2018
Our wedding 22nd September 2018Our wedding 22nd September 2018
We held our wedding reception at The Bishops Palace on Saturday 22nd September 2018 and I it was amazing!! From the initial show around of the Place to the actual wedding, I can not fault a single thing!! Kelly the events organiser is the most wonderful lady, who has a keen eye for attention to detail, treats her clients with the upmost respect and makes sure everything is done exactly how they want it as well as keeping everything in order and running the day with with Milatry precision!! We choose the prince and princess package for our day which was perfect for us. To start Kelly allowed us to voice all of our ideas and helped us make them reality, we where invited to a meal taster where we had the run of the cafe and was served the most amazing food to choose from, the food was the talking point of our wedding with every single guest eating everything that we had chosen and commenting of how generous the portion sizes where and how fantastic the food tasted!! I can highly recommend the beef carpaccio for starter!! They have an amazing chef!! On the run up to the wedding Kelly made sure she kept in touch via email and as a bride planning one of the biggest days of my life I was having questions pop into my head left right and centre, every single question was answer on the day that I sent the email and explained the answer I needed clearly. On the day of the wedding Kelly organised all of her staff amazing and they all did a brill job. Unfortunately we wasn’t blessed with weather and it decided to rain all day but they where prepared for that and had the fire lit for our wet guests and opened up an extra room for guests to mingle, the itinerary ran to time due to the staff being so swift and knew exactly what to do when. Now I can start on the beautiful grounds and building! Well the building speaks for itself, as we lived close by it was a place we had visited before and each and every time we went it took my breath away at how beautiful it is, but to have my wedding set up in it just made it even more special. Every single guest was gob smacked by how amazing the building is and although they did not get to enjoy the gardens due to weather the all where more than happy to enjoy the building itself. We did get out to have photos done in the gardens and I’m so glad we chanced it because there is no way you can not have a wedding at the palace and not take advantage of the most spectacular gardens! Me and my new husband had the best day and we are so glad we chose The Bishops Palce to celebrate our fantastic day!! Thank you so much Bishops Palace you have helped us make memories that will last a life time!! We held our wedding reception at The Bishops Palace on Saturday 22nd September 2018 and I it was amazing!! From the initial show around of the Place to the actual wedding, I can not fault a single thing!! Kelly the events organiser is the most wonderful lady, who has a keen eye for attention to detail, treats her clients with the upmost respect and makes sure everything is done exactly how they want it as well as keeping everything in order and running the day with with Milatry precision!! We choose the prince and princess package for our day which was perfect for us. To start Kelly allowed us to voice all of our ideas and helped us make them reality, we where invited to a meal taster where we had the run of the cafe and was served the most amazing food to choose from, the food was the talking point of our wedding with every single guest eating everything that we had chosen and commenting of how generous the portion sizes where and how fantastic the food tasted!! I can highly recommend the beef carpaccio for starter!! They have an amazing chef!! On the run up to the wedding Kelly made sure she kept in touch via email and as a bride planning one of the biggest days of my life I was having questions pop into my head left right and centre, every single question was answer on the day that I sent the email and explained the answer I needed clearly. On the day of the wedding Kelly organised all of her staff amazing and they all did a brill job. Unfortunately we wasn’t blessed with weather and it decided to rain all day but they where prepared for that and had the fire lit for our wet guests and opened up an extra room for guests to mingle, the itinerary ran to time due to the staff being so swift and knew exactly what to do when. Now I can start on the beautiful grounds and building! Well the building speaks for itself, as we lived close by it was a place we had visited before and each and every time we went it took my breath away at how beautiful it is, but to have my wedding set up in it just made it even more special. Every single guest was gob smacked by how amazing the building is and although they did not get to enjoy the gardens due to weather the all where more than happy to enjoy the building itself. We did get out to have photos done in the gardens and I’m so glad we chanced it because there is no way you can not have a wedding at the palace and not take advantage of the most spectacular gardens! Me and my new husband had the best day and we are so glad we chose The Bishops Palce to celebrate our fantastic day!! Thank you so much Bishops Palace you have helped us make memories that will last a life time!!
S
Sarah Bollard
07/09/2018
What a wonderful venue!What a wonderful venue!
We had an incredible wedding reception at The Bishop's Palace in August. It's a very unique setting and guests were particularly impressed by the Palace itself and the gardens. The catering was also really good - delicious canapes, mains and evening food with good sized portions and lovely fresh/local ingredients. Most of all, we can't thank the fantastic team enough. Kelly was incredibly dedicated, patient and supportive throughout the process. She was very responsive to emails and calls and great at giving us the space we needed whilst also checking in regularly to see if she could help. Every request we had (and some were rather bizarre/tricky!) was no problem at all and the answer was always 'yes'. The other staff were also wonderful, from the waiters/waitresses to bar staff to welcomers on the door. I can't recommend this venue highly enough!We had an incredible wedding reception at The Bishop's Palace in August. It's a very unique setting and guests were particularly impressed by the Palace itself and the gardens. The catering was also really good - delicious canapes, mains and evening food with good sized portions and lovely fresh/local ingredients. Most of all, we can't thank the fantastic team enough. Kelly was incredibly dedicated, patient and supportive throughout the process. She was very responsive to emails and calls and great at giving us the space we needed whilst also checking in regularly to see if she could help. Every request we had (and some were rather bizarre/tricky!) was no problem at all and the answer was always 'yes'. The other staff were also wonderful, from the waiters/waitresses to bar staff to welcomers on the door. I can't recommend this venue highly enough!
K
Kate and Ravi
02/08/2018
The Perfect Day!The Perfect Day!
We had our wedding reception at the Bishop's Palace on the 21st of April. We had the most perfect day, the Palace and the grounds were absolutely stunning. Kelly and her team kept everything running perfectly throughout the day and were extremely professional. The guests loved the venue and the food was delicious! Kelly was also extremely accommodating, organized and helpful during the run up to the big day. Thank you to everyone at the Bishop's palace for an amazing experience!We had our wedding reception at the Bishop's Palace on the 21st of April. We had the most perfect day, the Palace and the grounds were absolutely stunning. Kelly and her team kept everything running perfectly throughout the day and were extremely professional. The guests loved the venue and the food was delicious! Kelly was also extremely accommodating, organized and helpful during the run up to the big day. Thank you to everyone at the Bishop's palace for an amazing experience!