Wedding FAQs at Cooling Castle Barn

Everything you need to know before you enquire.

 

Planning your wedding should feel exciting, not stressful. We’ve answered the questions couples ask us most so you can plan with confidence.

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Our all-inclusive wedding packages start from £7,800 and go up to £18,800 for a peak-season Saturday in 2028. All prices include VAT.

Your price depends on four things:

  • The day of the week: Monday to Wednesday is our best value, then Thursday and Sunday, Friday, and Saturday.
  • The time of year: January and February are the lowest-priced months, and May to August is peak season.
  • Your package: Traditional, Informal Day, Twilight or Festival.
  • Your guest numbers: each package includes a set number of guests, and you can add more.

As a guide, a 2028 Traditional wedding costs from £8,900 for a midweek date in January or February, and £18,100 for a Saturday in summer. The price covers your venue, food, drinks, DJ, styling and your wedding-night suite.

You’ll find the full price tables for every package and season on our Wedding Prices page.

Every package includes:

  • Exclusive use of Cooling Castle Barn. We only host one wedding a day.
  • Planning support. Our wedding coordinators are there for you from booking to your big day, and you’ll have a final wedding meeting to tie up loose ends.
  • A private dressing room in the Moat House. Traditional, Informal Day and Festival couples have it from 8am, with a buffet breakfast and a glass of bubbly for up to six people, plus gowns, towels and toiletries. A second dressing room opens at 11:30am. Twilight couples have both rooms from noon.
  • Your ceremony, at our licensed outdoor Pavilion or indoors in the Fathom Barn.
  • Drinks and food for your guests. What’s included depends on your package (see below).
  • Our resident DJ.
  • Fairy-light styling, furniture, white linen tablecloths and napkins, crockery, cutlery and glassware.
  • Cake stands, a cake knife and a display table plan, at no extra cost.
  • Free on-site parking.
  • Your wedding night in the Master Suite. This two-floor suite in the Moat House is yours from after the ceremony until 11am the next morning.
  • A fully decorated Christmas venue for every December wedding.

What changes between packages:

  • Traditional: our classic full day. Drinks after the ceremony, a three-course seated wedding breakfast with half a bottle of wine per day guest, a sparkling toast and an evening buffet. You also get a Supper Night invitation, and a toastmaster if you have more than 70 day guests.
  • Informal Day: a relaxed full day. Drinks and three canapés per guest after the ceremony, a two-course seated buffet, a sparkling toast and an evening buffet. You also get a Supper Night invitation, and a toastmaster if you have more than 70 day guests.
  • Twilight: a late-afternoon and evening celebration. A drink and canapés after a 4pm ceremony, an informal two-course buffet with no fixed seating, and a sparkling toast. Our DJ plays from 8pm, and no evening food is included.
  • Festival: a sociable full day. Welcome food, drinks stations, several small-plate servings in place of a formal meal, live acoustic music as well as our DJ, and an evening buffet. You also get a Supper Night invitation.

No. Your package price covers everything listed for your package, and we’ll never add surprise charges. Your final cost only changes because of choices you make:

  • Extra guests. For 2028, extra day guests are £90 each for Traditional, £85 for Informal Day and £105 for Festival. Extra guests are £45 each for Twilight. On Traditional, children over your package numbers are £45 each and extra evening guests are £18 each.
  • Extra people in your dressing room. Breakfast and bubbly for more than six people costs £25 per extra person.
  • Guest bedrooms. All 15 rooms cost £2,250, including breakfast.
  • A toastmaster if you have fewer than 70 day guests on Traditional or Informal Day, at an agreed cost.
  • Optional extras, such as extra canapés, food and drink upgrades, a selfie mirror or an ice cream trike. Our range of extras and their prices change over time, so we’ll confirm what’s available and the current price when you choose them. Your package is complete without them.
  • Drinks from the bar and anything you buy from your own suppliers.

There’s one more thing we want you to know about. Our contract includes an inflation clause. It only applies if UK inflation rises above 10% before your wedding. If that happens, we may ask for a contribution towards the extra costs. If you decide not to pay it, we’ll cancel the booking and refund everything you’ve paid us. We hope never to use it, but we’d rather you heard about it from us now.

We’d rather you budget with confidence. These things aren’t covered by your package:

  • Guest bedrooms. Your Master Suite is included. You can add all 15 guest bedrooms, with breakfast, for £2,250.
  • Registrar fees. Civil ceremonies are conducted by Medway Registrars. You pay a £60 registrar deposit with your booking deposit, and we pass it on. You pay the rest of their fee directly to them.
  • Flowers, bouquets and buttonholes.
  • Photography and videography.
  • Your wedding cake. We provide the cake stand and knife.
  • Stationery, place cards and favours. Please write each guest’s menu choice on the inside or back of their place card.
  • Wedding outfits, hair and make-up.
  • Transport to and from the venue.
  • Drinks from the bar beyond those in your package.
  • Extra guests and optional extras.

We have a list of trusted local suppliers, if you’d like some recommendations.

We spread the cost of your wedding over several payments, so you don’t have to pay it all at once:

  • When you book: £1,000 to secure your date
  • 12 months before your wedding: £2,000
  • 6 months before your wedding: half of the remaining package balance
  • 3 months before your wedding: the final package balance
  • 2 weeks before your wedding: payment for any extra guests or optional extras you’ve added

All prices include VAT. When you book, we’ll send you a clear schedule with the exact amounts and dates.

Please note that all payments are non-refundable once made. We recommend taking out wedding insurance to protect your plans if anything unexpected happens

Yes. We have four price seasons: January and February, March and November, April, September, October and December, and May to August. Winter and midweek weddings are the best value. A Traditional wedding on a Monday in February costs £8,900 in 2028, compared with £18,100 for a Saturday in July.

A twilight wedding is a shorter, relaxed celebration that starts later in the day. Guests arrive at about 3:30pm and your ceremony starts at about 4pm. It’s followed by a celebratory drink and canapés, an informal two-course buffet, a sparkling toast and dancing with our DJ from 8pm. Your celebration finishes at 11pm on Sundays to Thursdays and at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

It works well for up to 100 guests. There’s no formal table plan and not enough seating for everyone at once, so it has the feel of a party rather than a sit-down wedding breakfast. You can get ready in the Moat House from noon, and you still have your wedding night in the Master Suite.

Twilight is available Monday to Thursday and on Sundays all year round. It’s available on Fridays and Saturdays in January, February, March and November. 2028 Twilight weddings start from £7,800.

There is more information on our Twilight page.

Yes, and they’re some of our loveliest. Our barns are warm and full of atmosphere, and every part of the day happens on one site, from the ceremony and meal to dancing and your bedrooms. Nobody needs to travel between venues in the cold. January and February are also our best-value months.

Every December wedding comes with the venue fully decorated for Christmas, in every barn. The decorations are chosen by our team and can’t be changed, so we can’t match them to your colour scheme. We’ll share what they’ll look like closer to the time. The decorations can reduce the number of day guests we can seat.

Call us on 01634 222244, email office@coolingcastlebarn.com. It helps if you tell us your preferred date or month, your approximate guest numbers and the style of wedding you have in mind. If your date is booked, we’ll suggest nearby dates. Midweek and Sunday dates often have more availability and cost less.

Feel free to contact us.

Securing your date is simple:

  1. Check availability. Call us on 01634 222244, email office@coolingcastlebarn.com or use our enquiry form to check your preferred date.
  2. Come and see us. Book a viewing to look around the barn, grounds and bedrooms and talk through your plans with our team.
  3. Choose your package. We’ll help you choose the package that suits your day and send you a written quote with your payment schedule.
  4. Book your date. Sign your contract and pay £1,000 to secure your date. When both are received, your date is confirmed and is exclusively yours.

Dates are only secured when the £1,000 payment has been made, and we can’t reserve a date without it. Popular dates, especially Saturdays from May to September, often book 18 months to two years ahead, so we recommend getting in touch as early as you can.

Please note that all payments are non-refundable once made. See “How do I pay for my wedding?” for the full payment schedule.

Of course. We’d love to show you around. You can book a private viewing with one of our wedding coordinators, or come to one of our open days. A private viewing takes around 45 minutes. You’ll see the Pavilion, all our barns, the Moat House and the guest bedrooms, and you can ask anything you like.

You can call to book a viewing, or book on our online booking system.

Up to 160 day guests for your ceremony and wedding breakfast, and up to 250 guests in total for your evening celebration. Your package includes 50 or 80 day guests, depending on the day of the week, and 120 evening guests. You can add more guests up to our maximum.

A few things are useful to know:

  • You both count in your guest numbers.
  • Day guests are with you from the ceremony onwards. Evening guests join after the wedding breakfast and speeches.
  • Evening numbers include your day guests. For example, 80 day guests plus 40 evening-only guests makes 120 evening guests.
  • The 160 maximum can be lower with some table layouts, and when the Christmas decorations are up in December.
  • Twilight weddings work best for up to 100 guests.

We don’t have a separate minimum spend. Your package price covers your wedding, and it’s the same whether you invite the full number of guests or fewer.

Each package is priced for a set number of guests:

  • Traditional, Informal Day and Festival
    • Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 50 day guests and 120 evening guests
    • Friday and Saturday: 80 day guests and 120 evening guests
  • Twilight: up to 100 guests

If you’re planning a smaller wedding, you’re very welcome here. The package price stays the same with fewer guests, and midweek and Sunday dates are a great fit for smaller celebrations.

Adding more guests is easy. Extra guests are charged per person, and you pay for them two weeks before your wedding. Your guests’ drinks at the bar are paid for separately, and there’s no minimum bar spend.

Yes. Our packages are built around 50 day guests from Monday to Thursday and on Sundays. That’s a lovely number for Cooling Castle Barn. It fills the barn with atmosphere and keeps the day relaxed and personal. Our Twilight package also works well for smaller groups who’d like a shorter, party-style celebration.

If you’re planning a more intimate wedding, with fewer than 50 day guests, we’d recommend our sister venue, The Vines. It’s designed for smaller celebrations, so you get the same care and attention in a setting that suits your numbers.

We’d be happy to talk through your plans and help you choose the right venue, date and package for your guest list.

Yes. You can host up to 160 guests for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, then welcome additional guests for the evening celebration, up to a total of 250 evening guests.

Yes. We only ever host one wedding a day, so your wedding day is yours alone. You won’t share the barns, bar, grounds or car park with another event.

We host weddings on consecutive days, so the previous day’s couple and their guests check out by 11am on your wedding morning. You might see them leaving while you’re getting ready, but your celebration doesn’t begin until they’ve gone and our team has prepared the venue just for you.

On your day you have:

  • The Pavilion, the barns, the gardens and the bar
  • Your private dressing rooms in the Moat House
  • The Master Suite, from after your ceremony until 11am the next morning
  • The car park

There’s one thing to be aware of. Our 15 guest bedrooms are only reserved for your guests if you book them. You can book all 15 for £2,250, or your guests can book rooms themselves during a four-month priority period. Rooms that haven’t been booked after that are released for public booking. If you’d like the whole site to be just your group, we recommend reserving all the rooms.

Once the evening celebration begins, the Heritage Barn and Fathom Barn close to guests.

Yes. Your ceremony, drinks, wedding breakfast and evening party all happen at Cooling Castle Barn, so nobody needs to travel during the day. A typical day flows like this:

  1. Getting ready in the Moat House
  2. Your ceremony outdoors at the Pavilion, or indoors in the Fathom Barn
  3. Drinks and photographs, with the Heritage Barn as the drinks reception space
  4. The wedding breakfast in the Tithe Barn
  5. Your evening celebration and dancing
  6. Your wedding night in the Master Suite

Yes. Both the outdoor Pavilion and the indoor Fathom Barn are licensed for legal civil ceremonies. Ceremonies here are conducted by Medway Registrars. We book them for you when you book with us: you pay a £60 registrar deposit with your venue deposit, and we pass it straight on. You pay the rest of the registrars’ fee directly to them. To make the booking, we share both your names, dates of birth and council tax district with the registrars.

Yes. Celebrant-led ceremonies and religious blessings are both welcome, in the Pavilion or the Fathom Barn. A celebrant ceremony isn’t legally binding, so couples usually complete the short legal formalities at a register office beforehand. That leaves your day here free for a ceremony written entirely around you.

Yes. Our Pavilion is licensed for legal ceremonies, so you can say your vows outdoors in the Kent countryside. Afterwards your guests move straight on to drinks, and everything else happens on site.

Outdoor music in the afternoon must be acoustic or unamplified. Amplified music or live performances are fine during a civil ceremony itself.

The Fathom Barn is your indoor ceremony space, and it’s just as lovely. Your plan works either way, and nothing about the rest of the day changes.

On the morning of your wedding. Your wedding coordinator will check the forecast with you and you’ll make the call together, so you don’t have to decide weeks in advance.

In the Moat House. Your private dressing room is available from 8am, until your ceremony starts. It comes with a buffet breakfast and a glass of bubbly for up to six people, plus gowns, towels and toiletries. Extra people are £25 each. A second dressing room, on the ground floor of the Master Suite, opens at 11:30am for the other half of the wedding party, with refreshments for up to six people.

Twilight couples have both dressing rooms from noon.

The dressing room is an adult-only space and isn’t suitable for children under 10. We’ll bring the little ones in just before the ceremony so they’re safe while photos are taken.

  • From 8am: your dressing room opens (noon for Twilight).
  • From 10am: you and your suppliers can start setting up.
  • When the first guests arrive: the bar opens.
  • 10:30pm on Sunday to Thursday, 11pm on Friday and Saturday: live music must finish.
  • 20 minutes before the end: last orders at the bar.
  • 11pm on Sunday to Thursday, midnight on Friday and Saturday: music stops and the celebration ends. The venue closes 30 minutes later.

No. Our finish times are set by our licence and by our promise to be good neighbours in a residential village, so we never extend them. Fridays and Saturdays already run until midnight.

  • Confetti: yes, as long as it’s biodegradable dried-petal confetti thrown by hand. Confetti cannons aren’t allowed, because they scatter confetti across the gardens where it can’t be cleared.
  • Sparklers: yes, outdoors only and under our strict safety guidance. We’ll go through the guidance with you as part of planning.
  • Fireworks: no. Safety rules for professional displays mean we haven’t been able to host them for many years.
  • Bubble bottles and party poppers: no. Bubble bottles make floors slippery, and party poppers aren’t allowed anywhere on site.

We have a no-candle policy in the barns because of the fire risk, but we’re flexible where it’s safe:

  • Floating candles and church candles are fine if they’re held firmly in a heavy base.
  • Tea lights are fine if the holder is at least 2.5 inches taller than the flame.
  • Taper candles and candelabras with naked flames aren’t allowed.

Anywhere on site. The Pavilion, the gardens, the barns and secret garden all make lovely backdrops, and there are good indoor spots if the weather turns. Your photographer is welcome to look around beforehand.

No. All our food is cooked fresh on site by our own in-house chefs, and food safety rules mean we can’t allow external caterers or food brought in from outside. The one exception is your wedding cake, which you’re welcome to order from the cake maker of your choice. We’ll happily talk through any cultural, religious or medical food needs with you as early as possible.

Food safety guidelines also mean we can’t let leftover food leave the venue at the end of the night.

It depends on your package:

  • Traditional: a three-course seated wedding breakfast and an evening buffet.
  • Informal Day: three canapés per guest after the ceremony, a two-course seated buffet and an evening buffet.
  • Twilight: canapés after the ceremony and an informal two-course buffet. No evening food is included.
  • Festival: small-plate servings continously over the afternoon and an evening buffet.

Yes, at no extra cost. For a Traditional wedding breakfast, you choose two starters, three main courses and two desserts from our menu. One of the main courses must be vegetarian, unless you’re sure none of your guests is vegetarian or vegan. Each guest chooses in advance, and choices can’t be changed on the day. Please write each guest’s choice on the back or inside of their place card so our team can serve everyone correctly.

Yes. We have a separate menu for children.

Yes. Our kitchen is experienced and fully equipped to manage allergies and dietary needs, including vegetarian and vegan diets. Just let us know when you collect your guests’ meal choices.

If you or anyone in your party has a severe allergy, please tell us before you sign your contract. We can then advise you properly and put the right precautions in place. We can’t guarantee to remove an allergen completely from the venue, so we’d always rather talk it through early.

Yes. Traditional, Informal Day and Festival couples are invited to one of our Supper Nights. It’s a relaxed evening with other couples getting married here, where our chef serves a tasting menu showing the style and creativity of our food. You’ll also meet our front-of-house team. The menu is chosen by our chef, so you can’t choose the dishes you taste. We can’t always offer another date if you can’t make the one you’re given.

Supper Night isn’t included in the Twilight package.

No. All drinks are provided by us, and we don’t offer corkage. If you have a particular wine or Champagne in mind, we’ll do our best to get it for you for an extra charge.

On the Traditional package, each guest has a drink after the ceremony, up to half a bottle of house wine with the wedding breakfast and a glass of sparkling wine for the toast. Any wine not drunk with the meal can’t be taken home or saved for the evening. Drinks included with the other packages are listed in the package comparison above.

Yes. We have a well-stocked, staffed bar with very reasonable prices. It opens when your first guests arrive, and last orders are 20 minutes before your finish time. We take cash and card, and you’re welcome to set up a tab for your guests. Bar prices are reviewed from time to time.

Yes. We can provide meals for your photographer, videographer, band and other suppliers for an extra charge. Check your suppliers’ contracts, because many of them ask for a meal.

Yes. As well as your Master Suite, we have 15 en-suite guest bedrooms on site. Your closest family and friends can stay over, enjoy the whole evening and wake up at the venue, with no taxis to arrange at midnight.

Yes. Your wedding night in the Master Suite in the Moat House is included in every package. It’s a large suite over two floors, with a sitting room and an elegant staircase, plus a bath, luxury toiletries and a glass of bubbly or two. It’s yours from after your ceremony until 11am the next morning.

There are two options:

  1. Reserve all 15 rooms when you book, for £2,250 including breakfast. You then decide who stays in them. The cost is split into two equal payments, taken with your 6-month and 3-month payments. Booking individually may cost your guests more, and reserving all the rooms keeps the whole site for your group.
  2. Your guests book their own rooms. Ten months before your wedding, we’ll send you booking codes to share with your guests. They then have a four-month priority period to book rooms online, paying in full when they book. After that, any rooms that haven’t been booked are released for public booking. Room prices may change, so booking early is best.

Yes, breakfast is included, and is served from 8.30-9.30am in the Heritage Barn.

Normal guest check-in is from 1pm, although we do aim to make a small number of rooms ready earlier. Guest check-out is by 10am the following day. Your Master Suite is yours until 11am, and cars left overnight must be collected by 11am.

Yes. We have an accessible bedroom, and family rooms with cots available. Please speak to us about any access needs, and we’ll help you allocate the most suitable rooms.

We can’t guarantee rooms the night before your wedding, because another couple is usually celebrating here. Please ask us, and we’ll let you know if anything is available.

Yes. You’re free to choose your own photographer, videographer, florist, cake maker, stylist, hair and make-up artist and band. There are two exceptions: all food and drink come from us, and our resident DJ is included, so we don’t allow external DJs. Please agree all entertainment with us in advance. Equipment that suppliers bring isn’t covered by our insurance.

Yes. We have a full list of trusted suppliers who know the venue well. You don’t have to use any of them, but they’re there if you’d like help.

Yes, of course. Your styling makes the day yours. You and your suppliers can start setting up from 10am on your wedding day.

Our barns are historic buildings, so we ask that nothing is fixed to them in a way that could mark or damage them. That means no nails, screws, staples, pins or tape on the beams, walls or woodwork. Freestanding decorations, and anything that rests on or ties loosely around a surface without marking it, are perfect. If you’re not sure about something, ask us and we’ll help you find a way to make it work.

A few other things keep everyone safe and the venue looking beautiful for every couple:

  • Table petals: silk petals only. Real, dried and paper petals aren’t allowed on tables.
  • Candles: please follow our candle guidance above.
  • Bubbles and party poppers: bubble bottles and party poppers aren’t allowed.
  • Children’s activity packs: Crayola Colour Wonder books and markers, or washable crayons and pencils, are ideal. Felt-tip pens stain our tablecloths, and we’d have to charge for cleaning.

At the end of the night, take your flowers and decorations home with you, or collect them by 10am the next morning. Please take gifts and personal belongings home on the night. We can’t be responsible for anything left behind, and anything left after these times may be thrown away. If your decorations cause any damage to the building or grounds, including damage caused by your suppliers, you’ll be asked to pay for the repair.

In December, the venue is already fully decorated for Christmas. These decorations stay in place and can’t be moved or changed, but you’re very welcome to add your own table styling.

Yes. Every package includes furniture, white linen tablecloths and napkins, crockery, cutlery, glassware, fairy-light styling, cake stands, a cake knife and a display table plan. You’re welcome to make your own table plan if you’d prefer. You provide the name place cards.

Yes. We’ll plan your layout with you. Some layouts, and the Christmas decorations in December, can reduce the maximum of 160 day guests.

Yes. Our resident DJ is still with you on the night and plays between the band’s sets and at the end of the evening. A few things to know:

  • Live music must finish by 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and by 10:30pm on other days.
  • A sound limiter is fitted, set at about 95dB, because we’re in a residential village. External doors stay closed during performances.
  • Please introduce your band to us early. Things go most smoothly when they understand the venue and the running order of the day.

Yes. Outdoors in the afternoon, music must be acoustic or unamplified, such as a string quartet, harpist or acoustic guitarist. Amplified music and live performances in the afternoon take place in the Heritage Barn. During a civil ceremony, amplified or recorded music is fine.

Yes. We offer extras such as a selfie mirror and an ice cream trike, and you’re welcome to bring in other entertainment as long as it’s agreed with us first. If something is essential to your day, please check with us before you book, and we’ll add it to your contract.

We’re in the village of Cooling, on the Hoo Peninsula in the Kent countryside. Our address is Cooling Castle Barn, Cooling, Rochester, Kent ME3 8DT. Most guests drive, and there’s free parking on site.

By train: the nearest stations are:

  • Higham: about 4 miles away, and the closest station
  • Strood: about 6 miles away
  • Gravesend: about 8 miles away, with high-speed trains to London St Pancras in around 25 minutes

There’s no bus service to the venue, and it’s too far to walk from any station or bus stop. Please pre-book a taxi from the station to the venue, and especially for your journey home at the end of the night. Local taxis can be busy late in the evening.

For groups: if lots of your guests are travelling from the same place, such as a hotel or station, a minibus or coach is a great option. Coaches can get into our car park.

Yes. Free parking is available on site for all your guests. Cars can stay overnight at the owner’s risk, and must be collected by 11am the next morning. We’d always rather guests leave the car and get home safely.

Yes. Coaches and minibuses can get into our car park, which makes it easy to bring a group of guests together, for example from a hotel or a station. Taxis can drop off at the door. Cooling is a rural village, so we recommend booking taxis home in advance.

Yes. Our barns and ceremony spaces are step-free, and we have an accessible toilet, accessible parking and an accessible guest bedroom. If you or any of your guests have particular access needs, please talk to us. We’ll plan the day around them.

Yes. Free Wi-Fi is available for guests.

Absolutely. We have a children’s menu, and on the Traditional package, children over your package numbers are £45 each. Please make sure children are supervised by an adult at all times, including in the gardens. To keep everyone safe, hard balls and footballs aren’t allowed on site. The Moat House dressing room is an adult-only space and isn’t suitable for children under 10, but we’ll bring them in just before the ceremony so they’re in the photographs. Colour Wonder or washable activity packs are perfect for keeping little ones busy at the table.

Yes, your own dog is very welcome. We love it when dogs are part of the day. Your dog can join you for your ceremony and in the Heritage Barn for drinks and photographs, as long as a named person is responsible for them throughout. Dogs can’t join the wedding breakfast, so please arrange for your dog to be collected or looked after before you sit down to eat. A dog chaperone service is a great option.

Unfortunately, we can’t allow guests to bring their dogs. Assistance dogs are always welcome.

No, except for assistance dogs, which are always welcome.

Yes. Our wedding coordinators are there to advise you on every part of your plans, from the day you book. Close to your wedding, you’ll have a wedding meeting with the team to finalise the details, tie up loose ends and make sure you feel ready. On the day, our team runs everything behind the scenes, and a toastmaster is included for Traditional and Informal Day weddings with more than 70 day guests.

  • When you book: £1,000 deposit to secure your date and price, plus £60 for the registrars if you’re having a civil ceremony here
  • 12 months before: £2,000
  • 6 months before: half of the remaining balance
  • 3 months before: the rest of your package balance
  • 2 weeks before: payment for any extra guests or optional extras

If you’ve reserved all 15 guest bedrooms, the £2,250 is split between your 6-month and 3-month payments. All prices include VAT. If a payment is missed, we’ll contact you, but we may cancel the booking if the payment isn’t made promptly.

No. All payments are non-refundable once they’re made, and that includes your deposit. We keep our prices fair by running a beautiful venue with a full-time team, and we turn other couples away once your date is booked. That’s why we strongly recommend wedding insurance from the moment you book.

We know that life doesn’t always go to plan. Dates can’t be transferred as of right, but if you need to move your wedding, talk to us as soon as possible. We’ll look at each case individually and do our best to help if another date is available. The new date may be charged at a different price. Wedding insurance is the best way to protect yourselves.

If you cancel, payments you’ve already made can’t be refunded. In the very unlikely event that we have to cancel your wedding, we’ll refund everything you’ve paid us.

We strongly recommend it. Our payments are non-refundable, and we can’t be responsible for changes in your circumstances or events outside our control. Wedding insurance is usually inexpensive and can cover cancellation, supplier failure and more. Check what a policy covers before you buy it.

For most weddings, no. Your deposit fixes your package price. There are a few exceptions, and we’d rather you knew about them now.

Bookings for 2029. We set prices for each year about 18 months before that year begins. If you book a date in a year we haven’t priced yet (2029 dates, at the moment), we’ll give you a provisional price based on our current pricing. We’ll confirm the final price about 18 months before your wedding year starts. If the price stays the same, your contract continues as it is. If it goes up, you can either go ahead at the new price or cancel and have your deposit refunded in full.

Other things that can change:

  • Bar prices, meal and drink supplements, and optional extras are reviewed from time to time.
  • Individual guest bedroom prices may change. Reserving all 15 rooms when you book fixes that price.
  • Our inflation clause only applies if UK inflation rises above 10%. If that happens, we may ask for a contribution towards the extra costs. If you decide not to pay it, we’ll cancel the booking and refund everything you’ve paid us.

Your guests’ meal choices are needed in advance. The deadline for final numbers, meal choices and dietary requirements, is 28 days before your wedding. Any extra guests or extras are paid 2 weeks before your wedding.

Yes, as often as you like. Whether you want to talk through plans with us, show the venue to family, or bring your photographer, florist or stylist to see the space, you’re always welcome. Please book an appointment in advance. We often have weddings and events on, so we need to make sure the venue is free and a member of our team is available to look after you.

You’ll also see us at your Supper Night (Traditional, Informal Day and Festival packages) and at your wedding meeting before the big day.

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Whether you’ve just started looking or you’re choosing between venues, we’d love to welcome you and help you explore Cooling Castle Barn.

Book a Viewing

Let's show you around

Whether you’ve just started looking or you’re choosing between venues, we’d love to welcome you and help you explore Cooling Castle Barn.

Book a Viewing