Twilight Weddings
The perfect venue for your twilight wedding
For the perfect romantic evening wedding, surrounded by 35 acres of rustic wildness and considered landscaping, the private Chapel House Estate provides a unique backdrop for a relaxing evening/ twilight wedding or blessing.
With The Chapel House, Chapel House Cottage and nine Hideaway Lodges, you and up to 34 people can sleep on-site following your twilight wedding.
With beautiful formal gardens, a wild apple orchard, a secluded walled courtyard with a lounge bar and the No 9 restaurant for breakfast the following day, Chapel House hosts an unforgettable destination for a twilight wedding experience.
Twilight weddings are perfect for couples looking for a more relaxed big day. Suppose you are looking to host an informal wedding, and an evening-only wedding reception at a luxury venue with accommodation might be just what you have been looking for. Or have you been married before or married abroad? However, are you still looking for the perfect wedding venue in Kent for an afterparty celebration with family and friends?
Booking a shorter wedding day, starting later in the day, can save you money on food and drink but give you the celebration you are looking for. With no need for table plans, name cards, collecting food choices (although we will need dietary requirements), speeches, or favours, a twilight wedding is not about other people but is about you both getting dressed up and celebrating your marriage.
What is different about a Twilight Weddings?
The timeline for a Twilight Wedding differs from that of a typical wedding. You arrive at Chapel House Estate for a 5:00 p.m. ceremony or blessing in the Wild Apple Orchard, followed by drinks and canapes on the lawns.
After your drinks reception, everyone heads into the large Thorne Barn for a full-on party with a DJ and Band.
What food should you serve for Twilight Wedding?
Food for a Twilight wedding is usually more casual, like ‘Picky food in cones’, a grazing table, or, depending on the season, a BBQ or Hog roast (a minimum of 80) or everyone’s favourite pizza slices in a triangle box.
When can we book a Twilight Wedding
Typically, we hold Twilight weddings from Monday to Wednesday, inclusive, but do ask about our late availability on weekends.
*Fees will apply with Kent County Council or a celebrant
Why book a twilight wedding
Most couples book a twilight wedding as they might have married aboard and want a celebration party. The wedding is also better value for money as whilst the venue hire is the same price you only feed your guests the once, as there is no formal sit down meal.
Twilight Weddings At A Glance
- 4:00 pm Couple arrive for those last minute details and to meet the Registers.
- 4:30 pm Guests arrive.
- 5:00 pm Twilight Wedding ceremony or blessing (we will reserve your wedding ceremony with Kent County Council) in the Wild Apple Orchard or indoors in the rustic, converted barn, The Old Malt Granary.5:30 pm approx canapes and drinks reception.
- 7 pm Twilight evening reception.
- 7:30 pm First dance (you choose your own band or DJ) and cutting of your cake.
- 8:30 pm Couple pictures and dancing under the stars by the Oak Framed Gazebo in the Wild Apple Orchard.
- 9:00 pm Evening relaxed food, such as a buffet, grazing station, BBQ or Hog roast.
- The end time depends on the day of the week; please see our final details page for more information.
- Guests staying on-site make their way to their accommodation, and you make your way to the Honeymoon Suite in the 1290 Grade II Chapel House
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two exclusive-use areas on the estate:
The Walled Courtyard and Thorne Barn are for larger weddings.
The Walled Courtyard, Lounge Bar, and No 9 Restaurant are perfect for smaller.
However, you can take full exclusivity for both areas on the day.
Yes, we are licenced to conduct civil marriages and civil partnerships.
If you book us for your civil marriage or partnership, we will reserve your date and time with Kent County Council under the East Kent Ceremonies team in Ramsgate. They will then contact you directly with the next steps.
Yes. We have an experienced, knowledgeable, and supportive wedding and events team.
The team currently includes three Wedding and Event Coordinators, a Bar Manager, a Restaurant Manager, a Head Chef, and their respective teams, plus an Estate Manager.
Yes, you will have your assigned wedding coordinator on the day.
Suppliers can arrive at 08:00 to start setting up for your wedding.
We can ask that all suppliers’ equipment be collected on the night of your wedding or between 08:00 and 09:30 the next day.
The estate opens at 08:00.
This includes our beauty lodge, which is perfect for one partner to get ready in. We also have our chapel cottage on the edge of the estate, which can be booked for the night before the wedding.
Book a late checkout with us; it’s another great space to get ready.
Yes, you are allowed biodegradable confetti and cannons.
Non-biodegradable confetti will not be allowed. If used, clean-up fees will be charged.
We are sorry, but we cannot allow fireworks displays.
However, indoor fireworks are permitted if you have a larger Thorne Barn Wedding, and sparklers are always welcome.
If you have booked an outdoor wedding and it rains, we will move you into our indoor ceremony area.
The converted Old Malt Granary provides the perfect indoor ceremony space and seats up to 150 guests, giving you a stress-free wet weather contingency.
Finish times for all events at Chapel House Estate, Sunday through to Thursday inclusive, are as follows:
23:00 = Last Orders Called
23:45 = Music to finish and Bar to close.
00:00 = Premises are to be vacated.
Finish times for all events on Fridays and Saturdays are
00:00 = Last Orders are called
00:15 = Music to finish and bar to close.
00:30 = Premises to be vacated by all guest
Yes, we have a Luxury Honeymoon Suite with a private terrace overlooking the Arts & Crafts-style garden in the 12th-century Chapel House.
We are not prescriptive about which suppliers you use; we are happy for you to bring your own.
However, we have a list of our most loved and recommended wedding suppliers on our website, which is password-protected and available to all booked couples.
Thorne Barn has a microphone, and you can use the sound system for your background music (via Spotify).
Old Malt Granary has a corded, hanging microphone and a sound system for your background music (via Spotify).
You can definitely book a band for your wedding. We do not have a sound limiter, but we do monitor the sound levels.
Noise exposure levels must be within the maximum, which is called ‘Exposure Limit Values’. Our limit is 95dB. When a performer reaches this level, the music is not cut off, but we will verbally ask musicians to reduce their noise level if they are reached.
However, please note we will turn off the equipment at the source if the performer refuses to reduce their noise level. If your noise level exceeds 95dB, your guests will notice and tell us that the music is too loud.
We always include VAT at the current rate of 20% on your quote spreadsheet and Sonas transactions.
We offer bespoke and wedding packages like Twilight packages, depending on your needs and wants.
We provide napkins in four colours: White, grey, oatmeal and sage green.
Glassware, plates and cutlery are provided for your meal.
You can hold a date for ten working days or 14 days.
After this, if you choose not to book, please email us, ideally with your reasons, and we will take your date off hold.
Wedding Guests
If you are staying on-site as an event guest, check-in time is strictly from 12:00 noon. We can not offer early check-in.
For a Twilight Wedding, check-in is at 15:00.
Children are warmly welcomed at Chapel House Estate.
We provide four high chairs strictly for babies aged six months and older. Additionally, we offer a specialised menu for children.
We can also arrange for additional beds in certain rooms or Hideaway Lodges, children are charged extra.
We require children to be supervised at all times.
Yes, we are more than pet-friendly and welcome pets to be a part of your special day. We request that guests do not leave their pets unattended and clean up after them.
We have a spacious 80-space car park for wedding guests and several electric charging points. Upon reaching Thorne Hill, look for signs directing you to Chapel House Estate guest entrance on the right. Once you pass through the gated entrance, you will find the large car park on the right.
You can find detailed directions on our Contact Us page.
Yes, guests are very welcome to leave their cars overnight.
Cars must be collected by 12:00 the following day. Please be aware that vehicles are left at your own risk.
Taxis will drop you off in the Chapel House Estate guest car park, the same as the pick-up.
Once the taxi has turned into Thorne Hill, it needs to follow the signs for the Chapel House Estate guest car park.
