By Elaine Murphy
74% of couples planning their big day are choosing to tie the knot in civil and secular wedding ceremonies. With over 750 brides and grooms responding in a recent poll by Ireland’s popular wedding venue platform SaveMyDay.ie, the results show that the popularity in non-religious ceremonies is continuing to rise, including a comparative 7% increase in civil and secular ceremonies. The poll revealed that 16% choose religious ceremonies, a decrease in 4% since the last wedding trends survey. 10% of respondents opt for spiritual ceremonies.
Shell Holden, wedding expert and co-owner of SaveMyDay.ie, comments “As revealed in the SaveMyDay.ie recent poll, there is an increasing preference for civil and secular ceremonies and couples are zeroing in on how they can customise their wedding to make it unique to them, creating a personalised wedding experience with their own stamp on it. Given this continuing rise in popularity in non-religious celebrations, there is a wide variety of memorable civil ceremony venues for couples to choose from including all-in-one wedding venues where you can host ceremony, reception and afters all under one roof.”
With many sought-after wedding venues across the country now being approved for civil ceremonies, couples can now choose to walk down the aisle and host drinks to dinner to dancing in popular urban and rural restaurants, historic landmark buildings, renovated barns, magical woodland settings, seaside locations, countryside estates, luxury castles, private and exclusive venues, celebrated hotels, eco-friendly retreats and many more. To help couples plan their upcoming nuptials, SaveMyDay.ie have curated a list of the top civil ceremony wedding venues across the country where brides and grooms can say ‘I do’ .
SaveMyDay.ie showcases unique, amazing and alternative Irish venues available to hire for weddings. Couples can connect with any of the venues and enquire for free about their upcoming nuptials at SaveMyDay.ie
Ireland’s Top Civil Ceremony Wedding Venues as showcased on SaveMyDay.ie include:
Clonakilty, West Cork – Ireland’s Best Family-Run Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 100 to 300 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
Hosting wedding celebrations of up to 300 guests, West Cork’s Fernhill House is a gorgeous country house estate set amongst acres of picturesque gardens and has stunning views of the breath-taking countryside backdrop. Fernhill has been cared for by the O’Neill family for four generations and offers both wedding ceremony and receptions spaces including their spectacular wisteria adorned Garden Marquee which is available all year round for civil ceremonies, their private Marriage Garden filled with natural flowers and overlooking the West Cork countryside which is ideal for ceremonies during warmer months. They truly are a family run estate, with Teresa overseeing weddings for 40 years, Michael Snr being a celebrated chef for 50 years, and three sons running the bar and waiting staff. Fernhill House is located only 2km from the heart of Clonakilty town centre, a colourful and friendly town surrounded by beautiful beaches and home to a rich food and live music culture.
Clonakilty, Cork – Ireland’s Best Sustainable Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 3 to 120 | Civil Ceremony licence
Set in 30 acres of West Cork hills, the celebrated family-run foodie destination of Camus Farm is registered for legal weddings and is available for celebrant-led ceremonies. Truly unique to Camus Farm is their beautiful outdoor ceremonial circle which is located on high ground, with panoramic views over Clonakilty Bay. Couple this with an unparalleled farm-to-table culinary experience at Camus Farm’s award-winning Field Kitchen for your wedding banquet, with much of the produce grown or reared in their own organic farm.
Offering exclusive weddings for up to 100 guests, the sustainably-minded husband and wife team behind Camus Farm have created an alternative wedding venue, heritage farm and award-winning restaurant ideal for couples who love nature, exceptional food and a relaxed vibe for their celebration. The outdoor area is ideal for summer weddings including ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding feasts, and their renovated covered barn includes a performance stage perfect for wedding entertainment. Nearby glamping and camping accommodation is available for overnight guests.
Killorglin, Kerry – Ireland’s Best Historic Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 40 to 150 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
10 Bridge Street is a marriage of the old and the new, a traditional old church ceremony setting amid 200 years of history and original architectural features blended with a chic, stylish and vibrant venue for your celebration. With natural light shining through its beautiful stained glass windows, 10 Bridge Street caters for 40 to 150 guests and can host both ceremonies and wedding celebrations. 10 Bridge Street is a registered venue for ceremonies including civil marriages, civil partnerships, humanist, spiritual and interfaith. Seating up to 120 guests on the ground floor level for the ceremony, the vaulted ceilings and intimate layout of this 1816 building combine to make guests feel close to and involved in the celebration.
Cromane, Kerry – Ireland’s Best Outdoor Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 50 to 130 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
Located on the Ring of Kerry and Wild Atlantic Way and complemented by stunning views of Rossbeigh Beach and Inch Peninsula, Jacks’ Coastguard Restaurant and its magnificent coastal backdrop is a much-sought after location for civil ceremonies and wedding receptions. Their restaurant’s glass-walled dining room allows couples and their guests to gaze at the Atlantic views during the celebrations and this award-winning venue also has a large seafront garden space perfect for outdoor ceremonies and drink receptions during warmer weather. Very popular with ‘foodie’ couples, this coastal venue caters for exclusive weddings of up to 130 guests.
Dublin 2 | 3 to 100 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
One of the country’s most iconic venues, Dublin City Hall will provide a stunning location for any wedding ceremony. Located next to Dublin Castle, this venue has been beautifully restored to its original architectural splendour and is a magnificent example of the Georgian architecture for which Dublin is world-renowned. Gorgeous natural light floods through the large windows into the magnificent Rotunda, with its exquisitely embellished gold leaf dome and marble floor, provides a beautiful and elegant space in which couples and their guests can enjoy their special day.
Whether you choose an intimate ceremony with your nearest and dearest or a big celebration with family and friends, the breath-taking architecture is a stunning backdrop to your wedding. City Hall caters for both civil and secular ceremonies and is a dream venue for wedding photography with its amazing natural light.
The Abbey Wedding & Events Venue
Athy, Kildare – Ireland’s Best Exclusive Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 30 to 200 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
Choosing The Abbey gives couples and their wedding guests access all areas to this beautifully restored historic Kildare venue, including its own on-site light-filled 18th century chapel for ceremonies, landscaped outdoor courtyard, garden parlour for pre-dinner drinks and late-night catch ups, spectacular ballroom, luxurious accommodation for up to 90 guests and not one but two secret bars.
Built in 1852, The Abbey has its own breath-taking on-site chapel that caters for all types of wedding ceremonies – civil, religious, secular, spiritual, whatever way you wish to say I Do. Catering for intimate gatherings of 40 or grand ceremonies of up to 200 guests, the atmospheric and historic 18th century chapel is sure to impress guests with natural light flooding through its spectacular original stained-glass windows, 170-year-old mosaic floor and handcrafted vaulted wood ceiling.
Ballyhale, Kilkenny – Ireland’s Best Alternative Wedding Venue and Best Festival Wedding Venue and Best Foodie Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 50 to 250 guests Civil | Ceremony licence
Set in the beautiful rolling hills of the Kilkenny countryside, Mountain View is a family-run award-winning exclusive wedding venue that boasts both indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception spaces and even a luxury glamping village on its 120 acres. Whether a couple prefers to marry outdoors under the dramatic pergola or Greenhouse terrace, say I do indoors in their one-of-a-kind Cowshed, to party intimately in the stylish surrounds of The Greenhouse restaurant or to throw a big party celebration in the Grand Marquee with its floor-to-ceiling windows, at Mountain View they will work with to-be-weds to make their wedding day truly unique and memorable for them and their guests.
Donard, Wicklow – Ireland’s Best Vegan and Vegetarian Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 18 to 50 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
This award winning woodland escape is a truly one-of-a-kind exclusive and intimate wedding venue nestled in nature and breath-taking West Wicklow beauty. Couples can choose from an indoor ceremony in the beautiful long hall in their 18th century woodland lodge, or immerse themselves and their guests in an outdoor ceremony in the woodlands, on the mountain deck in the foothills of the Wicklow mountains or the pavilion. Located only an hour from Dublin, The Wicklow Escape caters for weddings up to 50 guests and offers both indoor and outdoor dining options also.
Marco Pierre White Courtyard Donnybrook
Donnybrook, Dublin 4 – Ireland’s Best Restaurant Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 8 to 160 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
Renowned for its food, Marco Pierre White’s is tucked behind vine-covered wrought-iron gates with guests entering firstly into a lush charming courtyard. The main dining room of the restaurant is ideal for indoor ceremonies for up to 130 guests, with the entire award-winning venue available for exclusive hire for groups of up to 160 guests. Exclusive hire includes the restaurant’s stunning main room for ceremony, courtyard garden and garden room for drinks reception, moving back into the transformed main dining room for dinner, offering complete flexibility in layout styles. Marco Pierre White Courtyard is licensed for civil ceremonies, perfect for those who want to say ‘I Do’ in a luxurious venue that oozes character and glamour and definitely offers something different.
Dublin 2 – Ireland’s Best Intimate Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 30 to 95 guests | Civil Ceremony licence
A city centre wedding venue with a welcoming country feel, the exclusive and private Stephens Green Club is a historic members club that caters for both wedding ceremonies and receptions right at the heart of Dublin city. Specialising in bespoke intimate weddings, couples can host their wedding reception meal in the stunning Hibernian Room which overlooks the treetops of the iconic St Stephen’s Green park and natural light streams through the original sash windows. With its magnificent domed ceiling dating back to 1840, The Card Room is an exquisite setting for civil, humanist and spiritualist ceremonies or to host a drinks reception for guests.
Stephens Green Club boasts of a hidden gem of a private and secluded outdoor Courtyard, an ideal setting for a drinks receptions during warmer months away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. The Club is also home to 12 beautiful boutique-style bedrooms, each room is uniquely designed and decorated in the traditional Georgian manner with antique furniture.
Clontarf, Dublin 3 – Ireland’s Best Castle Wedding Venue at the SaveMyDay.ie Irish Wedding Venue Awards 2024 | 40 to 300 guests | Civil Ceremony Licence
At Clontarf Castle Hotel, located on the stunning northern coastline of Dublin, the richness of the old enriches the new. With over 800 years of history, landscaped gardens, a romantic outdoor terrace, breath-taking castle façade and original 12th century architecture, Clontarf Castle is an all-inclusive wedding venue providing both ceremony and reception options as well as on-site accommodation for wedding guests. Licensed to host civil ceremonies, Clontarf Castle Hotel guarantees exclusivity for couples on their wedding day and their dedicated wedding team pride themselves on designing unique wedding experiences that embody the personality of each couple they meet.