Butley Priory

Setting

Yours exclusively, Butley Priory is a Grade I listed former gatehouse that is now a privately owned luxury wedding and events venue in Suffolk. Surrounded by magical woodland and with the Suffolk coast on its doorstep, it is close to the pretty market town of Woodbridge.

Butley Priory offers a versatile space for your wedding, from the intimate Great Hall with its vaulted ceiling and magnificent stonework, perfect for your ceremony, to the South Garden, an enclosed setting for your drinks reception. The space can seat up to 80 guests for the wedding breakfast and is magically transformed for the evening celebrations, making it the ultimate party house. And don’t forget the secret bar, a delightful surprise for your guests!

If you’re seeking a beautifully intimate, light and airy venue steeped in history for your celebration, Butley Priory has it all in abundance. With the help of a professional and friendly team, you’ll be expertly guided from start to finish, ensuring your day is as wonderful as you imagined.

Ceremony

The Great Hall within Butley Priory will delight and wow your guests in equal measure. Its soaring vaulted ceiling, together with stone pillars and beautiful arches, resembles a church. It is a wonderfully intimate space with light and neutral interiors in which to exchange vows.

If you prefer the outdoors, the pretty South Garden can host outdoor ceremonies against the backdrop of the Priory. After the ceremony, the bell on the church gate is rung to welcome you back to your guests via a welcoming shower of confetti.

Reception

For Priory weddings, your reception takes place within the Great Hall. Seat your guests at long tables for the perfect intimate dining experience. Their chef will help you design and create your own wedding menu, using seasonal fresh ingredients from the finest producers in Suffolk. Once you’ve finalised your delicious menu, you’ll be invited to a private tasting to sample your creations!

Introduce a cocktail hour after the wedding breakfast to excite your guests for the evening reception. Dance the night away under the vaulted ceilings of the Great Hall. Live bands and DJs are welcome, with carriages for midnight.

For larger weddings, add a tipi or marquee on the front lawn-all expertly coordinated by the most friendly and professional team.

Accommodation

Arrive the day before and depart the day after your wedding, allowing a two-night stay for a relaxed wedding celebration. The estate has four charming properties, all closely located to the main venue, meaning you’ll have your very own wedding village!

Butley Priory is the most unique and special place to stay in Suffolk, featuring incredible architecture and whimsical charm with four charismatic bedrooms (sleeping 7-11), wonderfully appointed and luxury furnished rooms with roll-top baths, and a four poster bed in the wedding suite.

Butley Abbey Farmhouse overlooks its large garden, tennis court, thatched summerhouse and croquet lawn, with meadows and woods beyond. With twelve charming bedrooms (sleeping 24), it is the ideal setting for gathering friends and family for your wedding on the Suffolk coast.

Butley Priory Cottage is an 18th-century flint cottage beside the Priory. It was once used as a stable for the Priory and later as a summerhouse. It has two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-plan kitchen/dining room, and a double sofa bed in the sitting room.

Paddy’s Cottage adjoins the Farmhouse and offers the only ground-floor accessible bedroom with a spacious and contemporary wet room. It has two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-plan kitchen/dining room, and a double sofa bed in the sitting room. There is also a pretty courtyard garden for sunsets and daiquiris.

Butley Priory has ground-floor accessible toilets. However, it does not have accessible bedrooms or disabled access to the first or second floors across its three properties.

Local Area

Woodbridge voted one of the top 10 high streets in the UK, is a 15-minute drive away. It boasts a pretty market town full of independent shops and restaurants and glorious walks along the River Deben.

For music lovers, Snape Maltings is nearby. It offers music all year round, a Saturday Farmers Market, and a range of irresistible retail shops.

Aldeburgh is 25 minutes away. It is a handsome Victorian resort perched on the seafront with a wide range of shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants, and the famous fish and chips. Aldeburgh has an excellent golf course, as does Thorpeness and Woodbridge.

Thorpeness boating lake and the famous ‘House in the Clouds’ are nearby too. The Suffolk coast has deservedly become a popular destination for holidays in the UK.

Much of Ralph Fiennes’s film The Dig, about the discovery of Sutton Hoo, was filmed at Butley Creek, just over a mile away from the Farmhouse. The ancient boat burial grounds at Sutton Hoo are a 15-minute drive away. The cult TV series The Detectorists, with Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones, was also filmed in the countryside around Butley.

Getting There

By Air: Stansted, Norwich and Southend – approx 90 mins by car

By Rail: From London Liverpool Street or Stratford, take the train to Ipswich. At Ipswich, change for a train to Woodbridge or Melton. You’ll need a taxi from either to take the 15-minute journey to Butley Priory.

By Car: Whether travelling North or South on the A12, take the exit A1152 signposted to Melton. Continue on the A1152 towards Rendlesham. Take a right-hand turn into ‘The Clumps’ and continue for about a mile. After a sharp bend to the left, the entrance to Butley Priory will be visible on your right-hand side. You’ll see a white sign saying Butley Priory.