Cerne Abbey

Cerne Abbey is a Grade I listed former Benedictine abbey, founded in 987, in the Dorset village of Cerne Abbas.

It has been a private family home for many years and is one of the most historic places to marry in the South West. At its heart is an ancient stone courtyard, with the medieval Abbot’s Porch on one side and the 15th-century Guest House on the other, and a lawn between them. The village sits in the Cerne Valley, beneath the hill that carries the famous Cerne Abbas Giant, with open countryside and chalk downland all around.

After a thousand years, the abbey has only just begun holding weddings.

Cerne Abbey is licensed for civil ceremonies, so couples can marry in the grounds, in the old Monument courtyard or on the lawn beside the medieval Abbot’s Porch and Guest House. It also hosts blessings and symbolic ceremonies for more informal occasions. And for a church wedding, St Mary’s Church is just 150 metres away, one of the most natural church pairings in Dorset.

Receptions are held in the grounds, centred on the old Monument courtyard and the lawn beside the Abbot’s Porch and Guest House. There is room for drinks, dining and dancing, and space for a marquee in the courtyard for larger gatherings. The abbey suits everything from intimate weddings to celebrations of up to 150 guests.

There is accommodation within the grounds, including a self-catering cottage and a loft studio overlooking the pond garden, so close family or friends can stay on the estate.

Catering at Cerne Abbey is left to the couple, with caterers welcome to use the on-site commercial kitchen at no extra charge. Drinks work on a corkage basis, so couples can bring their own, and a bar can be arranged if preferred. It is a flexible setup that suits everything from a relaxed feast to a formal wedding breakfast.

Cerne Abbas is regularly named among England’s most beautiful villages, with three historic pubs, a village shop, a brewery and St Mary’s Church, all within a short walk. Above it stands the Cerne Abbas Giant, the famous chalk hill figure in the care of the National Trust.

Cerne Abbas lies about 7 miles north of Dorchester, just off the A352. Direct trains run from London Waterloo to Dorchester South in around 2.5 hours, and the nearest airports are Bournemouth and Southampton. There is parking in the village and by the abbey’s rear entrance, with coaches by prior arrangement.