Choosing a wedding venue in Ireland, county by county

Ireland has roughly 600 venues actively marketing for weddings. They fall into four types, and the type matters more than the county.

The four types

Country house hotels. All-in packages, bedrooms on site, an experienced coordinator. The easiest option and the most common. €90–€150 per head.

Castles and estates. Exclusive use, dramatic photographs, higher minimums. €130–€250 per head, often with a minimum spend rather than a per-head rate.

Barns and dry-hire. You bring caterers, bar, furniture and styling. Cheaper on paper, rarely cheaper in practice once everything is hired, but total control. €70–€120 per head all-in.

City hotels. Guests can walk home, everything is nearby, no transport headache. Less exclusive; you may not be the only wedding. €85–€140 per head.

By region

• Dublin and Wicklow. The deepest supplier pool in the country, coastal and Georgian options, highest prices.
• Kildare and Meath, country estates within an hour of the city; the sweet spot for Dublin guest lists.
• Cork and Kerry, harbour hotels, west Cork barns, Killarney's lakes. Strong food culture.
• Galway, Mayo and Clare, Connemara castles, Atlantic backdrops, the best live music in Ireland.
• Kilkenny and Waterford, medieval city settings and the sunny south east, excellent value.
• The midlands, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois: central for a national guest list, and consistently the best value in the country.
• Ulster counties, Fermanagh's lakes, the Mournes, the Causeway coast. Currency and paperwork differ across the border.

Questions to ask on every viewing

• Is the price per head all-in, or are the drinks reception and evening food extra?
• What is the minimum number on our date, and what happens if we fall below it?
• Is there a civil ceremony licence on site?
• What time is the bar licence until, and is there a residents' bar?
• How many bedrooms are held for us, at what rate, and until when?
• Will there be another wedding in the building that day?
• What is the access window for our florist and stylist?
• What is in writing, and what is "we usually do that"?

Ask for last year's real invoice range for a wedding of your size, not the brochure rate. Good venues will tell you.

Before you sign

Read the cancellation terms and the minimum-numbers clause twice. Those are the two that cost couples money.