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Price: £510 – £4,010
Guests: 120
Description
Description
A Royal Start to Your Wedding Day
Imagine saying “I do” in a castle built by King Henry VIII himself. Southsea Castle, built in 1544, is one of his iconic coastal fortresses. With stunning views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, it offers a breathtaking and historic backdrop for your wedding photos and memories. Crossing the drawbridge, you and your guests step into a world of timeless elegance and romance.
Flexible Spaces Tailored to Your Celebration
Whether you’re planning an intimate ceremony or a grand celebration, Southsea Castle has the perfect space for you. Licensed for civil ceremonies, you can host your entire wedding day here—from vows to evening party—all in one unforgettable location.
- The Keep: Ideal for smaller, atmospheric ceremonies, The Keep features original Tudor stone walls and exposed brick. It comfortably holds up to 56 guests (48 seated, 8 standing). After your ceremony, enjoy the stunning sea views from the ramparts with your loved ones.
- The Marquee: For larger weddings, our permanent, fully-equipped marquee accommodates up to 120 guests for ceremonies and up to 120 seated or 200 standing for receptions. It includes a bar and plenty of space for live entertainment, perfect for a lively celebration.
Exclusive Use and Expert Support
When you book Southsea Castle, you get exclusive use of the entire venue—including The Keep, the ramparts, and the marquee—ensuring privacy and a truly personal experience. Our dedicated Event Managers guide you from your first visit through to your wedding day, making sure every detail is perfect. Catering is handled by our experienced on-site team, offering menus that range from elegant canapés and champagne to a full four-course dinner.
A Stunning, All-Weather Venue with Rich History
Southsea Castle is a fantastic choice no matter the season. On sunny days, your guests can take in panoramic sea views from the ramparts. If the weather turns, the permanent marquee provides a warm, dry space for your celebration. The castle’s fascinating history—such as witnessing the sinking of the Mary Rose and featuring a 19th-century defensive tunnel—adds a unique and memorable story to your wedding day. This historic fortress offers a wedding experience that’s truly one of a kind.
Experience
No. of Weddings Hosted
More than 50
Overview of Southsea Castle
Wedding Venue Type
Castle
Wedding Venue Capacity
Dining Capacity
120
Reception Capacity
200
Wedding Ceremony & Reception
Church within walking distance
Wedding license
Confetti permitted
Wedding Venue Details
Exclusive use
Grade I/II Listed Building
Wedding Catering
In-house catering
In-House Wine List
Pricing for Southsea Castle
Pricing for Southsea Castle
What's Included?
External caterers not permitted
Furniture included
Our venue hire includes exclusive use of the Castle Keep & roof/ramparts for your ceremony & post ceremony cocktail hour, as well as use of the Marquee until midnight for your wedding reception. The venue hire fee includes security, tables with white tablecloths and chairs, as well as a dedicated wedding planner and on-day coordinator/manager.
Hide detailsReviews (7)
- KKatie and Vikram14/07/2024A lovely venueA lovely venueWe had our wedding reception here last weekend with about 90 guests and we were really happy with Southsea Castle. The location is beautiful and the service was great. Sharon, Ciera annd Owen were really helpful! Everyone loved the food. We had a wonderful day!We had our wedding reception here last weekend with about 90 guests and we were really happy with Southsea Castle. The location is beautiful and the service was great. Sharon, Ciera annd Owen were really helpful! Everyone loved the food. We had a wonderful day!
- LLuke & Taylar10/05/2024Most Beautiful in PortsmouthMost Beautiful in PortsmouthOur wedding day at Southsea Castle was perfect. The venue is beautiful with a very rustic feel in the Keep for the ceremony then a modern feel in the marquee for the reception. The views from the ramparts make for great pictures and if you can hire someone with a drone the overhead shots with the new sea defence are breath taking! The staff at the venue are so helpful (including holding an umbrella for us in the rain!). Our wedding day at Southsea Castle was perfect. The venue is beautiful with a very rustic feel in the Keep for the ceremony then a modern feel in the marquee for the reception. The views from the ramparts make for great pictures and if you can hire someone with a drone the overhead shots with the new sea defence are breath taking! The staff at the venue are so helpful (including holding an umbrella for us in the rain!).
- HHonorine and Ian02/11/2023A fabulous venue A fabulous venueThe minute we saw Southsea Castle we knew it had to be the venue for our wedding. Not only the history of the castle but the simplicity of the chapel is just beautiful, and the atmosphere inside is poetic. The staff were amazing and did everything that we asked them to do. Despite the rain on our wedding day hard to tell from the picture, (an amazing job by our photographer Carla Mortimer) but it was raining!! We had the perfect day.. we wish we could do it all over againThe minute we saw Southsea Castle we knew it had to be the venue for our wedding. Not only the history of the castle but the simplicity of the chapel is just beautiful, and the atmosphere inside is poetic. The staff were amazing and did everything that we asked them to do. Despite the rain on our wedding day hard to tell from the picture, (an amazing job by our photographer Carla Mortimer) but it was raining!! We had the perfect day.. we wish we could do it all over again
- DDuncan and Charis02/11/2023Some good some badSome good some badSouthsea Castle is a beautiful historic venue located right on the seafront with gorgeous features which makes for a lovely wedding venue. There is a spacious marquee for the wedding dinner to take place, and a bar inside. Our guests loved the features and we got some great photos. It will only be better in two years' time when the sea defences are fully built and the view from the ramparts does not include a large building site. PLEASE NOTE: It is worth clarifying if you will be allowed access to the venue the day before to set up. We were lucky that there were no events happening so we could: otherwise it all has to be done on the morning of the wedding. Even so, when we arrived on the Friday to set up, the Castle were disorganised and things were not ready for us as had been promised. Again, we were lucky some of our guests volunteered to stay on and finish setting up once the Castle got things ready. Our experience with the Castle in the months before the wedding was mixed. Communication was poor. We were stood up on our first appointment to view the venue, and our second appointment was taken by someone who seemed surprised to see us and unsure of what exactly he was supposed to be showing us. Between then and the wedding, our emails and phone calls often went weeks without being answered, despite several followups. This is a significant added stress to consider when trying to plan. The Castle is a busy venue year-round, which was the reason given to us each time. PLEASE NOTE: it is mandatory to use the on-site caterers (The Courtyard Restaurant). This makes it difficult to coordinate aspects of the wedding as it is not clear which areas are dealt with by the Castle and which by the Courtyard. Communication with the Courtyard Restaurant was even poorer than with the Castle, with our first attempt to reach out going unanswered for 8 weeks, despite numerous email prompts and daily phone calls. We were often promised a call back within the day which never came; this happened multiple times. Again, this added a significant amount of stress to the whole wedding planning process, especially in the last two weeks. On the day, the Courtyard catering was incredibly poorly done. Wine which we had paid for was not on the tables, nor was drinking water despite having specifically requested this for speeches. Upon request, some bottles of white wine were gradually brought out, but we never got the full amount of bottles of red or white that we paid for. We sent a clear table plan with dietary requirements to the caterers 10 days before the wedding. However on the day, guests with requirements were left waiting 30 minutes for their food which was brought out cold after several prompts. Besides this, smaller details were not correct, for example certain side dishes we had chosen were wrong - this was disappointing as we had spent time and effort planning what we wanted to serve to our guests. If this had been service in a restaurant we would have been disappointed. As this is a professional venue which you pay a premium price for, it borders on unacceptable. PLEASE ALSO NOTE: On the day there is no one manager or coordinator to oversee the operation - just several unsure staff. This makes it hard to get things sorted or questions answered. Some positives: the venue itself is still beautiful and iconically Portsmouth - we still had a great day. They were kind enough to give us flowers leftover from a wedding the day before. However there is so much room for improvement as the potential of the Castle is huge.Southsea Castle is a beautiful historic venue located right on the seafront with gorgeous features which makes for a lovely wedding venue. There is a spacious marquee for the wedding dinner to take place, and a bar inside. Our guests loved the features and we got some great photos. It will only be better in two years' time when the sea defences are fully built and the view from the ramparts does not include a large building site. PLEASE NOTE: It is worth clarifying if you will be allowed access to the venue the day before to set up. We were lucky that there were no events happening so we could: otherwise it all has to be done on the morning of the wedding. Even so, when we arrived on the Friday to set up, the Castle were disorganised and things were not ready for us as had been promised. Again, we were lucky some of our guests volunteered to stay on and finish setting up once the Castle got things ready. Our experience with the Castle in the months before the wedding was mixed. Communication was poor. We were stood up on our first appointment to view the venue, and our second appointment was taken by someone who seemed surprised to see us and unsure of what exactly he was supposed to be showing us. Between then and the wedding, our emails and phone calls often went weeks without being answered, despite several followups. This is a significant added stress to consider when trying to plan. The Castle is a busy venue year-round, which was the reason given to us each time. PLEASE NOTE: it is mandatory to use the on-site caterers (The Courtyard Restaurant). This makes it difficult to coordinate aspects of the wedding as it is not clear which areas are dealt with by the Castle and which by the Courtyard. Communication with the Courtyard Restaurant was even poorer than with the Castle, with our first attempt to reach out going unanswered for 8 weeks, despite numerous email prompts and daily phone calls. We were often promised a call back within the day which never came; this happened multiple times. Again, this added a significant amount of stress to the whole wedding planning process, especially in the last two weeks. On the day, the Courtyard catering was incredibly poorly done. Wine which we had paid for was not on the tables, nor was drinking water despite having specifically requested this for speeches. Upon request, some bottles of white wine were gradually brought out, but we never got the full amount of bottles of red or white that we paid for. We sent a clear table plan with dietary requirements to the caterers 10 days before the wedding. However on the day, guests with requirements were left waiting 30 minutes for their food which was brought out cold after several prompts. Besides this, smaller details were not correct, for example certain side dishes we had chosen were wrong - this was disappointing as we had spent time and effort planning what we wanted to serve to our guests. If this had been service in a restaurant we would have been disappointed. As this is a professional venue which you pay a premium price for, it borders on unacceptable. PLEASE ALSO NOTE: On the day there is no one manager or coordinator to oversee the operation - just several unsure staff. This makes it hard to get things sorted or questions answered. Some positives: the venue itself is still beautiful and iconically Portsmouth - we still had a great day. They were kind enough to give us flowers leftover from a wedding the day before. However there is so much room for improvement as the potential of the Castle is huge.
- AAaron & Amy21/07/2023Beautiful, intimate, historical venue.Beautiful, intimate, historical venue.The keep at Southsea Castle was perfect for our wedding ceremony. The room looked absolutely stunning thanks to the castles normal suppliers, I-do weddings and lizard events. The staff were always so happy to help and go above and beyond for us. They were brilliant for the whole day and in the build up, no job was too small and it really made the day so much easier! The castle itself is so striking, walking out of the keep after the ceremony onto the battlements was incredible. Cannot recommend enough! The keep at Southsea Castle was perfect for our wedding ceremony. The room looked absolutely stunning thanks to the castles normal suppliers, I-do weddings and lizard events. The staff were always so happy to help and go above and beyond for us. They were brilliant for the whole day and in the build up, no job was too small and it really made the day so much easier! The castle itself is so striking, walking out of the keep after the ceremony onto the battlements was incredible. Cannot recommend enough!
- FFiona & Alex06/07/2023Perfect Wedding Perfect WeddingWe had an amazing day at Southsea Castle. The staff were really helpful, the venue was beautiful, and there was so much included in the price. Our guests also absolutely loved it, and we couldn't recommend it more! We had an amazing day at Southsea Castle. The staff were really helpful, the venue was beautiful, and there was so much included in the price. Our guests also absolutely loved it, and we couldn't recommend it more!
- EEmma and Laura27/11/2022Perfect dayPerfect dayFrom start to finish it was the perfect day. Couldn’t have been happier with the dedication of Ruth and the rest of the team. Beautiful memories that will stay with us for ever. From start to finish it was the perfect day. Couldn’t have been happier with the dedication of Ruth and the rest of the team. Beautiful memories that will stay with us for ever.
Location & Contact Details for Southsea Castle
Location & Contact Details for Southsea Castle
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FAQs
Find out a bit more from our FAQs
Where is Southsea Castle located?
Southsea Castle is located in PO5 3PA, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, GB, providing a beautiful coastal setting for your wedding.
Can I have both my wedding ceremony and reception at Southsea Castle?
Yes, Southsea Castle is licensed for civil ceremonies and offers flexible spaces to host your entire wedding day—from your vows to the evening party—all within the same historic venue.
What are the available ceremony spaces at Southsea Castle?
The Keep: Ideal for intimate ceremonies with up to 56 guests (48 seated, 8 standing), featuring original Tudor stone walls and exposed brick walls.The Marquee: A spacious, fully-equipped marquee accommodating:
- Up to 120 guests for ceremonies.
- Up to 120 seated or 200 standing guests for receptions.
Do I get exclusive use of the venue when I book Southsea Castle for my wedding?
Yes, booking Southsea Castle grants you exclusive use of the entire venue—including The Keep, the ramparts, and the marquee—ensuring privacy and a personalized experience for you and your guests.
Is there on-site support available to help plan my wedding at Southsea Castle?
Absolutely. Dedicated Event Managers are available to guide you from your first visit all the way through to your wedding day, ensuring every detail is perfectly managed.
What catering options does Southsea Castle offer?
Southsea Castle’s experienced on-site catering team offers a range of menus to suit your style, including elegant canapés with champagne or a full four-course dinner to delight your guests.
Can Southsea Castle accommodate weddings in any season?
Yes, Southsea Castle is an all-weather venue. On sunny days, enjoy panoramic sea views from the ramparts, and if the weather turns, the permanent marquee provides a warm and dry space for your celebration.
What makes Southsea Castle a unique wedding venue?
Southsea Castle is a historic Tudor fortress built by King Henry VIII in 1544. Its rich history and stunning coastal views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight provide an unforgettable backdrop, including features like the 19th-century defensive tunnel and witnessing the sinking of the Mary Rose.
Is Southsea Castle suitable for both small and large weddings?
Yes, Southsea Castle offers flexibility with intimate spaces like The Keep for smaller groups and a large permanent marquee for bigger celebrations, accommodating up to 200 standing guests for receptions.
What amenities are included in the marquee at Southsea Castle?
The permanent marquee at Southsea Castle is fully equipped with a bar and ample space for live entertainment, making it perfect for a lively wedding reception and celebration.
