Wedding hotels

Hawksmoor House

Cape Town, South Africa

Rodwell House

Cape Town, South Africa

Wow factor   Rodwell House provides a gorgeous backdrop to your nuptials, with Italianate architecture, mature terraced gardens, and views of the mountains and the Indian Ocean; the pergola is perfect for ceremonies.

Need to know   The wedding licence is pending at the time of writing, so check with the hotel for the latest news. Eighty guests can be accommodated for a champagne receptions with canapés; 40 for a sit-down dinner, which can take place inside if the weather turns grey or blustery. Owners Robin and Joanne will make sure everything is exactly as you’d want it, adding personal touches to create a totally bespoke event. They have an efficient and intuitive wedding planner who will take care of all the details and run the show like clockwork.

Inspiration   Wine, wine, wine – the cellar at Rodwell House is exceptional, so your wedding menu can be moulded around your preferences, or around a particular vintage or French champagne; Robin and Joanne can help you select something really special for the toasts.

Capri Palace Hotel & Spa

Capri, Italy

Wow factor   The hotel's luxury yacht and motor boats, plus a helicopter service, provide an unforgettable way to get to or from the festivities.

Need to know   Intimate parties are very welcome at the hotel and on its roof terrace. Weddings of up to 130 guests are welcome during April, May and September; numbers are limited to 40 in the summer months.

Inspiration   An unforgettable location for a wedding is Capri Palace's roof terrace, with its spectacular views of the sea, the islands of the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

Farol Design Hotel

Cascais, Portugal

Wow factor   The Atlantic ocean provides an exquisite natural backdrop.

Need to know   In the spring and summer, wedding parties can use marquees in the hotel grounds overlooking the sea. The Farol room can accommodate 96 people for dinner or 120 people for cocktails; the nightclub can accommodate up to 300 revellers. The hotel offers superb service, catering and decoration; the restaurant serves excellent seafood.

Inspiration   Farol has organised weddings for up to 500 guests and even has its own beachfront nightclub, so it's ideal for even the largest wedding. There are some spectacular beaches nearby which are perfect for a picnic, and all manner of dinghies, yachts and motorboats can be hired from the marina. A private dinner for two can be arranged on the hotel jetty.

Hospes Palacio de Bailío

Córdoba, Spain

Wow factor   Exchange your vows in leafy orange-grove gardens by the pool, or in the chapel-esque, Moorish-inspired environs of the Castéjon Room.

Need to know   Hospes Palacio del Bailío can deal with all logistical arrangements, such as food, flowers and photography. Avoid the high summer season, when the heat’s most oppressive.

Inspiration   You can hold a wedding banquet in the hotel’s central courtyard, with the glass floor revealing the Roman ruins below.

Hacienda de San Antonio

Colima, Mexico

Wow factor   A smoking volcanic backdrop, 5,000 acres of verdant greenery, beautiful historic buildings… what more could you ask?

Need to know   All wedding packages are tailor-made, and the hacienda’s staff can take care of everything: menus, bridal treatments, fireworks, photography, entertainment – you name it, they do it. Legally, a priest or legal representative must be brought in to officiate. The rainy season falls between July and early November, so while the grounds are at their most beautiful then, you’d be confined to an indoor venue.

Inspiration   Follow in the footsteps of some of the Hacienda’s celebrity knot-tiers and treat your guests to a waterside picnic lunch the following day, with a horseback trip to Epazote lake.

Front

Copenhagen, Denmark

Wow factor   Astounding oceanscapes and a funky urban atmosphere ensure a cosy, cutting-edge wedding in one of Europe's hippest cities.

Need to know   Copenhagen is a wedding magnet between May and September, thanks to the flowers in bloom, the sun coming out and the chance to sip champagne on the harbourside. Front's staff will go out of their way to meet your nuptial needs, taking care of design, decor and DJs.

Inspiration   Front's modern glamour and Scandinavian style have made it a wedding favourite with those looking for something a little less traditional, without missing out on romance.

Fowey Hall

Cornwall, United Kingdom

Wow factor   With spectacular views of the Fowey Estuary, a gorgeous walled garden and a setting with evocative literary associations, there can be few places better positioned to host an intimate wedding with your extended family and friends.

Need to know   Several spaces at Fowey Hall are licensed for civil ceremonies, up to a total of 50 attendees in the Drawing Room, for example, or just 15 in the John Hanson Suite, and the hotel has had plenty of experience of hosting hugely enjoyable, stress-free wedding parties. Fowey can at certain times of the year be booked on an exclusive-use basis, offering privacy and total flexibility on how you and your guests want to celebrate.

Inspiration   Have reception drinks on the terrace in summer to capitalise on those amazing views; Fowey can tailor-make a package for you to ensure you have a wonderful day.