Derbyshire Wedding Venues #3: Unusual and Unique
For the third and final part of our guide to the best wedding venues Derbyshire has to offer, we wanted to do something a little different.
We know weddings these days don’t have to mean set running orders and formal sit-down meals. And there are so many creative wedding suppliers out there to make your day more personal and memorable. So here are 3 ideas for unusual Derbyshire wedding venues – and one of them even did mine!
Our Top 3 Unusual Wedding Venues in Derbyshire
Stella’s Kitchen, Eyam
Authentic African-Caribbean food in the middle of the Peak District? Yes please!
On a farmstead just outside Eyam, Stella’s Kitchen is a recent discovery: my other half took me there for Valentine’s Day, and we loved it so much that we asked Stella if she would cater our own post-wedding party as well. So once we’d done the legal bit in Sheffield city centre, it was off to Stella’s!
It’s a great option for an informal wedding breakfast, a buffet-style rehearsal dinner, or even a giant takeaway lunch the day before/after. It’s something a little unexpected, for sure, and something you and your guests will definitely remember.
Stella is a joyous host, and the food is beyond delicious. We’re talking goat and veggie curries, saltfish fritters, fried plantain, puff-puff doughnuts... Stella, we love you!
Stella has recently extended her farmhouse kitchen so she can cater for bigger numbers, including wedding receptions on-site or catering at other wedding venues nearby.
We’re already huge fans of Stella’s work, and we hope you will be too!
Peak Ales, Pilsley
A special shoutout to our Pilsley neighbours at Peak Ales, and not just because we love their beer!
When Peak Ales outgrew their original location (on the main road between Pilsley and Baslow), they moved their brewery operation to nearby Ashford-in-the-Water but kept hold of their beautiful barn and turned it into a Visitor Centre, complete with beer tap room and gin distillery!
You can hire out the Peak Ales Visitor Centre for intimate weddings with up to 95 guests. The staff are lovely, the barn renovations are spot-on, and Bakewell Best is by far the best bitter we’ve had since moving to Derbyshire (and we’ve tried a few!).
Peak Ales even produce their own Chatsworth Gin, flavoured with botanicals straight from the Chatsworth Gardens as well as Chatsworth’s very own variety of banana, the Cavendish!
Perfect for summer garden-party weddings with G&Ts all round.
The Hidden Hive, Swadlincote
Planning an outdoor wedding in South Derbyshire? The Hidden Hive is a tipi wedding venue hidden away in the Derbyshire National Forest, not far from Burton upon Trent and Ashby-de-la-Zouch (love that name!).
The venue is made up of 3 Giant Kata tipi tents and a cosier chill-out Kungs tipi (with indoor fire pit), all set in 66 acres of woodland. These aren’t damp camping tents, either: they have solid wooden flooring, there’s a full bar service, and the dance floor even has its own giant disco ball!
For accommodation, you can continue the boho festival theme with on-site luxury bell tents and glamping pods, or guests are welcome to pitch their own tents.
The Hidden Hive is an exclusive-use wedding venue, with space for up to 160 seated guests. They don’t have a license for civil ceremonies, but you can go for a celebrant ceremony or blessing on site.
And if you’re going full DIY with your wedding decor, you get access to the tipis from noon the day before your wedding, so plenty of time to get creative.
Our Derbyshire bride Sally chose The Hidden Hive as the venue for her festival-themed summer wedding. Check out her story for more outdoor wedding inspiration!
P.S. If you’re on the lookout for a tipi wedding venue elsewhere in Derbyshire, the cross-county team at Sami Tipi have got you covered. Literally!
Missed Parts 1 and 2? Take a look at our favourite Grand Country Houses and Modern-Day Mills in Derbyshire.