AFC Bournemouth
Football fanatics might jump at the chance to get hitched at AFC Bournemouth. Dean Court is licensed to hold ceremonies, and the venue also hosts wedding receptions.
Couples can even take the opportunity to have photographs taken around the stadium and the team’s very own wedding co-ordinators have a wealth of experience to make your day special.
Dorset’s very own ape rescue centre can cater for wedding parties from groups of four to 120 and is available for both civil ceremonies and receptions.
Couples and their guests get free entry into the park as well as flower arrangements, arrival drinks, a buffet, toasting champagne and room decoration in the park’s all-inclusive package.
However, to protect the needs of its ape inhabitants, Monkey World does not hold receptions during the evening, so you may need to make alternative arrangements if you want to party on into the small hours.
There are a number of reception venues in the nearby area to choose from.
Bournemouth Beach
Being married on Bournemouth Beach is completely unique and this is the first time in England and Wales that a couple can have their legal wedding or civil partnership ceremony right on the beach itself.
Beach Wedding Bournemouth, the trading name of Bellissimo Events Limited, can arrange drinks and canapé receptions following the ceremony and marquees can be organised so you don’t have to worry about the weather.
Wedding breakfast options include barbecues, freshly cooked fish and chips or buffets.
Oceanarium
While it does not hold a wedding licence, Bournemouth Oceanarium can offer a very unique venue for receptions.
Located on Bournemouth seafront, guests can come face to face with marine life from the furthest reaches of the globe.
The Offshore Cafe can be arrange to suit private parties, drinks receptions or intimate conference venues, whether you fancy a theatre style or something more relaxed and informal, with breathtaking views of the Dorset coastline.
A unique reception venue is the restored 1920s Electric Palace building in Bridport.
With its own red carpet set for your arrival, the interior is still used as a theatre and cinema and radiates retro glamour.
Guests are seated in the main auditorium, which is decorated with hand-painted murals by local artists, and the original “ice-cream cone” side lights from the 1920s.
There is even the option to use the full-sized cinema screen as a personalised back drop with photographs of friends and family.
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