To arrange a visit, you can visit our book a visit page on our website and select a suitable date and time using our visit calendar. Alternatively, if you want to speak to our team directly, call 01244 564 380.

Your initial payment is £750 of your venue hire fee.

Once you have been to visit you will receive via email, log on details to our booking portal which can be found here. Remember to book your registrar or Church, details of which are found in these questions.

Please click here to see our prices page.

Last orders will be called at 11:15 pm, and music will wind down at 11:30 pm. The venue closes at midnight, and we ask that all guests who aren’t staying the night have pre-booked taxis to collect them by midnight.

You book your ceremony via Cheshire West and Chester registry office. Their contact number is 0300 123 7037.

There are six churches within one mile of the venue. The closest one is the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, with Chester Cathedral also within walking distance.

You can use The Morning Room before your wedding if you prefer a church wedding. Alternatively, you may choose to arrive at Old Palace Chester after your wedding ceremony.

Ceremony – Outdoor ceremonies can seat up to 150 guests, our Ballroom can host 150 guests for an indoor ceremony, and our River Room (the old Bishop’s chapel) can hold 110 guests for a ceremony.
 
Dining – We can host 150 guests for a sit-down meal in our Ballroom.
 
Dancing – Our capacity for your evening reception is 200 guests using the Ballroom, Arrival Hall and Peploe Lounge and Bar.
 
Accommodation – We have 22 bedrooms in the palace plus The Palace Suite, meaning we can accommodate up to 55 people in total. Each guest can also join us for breakfast in the Ballroom the next morning.

Yes, we have The Morning Room, which includes hair and makeup stations and a shower room. This space is available from 9 am the morning of your wedding. For the other partner, we have The Den, which has a shower room, mirrors and games to enjoy whilst getting ready. This room is available from 11 am.
Please note that The Den is only available for morning use if it is booked as an overnight bedroom (a family room). Please see the prices page for this cost.

We love (well-behaved) dogs and appreciate that they are a huge part of your family. They are welcome to join you for the ceremony and photographs, but they must be taken off-site after this and before the wedding breakfast. If you wish to bring your dog(s) along, please ask to see our dog policy.

You can call us on 01244 564 381 or email us on [email protected]

Please call the venue team on 01244 564 381 or email at [email protected]

Old Palace Chester is fully wheelchair accessible. We also have a lift and accessible bedrooms for overnight guests.

A fantastic team of in-house chefs provide all of our catering. It is not possible to use your own caterers.

We strongly recommend that you take out wedding insurance. Weddings are a big investment, and fingers crossed that you’ll never need to call on your insurance, but having it in place will cover you for a range of eventualities.

Please see an example of a wedding day timeline here.

We can host both indoor and outdoor ceremonies. Our River Room and Ballroom are both licensed for weddings, or you can choose to marry outside. Outdoor ceremonies are weather dependent. The River Room is licensed for 110 guests and The Ballroom for 150 guests.

Please note candles are not permitted along the floor of ceremony aisle and floating candles are not permitted in the River Room.

We cannot allow fireworks other than on 5th November and New Years Eve at Old Palace Chester. Sparklers are not allowed.

Unfortunately, lanterns are not permitted at Old Palace Chester.

Yes, confetti is allowed outside (or in the River Room) but we only permit real petal confetti.

It is not possible to have amplified music outside apart from during the wedding ceremony out of consideration to our neighbours. We regret that some instruments including brass, woodwind, saxophone, trumpets or acoustic drums are not able to be played outside, please speak to our Events Team for further details.

Yes, we have heating for the colder months and air conditioning for the warmer months.

We have a selection of premium spirits, cocktails and luxury coffees available. Please speak to our events team for more detailed information.

We accept credit and debit card payments at our bar. Unfortunately, we cannot accept cash.

Yes, you can hire a dance floor, but they must be collected the same day, and have a thin underlay to protect our flooring.

The Garden Terrace will close at 11:00 pm.

We have a useful list of recommended suppliers, please speak to our Events Team if you would like a copy.

Yes! We can and do host many different types of events and celebrations, such as gala dinners, product launches, Christmas parties and many more. The best way to find out more about hosting an event here is by visiting our website’s events page or contacting the team directly at 01244 564 381.

Call us on 01244 564 381, and we will arrange for you to come and see Old Palace Chester in person.

Every event we host here is unique, so we do not have a standard pricing package. Instead, we speak with you directly to create a bespoke package that suits you and your event.

This will vary depending on your event type, but our maximum capacity is 250 guests.

We do not allow outside caterers at Old Palace Chester. However, we are more than happy to work with you to create a bespoke menu that perfectly fits your vision.

Yes, we are fully wheelchair accessible. We have a lift up to the first and second floors and fully accessible bedrooms for overnight guests.

Yes, all events have exclusive use of the venue.

Yes, we are happy for you to use your own suppliers for everything apart from catering and drinks.

All catering is provided by Old Palace Chester’s onsite team of chefs.

Yes, please see here here for example menus and prices for wedding food.

Our chefs love working with you to create your own menu if you would like something a little different from our packages.

It is not possible to bring any food and drink into the venue other than a wedding cake, confectionery (which must be in the original sealed containers in which they were purchased), and edible favours with allergens clearly labelled. Please speak with our team if you need any further clarification.

Please speak to our Events Team about any allergies or dietary requirements you or your guests may have during your meetings in the lead-up to the event.

Yes, we have a delicious range of vegan and vegetarian options.

You can work with our bar team to create bespoke cocktails for your event.

Yes! We have a range of delicious grazing boards available to enjoy while you get ready in The Morning Room and The Den. We can also provide bottles of Champagne or prosecco for your wedding morning celebrations. Please speak to the events team for more information.

We are in the centre of Chester on Little St John Street; please use the postcode CH1 1SN. What3words ///wisdom.palace.whites for further help, take a look at our directions here.

We have 26 car parking spaces at Old Palace Chester. Cars can be left overnight but must be collected by 10 am the next morning. We do not allow caravans or motorhomes to stay in our car park overnight.

There are numerous nearby car parks in Chester city centre. The closest is the NCP Pepper Street and the Grosvenor Shopping Precinct car park, both a 3-minute walk from the venue.

Chester train station is a ten-minute walk or a five-minute taxi ride away. There is a taxi rank outside the station.

Chester Taxi Services – 01244 421024

Taxi Chester – 01244 794042

KingKabs – 01244 343434

Last orders will be called at 11:15 pm, with the bar closing at 11:30 pm. Music will wind down at 11:30 pm. The venue closes at midnight, and we ask that all guests who aren’t staying the night have pre-booked taxis to collect them by midnight.

Our bar is usually open ahead of a wedding ceremony. Please note that the bar closes 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Please speak to the wedding couple about the exact timings of the day.

If you are attending another type of event, please speak to the event organiser to find out when the bar will open.

Absolutely! If you want to purchase one of our products as a gift for the happy couple, we can arrange this for you. Please contact us at 01244 564381.

Old Palace Chester has 22 bedrooms, plus the incredible Palace Suite. All accommodation is exclusive to those attending the wedding or event. Old Palace Chester can sleep up to 55 people in total. View our room breakdown here.

Once you have booked your wedding or event date, we will share a link to the website and a secret code with you, which will unlock the bedrooms for the night of your wedding or event. You can then book the rooms you want and then share the code with your guests to reserve their rooms.

This may be possible if we do not have an event booking the day before. We can confirm this closer to the wedding or event date.

We will release the night before the wedding date four months prior. Please note that we require a minimum of 10 bedrooms to be booked. We can open the bar and offer a meal if desired for night-before stays.

Please speak with our Events Team if this is something that you may be interested in.

Please take a look at our pricing page for the accommodation costs.

You do not have to take our accommodation if you do not wish to.

No, there is no minimum requirement for booking rooms.

Yes, once you have booked your wedding date we will share a link to the website and a secret code with you which will unlock the bedrooms for the night of your wedding. You can then book the rooms you want and then share the code with your guests to book their rooms.

Breakfast is served in The Ballroom the morning after your wedding.

Guests can check in to their bedrooms from 3.30 pm.

We ask that all guests check out by 9.30 am.

The Morning Room will be available for you to access from 9 am. The Den (our second wedding preparation space) is available to access from 11am. The Palace Suite will be available to access from 12 noon.

The bar will be open for a maximum of 90 minutes ahead of your ceremony for guests to purchase refreshments. You can speak to your events team to find out the exact timings for your day.

Old Palace Chester is fully wheelchair accessible, and we have a lift to the accommodation and two fully accessible bedrooms.

Please call the venue team on 01244 564381 or email [email protected].

Yes, all prices include breakfast.