We tend to hold private viewings so couples can ask all the questions they need to, and take their time to get a feel for the venue.

Viewings are free and completely obligation-free. Just get in touch via our enquiries page and we'll find a time that suits you.

We'll walk you through all the spaces: the Ceremony Barn, the Grain Shed, the Cow Stalls, the Courtyard, and our onsite accommodation.

Yes! We offer virtual tours via Zoom, WhatsApp, and Google Meet. Get in touch and we'll get a virtual tour in the diary.

Absolutely. After your viewing, we're happy to hold your chosen date for two weeks, free of charge and with no obligation.

If you need a little longer, just let us know — we'd rather you feel completely confident than feel rushed.

Once you're ready to go ahead, that's when we raise the invoice for your holding deposit and your date is officially secured.

We spread payments across three stages to make budgeting as manageable as possible:

This structure means you're never facing a large lump sum at the outset — you can plan your overall wedding budget with confidence alongside catering, flowers, entertainment, and everything else.

No! There's no extra charge for bank holiday dates.

However, we only host Friday and Sunday weddings on bank holiday weekends. This is because the three-day weekend allows us to offer two weddings — one on Friday, one on Sunday — with the Saturday reserved for clean-up and set-up.

Both dates are classified as weekend dates, so weekend pricing applies.

We keep our pricing simple and transparent — venue hire is a single package with no hidden extras.

Prices are available on our website, and we recommend couples email us for a list of available dates.

Yes! We're licensed by North Yorkshire Council to hold marriage ceremonies, officiated by a council registrar.

Since 1pm and 2pm ceremonies are the most popular, they book out first — especially in peak season. But there are some great alternatives:

Consider a 3pm ceremony — it works really well! A later start means a more relaxed morning (no 6am hair & make-up), guests arrive having had lunch and ready to enjoy themselves, and the day flows beautifully with less of a 'lull' before the evening party.

Option A — legal at registry office, symbolic at The Normans: Complete the legal ceremony at your local registry office before the wedding day, then have a symbolic ceremony with all your guests at a time of your choosing.

Option B — symbolic first, legal later: Symbolic ceremony in the Ceremony Barn at your preferred time, then complete the legal part with the registrar later that day.

Option C — legal first, symbolic later: Do the legal ceremony first after a relaxed brunch, return to finish getting ready, then hold a symbolic ceremony with all your guests.

Yes — and it's a wonderful option. A celebrant-led ceremony can be entirely tailored to you: personalised vows, readings, music, and the full story of how you met.

The ceremony itself isn't legally binding, so you'd marry legally either before or after.

We have a list of trusted celebrants on our website: thenormansweddings.co.uk/wedding-celebrants

The venue is ideally suited to wedding parties of 50 to 120 day guests.

You can invite up to 60 additional guests for the evening reception, giving a maximum total capacity of 180 guests.

Note: evening guest numbers may be limited for all-inclusive packages.

When you book The Normans, the entire venue is yours — we never host back-to-back weddings. Your hire covers three days:

The day before: access from 11.30am to 6pm to decorate, style, and settle in.

Your wedding day: exclusive access until midnight.

The morning after: until 11am to collect gifts, flowers, decorations, and anything else you've brought along.

Absolutely — we've hosted smaller weddings with great results. A few layouts that work well:

Straight banqueting table: A single long table under the apex of the fairy-light ceiling looks dramatic, especially with candles, lanterns, and barrel décor around the perimeter.

Horseshoe / U-shape: A top table width-ways with two 'prongs' extending toward the dancefloor — works beautifully for parties of around 30.

Restaurant-style: Individual tables in mismatching positions, some with gantries and some without — a relaxed, characterful look.

We'll always help configure the room so no one feels dwarfed by the space.

Yes! You're welcome to do as much or as little as you like in terms of décor.

We prefer that florists and stylists set up the day before the wedding rather than on the morning itself (particularly for the Grain Shed).

If you have more ambitious décor ideas, just chat to us first. Please don't hammer nails, drill, or pin anything into the timber fixtures without checking with us.

Yes! But there are guidelines for each space:

Ceremony Barn: Non-drip candles enclosed in a heatproof lantern only. Floating candles in vases are not permitted along the aisle.

Grain Shed: Tall candles permitted if non-drip, secure, and set away from floral displays. Tealights must be in enclosed purpose-made holders or jars. We strongly recommend LED candles for gantry baubles — naked flames can blacken or smash the glass.

Cow Stalls: No candles are permitted.

You can choose between 5'6" circular tables (seating 6 to 10 guests; ideally 8) or rustic banqueting tables (up to 6 guests each) — or a combination of both.

We can send floorplans upon request. Let us know your preference when submitting your table plan.

Rustic banqueting tables: 6ft (1.83m) long and 3ft 4in (1m) wide. Seats 4–6 guests (optimally 3 each side). Features an optional removable gantry for hanging tealights, flowers, and décor.

Circular dining tables: 5ft 6in (1.67m) in diameter, seating 6–10 guests (8 is ideal).

Top table: Three tables combined (1 × 8ft, 2 × 6ft), seating up to 10–12 guests. Slightly narrower, and no gantry — so speeches are never obscured.

Gantries: Approximately 1m tall on the tabletop; 9.5cm wide at the top.

Yes! We have a few options for displaying your signage — all included in your venue hire:

Two rustic sack hoists — full of character and perfect for a welcome sign and table plan.

Two sturdy easels — available for any additional signage.

Just let us know on your set-up day where you'd like everything positioned and we'll get it sorted.

No — not in our opinion! Our team will be onsite from start to finish to handle everything:

Meet you the day before to help set up and walk you through the day's timeline.

Meet and greet guests on arrival, and coordinate with all your suppliers before and on the day.

MC for the day if required, and manage guest seating and the flow of the day.

Ensure the couple are in the right place at the right time.

Liaise with your band or DJ for cake cutting and first dance.

Welcome evening guests and wave you off at midnight.

We recommend guests arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony start time. One of our team will meet and greet everyone at the venue entrance.

We recommend booking your marriage ceremony for 1pm, 2pm, or 3pm. We've put together suggested day itineraries for each on our website.

In our experience, 2pm ceremonies often make for a more relaxed wedding morning and a better-flowing day overall.

We'll place your card box in The Courtyard for guests to deposit cards on arrival.

In the event of bad weather, the card box will be moved under the pergola or into the Stables Bar.

Once all gifts are collected, our team will transfer everything into the Grain Shed dining area.

Please note: The Normans cannot take responsibility for cards and gifts brought onsite.

Yes! But natural (organic) confetti only — such as dried rose petals. Synthetic, metallic, or tissue-paper confetti and confetti cannons are not permitted.

We ask guests to throw confetti inside the Ceremony Barn as you walk back down the aisle — it makes for a stunning shot against the fairy lights, and it's completely weatherproof.

Natural confetti is available from confetticlublondon.com and Etsy, or ask your florist.

We love a four-legged guest! Dogs are very welcome at the ceremony and for the drinks reception — perfect for photos and canapés.

We just ask that a dog-sitter collects them before the wedding breakfast begins. Dogs aren't permitted in the onsite accommodation.

Yes! Musicians and singers are warmly welcome. They'll be briefed beforehand and will know their cues.

Just make sure they're listed on your suppliers document so we can coordinate with them on the day.

We have a Bose L1 Compact PA system, suitable for ceremony music, drinks reception, wedding breakfast background music, and speeches. We can move it between the Ceremony Barn, Courtyard, and Grain Shed as needed.

Download your playlists onto a phone or tablet and clearly label each one. We connect via AUX lead with both iPhone and USB-C adapters — though it's always worth bringing your own as a backup.

Not inside the venue! However, if you'd like a sparkler photo, we can take you, your bridesmaids, and groomsmen outside (in front of the industrial roller-shutter door — it looks great in photos).

The wider use of sparklers handed out to all guests is not permitted for safety reasons.

Yes, on special occasions — Bonfire Night and New Year's Eve are particularly popular.

If you'd like fireworks at your wedding, please discuss it with us first and use our preferred supplier: Blaze Fireworks. They know the venue and its surroundings well, which makes all the difference for a safe and spectacular display.

The Normans is licensed to play music until midnight. Last orders are called at 11.30pm, and the party ends at midnight.

You have access to the venue until 11am the morning after. Our team will have gathered all your decorative items, gifts, and lost property and placed them in The Cow Stalls ready for you to collect.

Onsite parking is available for up to 30 cars. The car park is clearly signposted.

Guests are welcome to leave their car overnight and collect it the following morning — just make sure it's picked up by 11am.

Owing to our rural location near Bilbrough, it's essential that all guests pre-book taxis in advance — particularly on York Race weekends when demand is very high.

We list local taxi firms on our website: thenormansweddings.co.uk/taxis

Full directions are available on our website: thenormansweddings.co.uk/directions

We recommend sharing these with guests well in advance — sat nav can sometimes take people to the wrong spot in rural Yorkshire!

Food and drink are handled by our catering partners, The Hog & Apple, who quote separately from the venue hire price. They provide crockery, glassware, cutlery, and table linen as part of their service.

If you have a wedding cake or cheese tower to be stored the night before or cut on the evening, please arrange this directly with The Hog & Apple.

The bar is run by The Hog & Apple. They offer a range of drinks packages tailored to your wedding:

Drinks reception — welcome drinks as guests arrive.

Toast drinks — for the speeches and toasts.

Table wine — served throughout the wedding breakfast.

After-dinner cocktail hour — a lovely way to bridge the gap between the meal and the evening party.

Get in touch with us for an introduction to The Hog & Apple team.

Yes — the bar happily accepts both cash and card.

One small note: we're unable to accept £50 notes, so please let your guests know in advance if you think it might come up!

The Hog & Apple will need your guests' dietary requirements in advance.

The best way to communicate this is via a detailed table plan — it allows them to see exactly who is sitting where and ensure every guest is catered for.

While we try to say 'yes' to everything, unfortunately we can't physically fit food vans into the Courtyard.

However, our caterers offer amazing street-food options — everything from burritos to burgers to bao buns, and more!

Alas, no — catering is exclusively provided by The Hog & Apple.

We have two cottages onsite:

The Normans Cottage — £495 for 2 nights. To book, email Amanda at [email protected]

The Granary — £595 for 2 nights. Contact the main team to discuss availability.

Check-in for The Cottage is from 3pm on the set-up day; The Granary from 4pm. We'll do our best to facilitate early access where possible.

We have a list of nearby pubs, hotels, and B&Bs on our website: thenormansweddings.co.uk/accommodation