Best Wedding Venues in Newcastle City Centre

Few cities let you marry in a medieval friary, a Norman castle or the works where Stephenson's Rocket was built, all within a short walk of each other. Newcastle City Council keeps a directory of approved ceremony venues, and a good number of them sit right in the city centre, which means you can hold the legal ceremony and the celebration under one roof. Here are the venues worth a viewing, grouped by style, and once you have one booked, our Weddings in Newcastle hub brings together the photographers, florists, cakes and cars to go with it.

Civic ceremonies at the Civic Centre

Newcastle Civic Centre

The Newcastle Register Office is based at the Civic Centre on Barras Bridge, and it offers the widest spread of options in the city. At the simplest end, the Register Office itself takes a maximum of four people (the couple and two witnesses), and the Carliol Room takes up to 12; both are brief ceremonies covering the legal declarations and signing, though you can exchange rings. The Leazes Room seats up to 50 and adds vows, readings and music. All three are reached by the Grand Entrance, the red-carpeted staircase that makes a good spot for photographs.

For something grander, the council also holds approved premises licences for several of the building's other rooms, including the Banqueting Suite, the Council Chamber, the Silver Gallery and the Grand Staircase, which are booked through the Civic Centre's hospitality team rather than the registrars. Call 0191 278 7878 and ask for registrars to check dates.

Best for: Best for couples who want a simple, affordable legal ceremony, or a civic setting with real 1960s grandeur.

Historic buildings

Blackfriars Restaurant

Blackfriars Restaurant occupies the refectory of a Dominican friary first recorded in 1239, down Friars Street between Stowell Street and the town wall. It is approved by the council for marriages and civil partnerships, so you can hold the ceremony and the wedding breakfast in one place, with an ornate Banquet Hall of chandeliers, stained glass and oak tables, plus a sheltered courtyard used for reception drinks for up to 50 guests until 7pm. The wedding team publishes a price list on request.

Best for: Best for a historic, candlelit feel without leaving the city centre.

Newcastle Castle

Newcastle Castle, the Norman keep and Black Gate that gave the city its name, is on the council's list of approved ceremony venues. Its spaces include the Great Hall, the Chapel, the Lower Hall and the Castle Garth, with rooftop views across the Tyne. Contact the castle team on 0191 230 6300 to find out which rooms are used for ceremonies and how many guests each holds.

Best for: Best for small to mid-sized weddings that want genuinely ancient walls.

The Common Room of the Great North

The Common Room fills Grade II* listed Neville Hall on Westgate Road, the former home of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers. Three of its rooms are licensed for civil ceremonies, and the centrepiece is the Wood Hall library, with a glass vaulted ceiling, stained glass and a cast-iron spiral staircase, taking 150 theatre style or 120 for dining.

Best for: Best for a characterful Victorian setting a few steps from Central Station.

Hotels with a sense of occasion

The Vermont Hotel

The Vermont Hotel sits beside the castle in the former County Hall, and its Ballroom was once the Northumberland County Council chamber, keeping its tall leaded windows, oak panelling and chandelier. It is on the council's approved list, has a Sky Lounge and garden with views across the city, and offers several published wedding packages in its brochure.

Best for: Best for a classic hotel wedding with guest rooms on site.

Royal Station Hotel

The Grade II listed Royal Station Hotel, built for the North Eastern Railway beside Central Station, describes itself as fully licensed for civil ceremonies and caters for multicultural and multifaith celebrations. Its event spaces take up to around 180 guests, and guests arriving by train are a few steps from the door.

Best for: Best for larger families travelling in by rail.

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin

On the Quayside, Malmaison Newcastle fills a Grade II listed former Co-operative Wholesale Society warehouse a short walk from the Millennium Bridge, and just up the hill on City Road, Hotel du Vin Newcastle occupies a restored Edwardian building with a terrace overlooking the river. Both are on the council's approved list. Hotel du Vin's weddings carry a minimum of 20 guests, and both suit more intimate days with good food at the centre.

Best for: Best for boutique weddings with river views and a strong wine list.

Industrial spaces and galleries

Boiler Shop

Boiler Shop on South Street is the 1823 Robert Stephenson and Company works where Locomotion No. 1 and Rocket were built. Ceremonies, civil or humanist, are held on the licensed, naturally lit mezzanine for up to 150 guests, and the reception and wedding breakfast move down to the shop floor for up to 400. Note the minimum of 100 adult guests for all weddings.

Best for: Best for big, party-led weddings with industrial heritage.

Museums and galleries

The Laing Art Gallery offers weddings in its Edwardian galleries, with the Marble Hall taking 150 reception-style (200 with Café Laing) and the whole gallery up to 550; confetti and naked flames are not allowed indoors. The Discovery Museum at Blandford Square and the Great North Museum: Hancock at Barras Bridge are also on the council's approved list.

Best for: Best for couples who want art, dinosaurs or the Turbinia in the background.

Before you book

Every civil wedding in England needs a formal notice of marriage or civil partnership given at a register office at least 29 days beforehand, and a registrar must be booked for the ceremony itself, so contact Newcastle's registrars as soon as you have a date in mind. Approved venue lists change, so check the council's directory of approved ceremony venues before you pay a deposit. If you would rather marry in church, our guide to historic churches in Newcastle city centre covers the cathedral and the old parish churches, and for guests making a weekend of it, see a weekend in Newcastle city centre.

Know a city centre wedding venue we should add? Let us know.