Holiday Home Wedding Cornwall: How to Plan Your Perfect Ceremony
Updated: Sep 28
Regular readers will know that here at Celebrant in Cornwall, holiday home weddings in Cornwall are some of our very favourite ceremonies! Whether it’s a wonderful wedding or a romantic renewal of vows, there’s something about celebrating at a holiday home that feels incredibly special, relaxed and personal.
We’ve been lucky enough to conduct weddings and vow renewals at some gorgeous holiday homes across Cornwall, so in this guide we’re sharing some of our experiences, practical tips and favourite celebrations to help you plan your own.
Why choose a holiday home for your wedding or renewal of vows?
And is it even possible? Absolutely! We’ve been lucky enough to officiate many weddings and renewals of vows at holiday homes across Cornwall, and for us they are always an absolute delight.
One of the things we love most is just how relaxed and personal the whole experience can be. You arrive and settle in, either with or without friends and family, and you can prepare for your ceremony and celebrations at a gentle pace, with as much or as little help from suppliers as you’d like.
Timings can be more flexible too. You can fit in trips to the beach, a daily swim or surf, enjoy your favourite walks or restaurants and turn your wedding into a proper Cornish break rather than everything being centred around a single day. It can also be a surprisingly affordable way to celebrate, particularly if you’re happy to accommodate some of your guests for a few nights and share the cost.
How do you book a holiday home for a wedding in Cornwall?
The first thing we always suggest is being completely upfront with the holiday-home owner or company about what you’re planning. Some properties specifically welcome weddings and celebrations, but if it isn’t mentioned in the listing, it’s always worth asking.
Don’t be tempted to keep your plans a secret and risk losing your booking if the owner isn’t happy with an event taking place at the property. Tell them that you’re planning a celebrant-led ceremony, approximately how many people will be there and what you have in mind for the rest of the celebration.
If you’ve fallen in love with a property because of its gorgeous garden or sea views, we’d also recommend checking that there’s a realistic indoor option in case the Cornish weather has other ideas! Depending on the property and the owner’s permission, a small marquee might be another possibility.
Then think about the practicalities. Is there enough parking for your guests? Are there neighbours nearby, and are there restrictions on music or noise? If you’re hoping to party until 2am, a secluded property may be rather more suitable than a cottage surrounded by neighbours!
Have a good look at the facilities too. Is the kitchen suitable for your caterers, or will they need their own
preparation area? Are there enough bathrooms for your number of guests? Is there power where you’re planning to hold the ceremony or celebration outdoors?
None of these things needs to make a holiday-home wedding complicated — they’re simply worth thinking about before you book. Get the right property, and you can create a wonderfully relaxed celebration that feels completely your own.
What else do you need for a holiday home wedding?
Once you’ve found the right property, you can make your celebration as simple or as detailed as you want.
Will you want a photographer to capture those key moments? We’d highly recommend it — once everyone’s had a few drinks, the photos they all planned to take can quickly go out the window (or end up being a bit squiffy!).
Depending on what you’re planning, you might also want to think about hiring chairs or decor, booking caterers, ordering a cake, finding a florist, arranging hair and make-up, or even bringing in an on-the-day coordinator if you don’t want to go completely DIY.
But that’s one of the lovely things about having your wedding at a holiday home: there really isn’t a set formula. You can create a celebration that suits the two of you, your guests and the property you’ve chosen.
Some of our favourite holiday home weddings in Cornwall
Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of conducting weddings and vow renewals at some fabulous holiday homes across Cornwall. Here are a few examples of just how different — and special — they can be.
A vow renewal at The Avalon, Tintagel
One of our holiday-home ceremonies was for Sharon and Ben, who asked us to create and conduct their renewal of vows at the gorgeous The Avalon in Tintagel.
It turned out to be an unexpectedly warm day, so we were able to hold their ceremony outdoors in the beautiful gardens, just as they’d hoped. Sharon and Ben created all the decor themselves too, and it looked absolutely stunning.
A beach house wedding near Bude
Amber and Rob booked us for a ceremony at one of our dream holiday homes — Northcott Beach House near Bude. It’s a truly incredible house in one of the most breathtaking locations.
This was a delight of a wedding, with lots of wonderful suppliers helping to give the couple the best day ever. And, of course, the location lent itself perfectly to some fabulous wedding photos on the beach below! (And we've actually been back to this gorgeous venue since, for another wedding in September!)
A coastal holiday home wedding overlooking Mousehole
We were booked for a ceremony at Carn Du at fairly short notice following a mix-up with the registration service. The couple decided that a celebrant-led ceremony was the perfect solution for their celebration.
This stunning holiday home overlooks Mousehole and even has its own swimming pool. Martin and Ruth booked some fabulous caterers, while everyone stayed locally so they could enjoy as much of the celebration as possible. (We've also officiated ceremonies at Fallen Angel and Resoon, also in Mousehole.)
A celebrant wedding at The Stack House
Another truly stunning holiday home for a wedding in Cornwall is The Stack House in mid Cornwall, which you’ll also have seen in the main photo above.
The property is licensed for legal weddings, but that doesn’t mean couples have to have their main celebration conducted by a registrar. Lots of couples still choose a celebrant because they want a ceremony filled with personality and completely personalised to them — which is exactly why we were booked for this wedding.
The June weather for this lovely couple wasn’t perfect, but this property has a covered ceremony space designed to accommodate exactly that. A very good example of why we always recommend thinking about your wet-weather option when choosing a holiday home! (We returned a few years later in April for a ceremony – and the weather was GORGEOUS!)
A holiday home wedding at Porthpean House
The Big Beautiful Beach House — also known as Porthpean House, near St Austell — is another fabulous property for a celebration.
You might recognise the house from the Richard Curtis film About Time, starring Bill Nighy. Just like in the film, it’s a wonderful place to gather your family and friends, with lovely beaches just down the road.
The property is licensed for weddings, but again, couples can choose a celebrant-led ceremony if they want something more personal and created around their own story.
A magical wedding at Trevillet Mill near Tintagel
Our booking at Trevillet Mill near Tintagel was probably one of our favourites.
Our couple, Kate and Joe, had a connection with the family who own the property, so we don’t know whether it is generally available for wedding bookings — always check directly with the owners before making plans.
But for this particular couple, it provided the setting for an incredible day, and one of the most romantic and enchanting locations for their photographs.
Intimate celebrations in Polzeath and Rock
And for some true luxury, we do love our visits to Polzeath and Rock — the home of some rather fabulous Cornish holiday homes! We conducted a deeply moving vow-renewal ceremony for a couple celebrating 40 years together at Parkers Place in Polzeath, perfectly positioned for family trips to the beach and sundowners on the balcony.
We also loved creating a small, intimate wedding for a couple celebrating at Little Moiety in Rock — the first holiday home where we’ve ever found ourselves travelling between floors in a glass lift!
(And we're looking forward to a ceremony at Rosevarlock in Polzeath quite soon!)
These are just a few of our happy memories. There are plenty more we could tell you about, and one of the lovely things about holiday home weddings in Cornwall is that no two are ever quite the same.
What can a celebrant-led holiday home wedding ceremony include?
We’ve talked a lot about the holiday homes themselves, but what about the actual ceremony?
This is where things get really exciting, because your ceremony can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. You might want something small and intimate with just the two of you, perhaps with your children or a handful of your favourite people. Or you might have a house full of family and friends and want a completely personalised wedding ceremony involving your story, your own vows, readings, music and the people who matter most to you.
There’s no set formula. That freedom is one of the reasons a celebrant-led ceremony works so beautifully for a holiday home wedding.
We’re also seeing couples choosing very intimate celebrations where the holiday home becomes their base rather than necessarily the location of the ceremony itself. That gives you even more flexibility — you might decide to leave the house and head to a favourite beach, clifftop or another beautiful Cornish spot for the ceremony.
And we’re always delighted to help you think through the possibilities and suggest what might work. That’s all part of the service. Do have a read of this blog - another favourite holiday home ceremony in Cornwall!
Planning a holiday home wedding in Cornwall?
If you’re thinking about having your wedding or renewal of vows at a holiday home in Cornwall, we’d love to hear what you’re planning.
You don’t need to have everything worked out before getting in touch. In fact, if you’ve found a holiday home you love and you’re wondering whether it could work for your ceremony, send us the details and we’ll happily share our thoughts based on our experience of conducting ceremonies at holiday properties across Cornwall.
We can arrange a phone or video call, or simply bounce some ideas around by email, with absolutely no obligation to book.
Get in touch to tell us about your holiday home wedding plans. Or find out more about our holiday home weddings and vow renewals in Cornwall.
And in the meantime — happy holidays!
