Sudeley Castle — Attraction in Tewkesbury

A brutally honest review of our experience of Sudeley Castle Weddings from a July 2025 bride!

I debated whether to write this review, but I feel it’s important to share my experience to help other prospective brides and grooms make fully informed decisions by offering some honest reflections.

If you’re a bit of a control freak (like me), you may find the lack of contact after booking a challenge. That said, whenever I reached out with questions, Darcey was always responsive and helpful. Unfortunately, there were several issues that could have been better communicated from the start. We weren’t told our booking didn’t include exclusive use of the venue, and the additional cost to add exclusivity was beyond our budget, which was disappointing. Similarly, we were initially told the venue could accommodate 150 guests. However, after several follow-up visits, I discovered that our 120 guests couldn’t be arranged on round tables and could only be accommodated on long tables due to insufficient inventory. This meant we had to hire additional furniture, an extra cost we hadn’t anticipated. After discussion, Darcey agreed to contribute towards part of the cost and apologised for the miscommunication, but clearer guidance upfront would have been very helpful.

The day after the wedding, with Darcey unavailable due to a family emergency, our suppliers mistakenly collected the wrong tables and chairs. After some back-and-forth and a gentle reminder of how much we’d spent with them, the cost was ultimately covered by the catering team. However, this did cause unnecessary stress as it spilled into our honeymoon meaning we were left co-ordinating push backs from the caterers and our suppliers.

Another issue involved the umbrellas we rented for our reception in the ‘Queen’s Garden’. We had hired four umbrellas to place at each corner of the fountain for our guests, in case of rain. On the day, one of the umbrellas was missing as it had been moved to the castle’s private residence and wasn’t returned. While a small detail, it affected the look we had carefully planned and was a wasted cost, especially as the umbrellas weren’t cheap. No compensation was offered, which I believe was wrong.

We also experienced some disappointments with the caterers — we used ‘In The Frame Catering,’ one of Sudeley’s recommended partners. Our not cheap wedding cake was left out all night, uncovered and not served to guests, which meant the wasps were able to enjoy it but the guests did not. We also had issues with drinks. We had paid for bottles of wine to be on the tables but the catering staff cleared them after the party started, meaning our guests couldn’t enjoy what we had purchased. Drinks left unattended on the tables that had been bought from the bar were also taken, resulting in wasted money. Some guests mentioned that they found the catering team to be rather rude, which is incredibly upsetting to say the least.

While none of these issues ruined our day, the lack of communication and coordination from the wedding team was frustrating at times and caused extra stress and costs that definitely could have been avoided.

To be clear, Sudeley Castle is an absolutely stunning venue, and our day was magical. However, I would advise future couples to be proactive in asking questions, clarifying details, and double-checking arrangements. I also hope the wedding team takes this review on board to improve communication and coordination, ensuring future couples have a smoother,...

What a splendid castle, rich with 1,000 years of royal ownership/ affiliation. The owner resides in part of the Castle, while the remainder, very grand castle & grounds are open for visitors to help support its maintenance.

The curator has done a great job of connecting the twists & turns of Birtish royal history with the ownership of the Castle, making it interesting and relevant for even people unfamiliar with British history. For example, that Henry VIII met Ann Boleyn for the 1st time (both spent the night here - so let your imagination run), then ordered Cromwell (who was staying at a nearby abbey) the next day to "make things happen" to make Boleyn his queen, was the kind of historic tidbit that added to the fabric of the place. The more personal family guest quarters (still in use) & photos connected the past to the present.

The grounds were lush with beautiful gardens, peopled with statues of elephants (wood) and a dog (bronze), plus other portrayals, such as a Noah's arc (clearly a joke). These were a reflection of the interests of some in the extended family, another nice personal touch.

We cycled here from Broadway, visited thr Castle, then onto Bourton in the Water. The surrounding terrain was hilly but not much traffic until you got to the B4632 road that led to the front entrance of Sudeley Castle. We lucked into a bit of local guidance to go through the "back entrance" (by way of Rushley Lane) to avoid the busy B roadHours of Operation: GMaps does not provide the correct info about when the restaurant is open. They are open for lunch through 4 pm, but then again for dinner service starting at 5:30 pm. Do visit. It's worthy; far better than where we had dinner at the center of town...

What a brilliant way to spend a few hours. There is so much to do. A friend recommended it to us and as it's £22 per person (visit as often as you like in 30 days), we decided on the journey there to shell out for joint membership of Historic Houses Association for a one-off payment of £108 for the year ... we only need to visit two more properties this year and we'll be quids in!

Parking was plentiful and convenient, the staff and volunteers were all knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, and there was a lot to see and explore, with things to appeal to all ages.

They are fine with visitors picnicking in the grounds, benches are provided with thoughtful shade, and there is a great adventure playground with which to reward your long-suffering offspring following a hefty dose of culture!

The café was great, clean and spacious, and the carrot cake, whilst expensive at £5.50 a slice, was the best we've had anywhere. Toilets were also exemplary.

There's an enormous and fascinating history to this castle, which is still a family home, and we can't believe we've never heard of it! There is really good signage throughout (though sprinkled with a few US spellings!), with interesting facts but not too much to cope with! There are several opportunities to watch interesting, professional videos about aspects of the castle's history.

We will definitely visit again as we barely scratched the surface in our four-hour visit, and will be recommending it to...