Top 11 enchanting nature inspired wedding venues in South London for garden lovers

My garden in South East London is the size of an actual postage stamp. Can I enjoy a coffee out there on a spring day surrounded by my eclectic collection of plants and pots? Absolutely, that’s one of my favourite ways to start my day. Will I be putting up a marquee and hosting a stunning nature inspired wedding out there? Erm, no.

So for those of you who are dreaming of having a wedding in a beautiful London garden, surrounded by plants and flowers, here are my favourite nature inspired wedding venues across South London that might just tick some of your horticultural boxes.  

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This has to be one of my favourite museums in South East London. Set on the top of one of South East London’s many hills, the museum boasts some incredible views over London. 

The main draw for me is the beautiful conservatory with it’s stunning architecture, it makes the perfect venue if you’re looking for glass house vibes and it looks stunning when filled with floral displays. 

The gardens at the Horniman museum feature an impressive array of medicinal plants with a diverse array of herbs, shrubs, and trees traditionally used for their healing properties. There’s the added bonus of some stunning views over London, and the bandstand which you can book for your couple’s portraits.

More information and image credit: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/hire/weddings-and-civil-ceremonies/

Were you wondering what London will look like when the plants finally take over? Just me then. Okay, so this one isn’t ‘technically’ in South East London, but for the garden obsessed among you, I just wanted to make sure you go and visit because it’s just incredible.

The barbican is home to one of the largest conservatories in London with a remarkable array of tropical plants, trees, and flowers cascading down from amongst the brutalist architecture. There’s coloured lighting curated into the planting for evening receptions and parties and the whole venue has an overgrown dystopia vibe which is really unique. 

More information and image credit: https://www.barbican.org.uk/hire/venue-hire/conservatory

Dulwich Picture Gallery houses one of the finest collections of Old Masters in the world. Founded in 1811 as the first purpose-built public art gallery, and designed by architect John Soane, the gallery provides a stunning and unique venue for weddings. Painted in the iconic ‘Dulwich Red’ the main gallery can be transformed into a long banqueting space, and there are function rooms for your evening party. 

The gallery is surrounded by some absolutely gorgeous gardens in true leafy Dulwich style. There are sculptures, Japanese Maple trees, the famous mulberry tree and you can hire the gardens for your wedding at the gallery. 

Over the road in Dulwich park makes a perfect spot for some couple’s portraits too, with its lake and tree lines avenues which look fabulous at any time of yar. 

More information and image credit: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/planning-your-visit/gardens/

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Nestled in a scenic spot by the Thames in Richmond, Petersham Nurseries is a stunning venue for a nature inspired wedding in South London. Full of plant filled greenhouses, gardens and flowers, there’s a true sense of abundance and inspiration for garden lovers here with magical secret garden vibes.

The venue is fully licensed to host a civil wedding ceremony, with options to hire the entire restaurant for your wedding breakfast and reception. The restaurant is Michelin green-star quality and you can expect to be looked after by the on-site events team including florists, and expert sommeliers and pastry chefs. 

This is a fabulous choice for couples who really want to be immersed in greenery and florals on their wedding day, with plenty of outside space to enjoy the gardens and a beautiful covered area for dining. 

More information: Weddings – Petersham Nurseries

Image credit: Helen Abraham Photography

With grand Georgian rooms, views over Beckenham Place park, and original period features, The Mansion offers a unique and special setting to host your wedding celebrations in South East London. The Drawing Room, Dining Room and Old Library are all connected so for larger events your guests can flow between them, or you can just book to host just your ceremony. The venue can host between 64-150 guests depending on your requirements and the friendly events team can guide you through planning your day. 

Situated in the rolling green landscape of Beckenham Place Park, the mansion hosts a small community of artists and small creative businesses in the studios on site, and you can find a regular programme of creative workshops and crafts all year round. 

The park features a formal flower garden which looks just incredible in Summer, plus a wild swimming lake, woodland areas and lots of walking trails around the park. Because of its location on a hill, you can get picturesque views out over the park at any time of year making it the perfect spot for some dramatic nature inspired wedding photos. 

More information and image credit: https://www.beckenhamplace.org/hire/weddings/

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Kew Gardens is up there as my favourite garden spot in London. It’s just HUGE and you can be sure to find an abundance of plant life to admire in the gardens and glasshouses at any time of the year. I for one have been a repeat visitor over the years, and love taking my camera to capture some of the stunning seasonal changes in the garden throughout the year. 

Kew has lots of venue options for wedding depending on how many guests you are hosting. You can hire Cambridge cottage in the grounds for an intimate wedding ceremony which accommodates up to 80 guests for a seated ceremony and reception dinner, and a full evening capacity of 120. There’s a secluded garden outside for photographs and you can tour the Gardens in an escorted buggy for some stunning nature inspired wedding photos. 

For larger events you can hire the Nash Conservatory, an enchanting 19th century glasshouse with capacity for a civil ceremony of up to 200 guests and floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. Then hold your wedding reception and dinner dance in The Orangery. 

For the full luxury wedding option at Kew Gardens you can host your drinks reception in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, Kew’s beautiful tropical glasshouse. If you’re planning a larger wedding you can host your reception and evening event in Temperate House, Kew Garden’s breathtaking Victorian glasshouse which has been recently restored and is home to over 10,000 species of plants. 

More information: https://www.kew.org/venue-hire

Image credit: Philippa Gedge Photography

Situated in Bexley, Hall Place and Gardens is possibly one of South East London’s best kept wedding venue secrets!

Featuring a historic house and 65 acres of gardens you can choose to host your civil ceremony here as well as your evening dinner and dancing. There’s a choice of venues on site to suit your needs and can host wedding ceremonies for up to 100, dining also for 100 and up to 140 for evening receptions and dancing. All the rooms have beautiful period features from wood panelled walls to Tudor-style beamed ceilings. Hall Place is perfect for weddings all year round, but in the summer you’ll really be able to enjoy holding your drinks reception outdoors and having couple’s photos in the gardens. 

Outside you can find formal and walled gardens, a rose garden, azalea beds, woodland walks, a butterfly house and a river, so you’ll be sure to capture some beautiful wedding photographs on your day. 

More information and image credit: https://www.hallplace.org.uk/weddings/

Ranger’s House is an elegant Georgian villa owned by English Heritage on the boundary of Greenwich Park and Blackheath, most recently known for being featured in Bridgerton. So if you’re looking for some authentic period vibes at your wedding, then the panelled interiors and world class art collection on display at Ranger’s house might just tick that box. 

I’ve highlighted Ranger’s House as a venue because of its close proximity to Greenwich park with numerous opportunities for beautiful nature inspired wedding photos including the formal flower gardens, tree lined avenues and some absolutely stunning views looking out over the London skyline. In particular, Ranger’s House looks out over the rose garden nearby which has a peak flowering season in June and July. 

More information and image credit: Rangers-house-weddings

Greenwich is also home to a whole host of wedding venues to choose from which all have a super close proximity to the park, including Royal Museums Greenwich Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House, Royal Observatory Greenwich and the Peter Harrison Planetarium. They can all be hired out for evening receptions with the exception of Queen’s House which can be hired in the day as well. 

More information: https://www.rmg.co.uk/venue-hire

Another incredible venue local to Greenwich park is the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College with stunning architecture and a range of different spaces to hire from intimate ceremonies to luxury events. More information: https://ornc.org/venue-hire/weddings/

I first fell in love with the garden museum whilst exploring their annual houseplant fair, which is well worth a visit if you’re looking for a bit of extra greenery in your home (not that I realistically need any more houseplants mind you). 

Conveniently situated on the banks of the Thames only 10 minutes walk from Westminster and Vauxhall tube stations, the Garden Museum is housed in a deconsecrated church of St Mary-at-Lambeth, and has a permanent collection of artefacts and tools from gardening throughout history alongside botanical art, photography, and paintings exploring how and why we garden. 

The charming courtyard garden at the museum makes a lush green backdrop to your wedding reception and the main church space can be transformed into a stunning dining area. 

More information: https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/venue-hire/weddings/

Image credit: Hamish Irvine Photography

Founded in 1673 and situated on the banks of the Thames near Sloane Square tube, Chelsea Physic Garden is one of the world’s oldest botanic gardens. Their plant collection is unique in being the only botanic garden collection focused on medicinal, herbal and useful plants. 

Featuring high surrounding walls, a pond rockery, rare tropical plants, Victorian glasshouses and (my favourite) Gingko trees, the gardens are a secluded spot away from the bustle of Chelsea. 

The venue is licensed to conduct ceremonies outdoors in the gardens, or you have the option of their dedicated ceremony hall. Able to host up to 450 guests outside or 60 seated inside, you can choose to host an intimate ceremony here, or a much larger wedding reception. Chelsea Physic garden really is a magical hideaway in London for hosting a nature inspired wedding outdoors surrounded by beautiful flowers, greenery and trees. 

More information and image credit: https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/weddings-hire/weddings/

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