Indoor Events
There are a huge variety of indoor venues to hold celebrations, some licensed, some not, with prices to match. We obviously cannot advise you on which venue is the best but can certainly help make your special day one to remember by being your celebrant and would love to discuss how we can work with you to achieve this.
Outdoor Events
You may have the perfect place in mind, a beach, a beautiful back garden, the place of your first date, or a proposal. The possibilities are endless. Be assured that wherever you choose,Sarsen Celebrants will work with you to bring your perfect day and ceremony together.
Alternatively, if you are looking for an ancient site the UK & Europe have some amazing natural venues suitable for celebrations and commemorations of all types. These range from quiet hilltops or woods to stunning ancient stone circles and castles. All are potential venues, which will give your ceremony a magical, mystical aura. Many of these are free or can be accessed for a reasonable amount.
Sarsen Celebrants have extensive knowledge of many of these venues and are happy to discuss and advise on which ones could potentially suit your ideas, guests and budget. A few suggestions are below, if these do not appeal please do speak to us for other ideas as this least is not exhaustive
Stonehenge
Probably the most iconic, renowned, stone circle in the world. The first World Heritage Site in the UK. Sitting on Salisbury Plain in the county of Wiltshire. Our ancestors originally started building the henge banks 4800 years ago, then 800 years later the iconic Sarsen stones were added, mysteriously the whole site was abandoned 900 years later.
Whether you have visited during the Winter or Summer Solstice or just as a visitor on other days you cannot help but be amazed at the sheer beauty of this Ancient Site and wonder at how our ancestors not only built this structure but also aligned it with the Sun & Moon on Solstice days.
The mystery of how and why it was built has always been a source of discussion.
- Did Merlin use his power to bring the stones over from Ireland as a memorial to a mass grave of English noble’s slaughters by the Saxons?
- Were the Celtic high Priests, otherwise known as the Druids, responsible for building the Circle as a Temple for their ceremonies?
- Was it an astronomical calendar?
- Was it a place of sacrifice or healing?
The only certainty is that it’s an amazing place to marry your loved one!!
Stonehenge is managed by English Heritage, so there are more “rules” than most, and it’s obviously very busy, there are three available options. Please be aware that all ceremoniesneed to be booked well in advance, especially if you want a celebration within the Inner Circle. To see the options please visit our Services
Avebury
Sharing the same World Heritage Site as Stonehenge, Avebury and its surrounding area are an amazing sight. This is undoubtedly our favourite Henge. It has the largest Stone Circle in the UK within the henge with approx. 100 Sarsen Stones, which then encloses two further smaller Stone Circles. Created roughly 4850 to 4200 years which makes it a similar age to Stonehenge. You cannot help to be in awe at the scale of not just the Henge, but the whole surrounding landscape. The West Kennet Avenue, leading you away towards West Kennet Long Barrow, The Sanctuary, Windmill Hill and of course Silbury Hill, a place we still don’t know why it was constructed.
There is a huge choice of places for a ceremony here, but the majority are performed within the inner circle. You can choose anywhere you feel the most appropriate or the most spiritual
The big bonus about Avebury, as opposed to Stonehenge, is that is no entry fee. However, this also means you cannot book a time slot so we will always ensure we are there to reserve the space you request.
To see the options please visit our Services page
Whilst Avebury and Stonehenge are undoubtedly fabulous places for a pagan handfasting and justifiably so, there are many other very worthy ancient monuments in this area or further afield which would make equally suitable and romantic venues.
These could be:
Rollright Stones
This Stone Complex is in a beautiful part of Oxfordshire, near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, close to the Warwickshire border. It consists of the Kings Men Stone Circle, the Kings Stone and the Whispering Knights and is made up of around 77 limestone stones, erected approx. 4500years ago. A fee is charged by the landowner for private events.
Merry Maidens
This Cornish stone circle is approx. 4500 years old, consists of 19 stones which diminish in size from the southwest to the northeast, this waxing and waning in size apparently mirrors the moon. One story regarding the name of this perfect circle is that it was a group of local girls who were turned to stone for dancing on the sabbath, however, in reality, it’s likely the name came from a corruption of the Cornish name for sacred stone “Zans Meyn”
Grey Wethers
Another Cornish Stone circle, or actually, a double stone circle, approx. 5000 years old and originally consisting of 29 stones in the Southern circle & 20 stones in the Northern circle, now with m
Stanton Drew
A little know stone circle but the third largest in England actually comprises 3 circles. The Great Circle is the largest, the other two are the Southwest and Northeast circles. It also has 3 stones known as the Cove located in the grounds of the local pub.
Other sites
Long Meg, Grey Croft, Castlerigg or Grey Croft, Glastonbury Tor, Oliver’s Castle, Old Sarum, are all other ancient site but there are many more Ancient Temples or castles which make perfect venues for your special celebration..
If you would like a more intimate ceremony, just for a couple, we know of many more, quiet and remote sites and we are both very comfortable with fitting in with any wishes our couples may have.
