Weddings in Wiltshire - everything you need for your Wiltshire wedding

Wiltshire is a landlocked county located in the south-west of the UK and borders Dorset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Somerset.

Wiltshire is characterised by areas of high downland, wide valleys, pretty villages and ancient towns like the cathedral city of Salisbury, Castle Combe where some of the famous film ‘War Horse’ was shot, Calne, Malmesbury and Marlborough. Home to the world-famous monument, Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain and also the Avebury stone circles, Wiltshire is a landscape rich with history. The distinctive iron age hill fort features the Westbury white horse carved into the hillside which rather interestingly had a 20^th century revamp in the 1950s when it was concreted over by the Blue Circle Cement Works located near by.

A significant past means that the county has a number of important country houses like Stourhead located near Mere and Longleat near Warminster with its famous safari park, plus smaller manor houses and even the odd castle which offer an array of stylish and interesting venues for weddings of all types.

The north of the county which has easy access to the M4 motorway has a high concentration of manufacturing businesses, particularly in Swindon. This is where Wilshire meets the Cotswolds with beautiful locations like the medieval village of Lacock near Chippenham so despite the concentration of industry around Swindon, the county has a whole remains stylishly rural and historic.

Perhaps as a backdrop to a peaceful wedding day with a waterside setting, enjoy the beautiful views and locations along the length of the Kennett and Avon Canal which runs from the Thames at Reading through Wiltshire and on to the cities of Bath and Bristol. Restored in the 1960s, some famous faces have been involved in the revival of this iconic waterway including Timothy West and Prunella Scales who have shared some of their time on television and also the actors, Timothy Spall and David Suchet. You never know, you really could be sailing off into the sunset for your honeymoon on a pretty painted narrow boat.

As a county with a strong rural landscape, foodies will be spoilt for choice with the range of local produce on offer for the reception menu. For total Wiltshire authenticity, why not add some Lardy cake which is a form of bread pudding specific to Wiltshire and said to have originated from Avebury.

Wiltshire has excellent travel links because it is a county situated along the M4 corridor so journey times to London, the south-west, Wales and to the north via the M5 interchange are all reasonable. There are train services from London Waterloo or Paddington depending on which part of the county you want to access. Nearest airports are Bournemouth and Southampton, both within 20 miles, or hop up the M4 to London Heathrow, a journey time of an hour and a half.