If you or any of your wedding guests use a wheelchair or if you have elderly relatives who can't manage stairs, finding a wedding venue that is accessible will be important to you. We've looked into wheelchair friendly wedding venues in London, where many hotels are in listed buildings yet have found brilliant solutions to ensure disabled access.
Do wedding venues have to be wheelchair friendly?
Disabled access is a high priority to wedding venues and they work hard to make their facilities totally wheelchair friendly. For some historic buildings it simply isn't practical and unless the venue is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies, they don't have to be fully accessible if it isn't reasonably practical to do so. Many venues offer partial disabled access and you will need to decide whether you can work around the restrictions.
Do venues licensed for civil ceremonies have to offer wheelchair access by law?
In order to be granted their local authority licence to carry out civil wedding ceremonies in England and Wales, a venue must demonstrate that they can fully cater for those who are disabled.
This will usually include:
- a parking or a drop-off point at the main entrance for people with mobility difficulties
- level access to ceremony rooms or appropriate ramping for wheelchair users
- handrails to assist people with mobility difficulties where there are steps
- if ceremony rooms are not on ground floor, appropriate lifts should be available
- clear signposting from the car park, and internally, to the ceremony rooms for wheelchair users.
Which London wedding venues are wheelchair friendly?
Despite the challenges faced by London venues where many are in historic, listed buildings with very little space to retro-fit lifts and ramps, it is incredibly hard to find a venue that isn't fully wheelchair accessible.
Are all wheelchair friendly venues also accessible in a mobility scooter?
Guests in mobility scooters may need to confirm that lifts are big enough and that scooters are permitted. Some historic venues with valuable artefacts don't permit mobility scooters inside but provide wheelchairs for guests to borrow and offer secure storage for scooters. If your venue does permit scooters you may want to hire one for elderly guests who have trouble standing but don't want to use a wheelchair. Companies including London Express Wheelchair Hire deliver to most London venues.
The difference between wheelchair accessible and wheelchair friendly.
If a guest needs special access arrangements they will want it to be as discreet as possible. It is your big day and they won't want the attention on them.
Consider how wheelchair friendly the venue is. Are arrangements in place for wheelchair users to move around with the other guests using guest lifts and permanent ramps? Or is it just wheelchair accessible? Does the access involve a completely different entrance or portable ramps constantly being moved around?
If this is you, as the bride or groom, in a wheelchair, you may want to make a feature of the access arrangements. Dress up the lift, put a rose petal trail through the venue or a red carpet on the ramp.
How London wedding venues look after disabled guests
London wedding venues have been creative in finding the best solution for their disabled guests. We spoke to a few to see how they make every guest feel comfortable and welcome, regardless of their physical limitations and disabilities.
Fully accessible car park at Hackney Town Hall
Hackney Town Hall is a stunning venue located in the heart of East London. This wedding venue offers a ramp outside of the venue for wheelchair users to enter the building with ease, as well as lifts inside. If travelling by car, this venue is fully accessible through the car park so disabled guests can feel totally comfortable and welcome at Hackney Town Hall.
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Hackney Town Hall Wedding Venue
Plan your perfect day at Hackney Town Hall, a stunning East London Art-Deco wedding venue renowned for its opulent interiors and exceptional service.Chair lift for disabled guests at The Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House Hotel is situated adjacent to one of London's few wheelchair accessible tube and railway stations, Victoria Station. There is disabled access to the main lobby from the station platform. Access is via a chair lift. Guests will need to be able to get in and out of their wheelchair. They'll also need assistance to get their wheelchair up the stairs and through the double doors at the top.
The main ceremony room is on the first floor, along with a balcony area for reception drinks, with easy disabled access using the guest lift. The bar is on a mezzanine level, with no wheelchair access, however there are alternative rooms for the reception and after party on the ground floor, all fully accessible.
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Grosvenor House Hotel Wedding Venue
5-star Luxury and Elegance in LondonGround floor venue at Vuk Banqueting Suite
Vuk Banqueting Suite is a large, private reception wedding venue located in the heart of West London. This entire venue is on the ground floor so wheelchair users will not need to move to any other floor levels. There is also straight access from the carpark so anyone with a disability should feel fully comfortable and confident in this venue!
Helpful staff at The Goring
One of London's oldest hotels, The Goring is in Belgravia, close to Buckingham Palace. It is known for its intimate, personalised service. Staff will do all they can to make every guest feel welcome. The door attendants are quick to put ramps on the main hotel entrance steps to welcome guests into the hotel.
The steep narrow staircase to the banqueting room is a challenge to guests with any level of mobility problems.
Disabled guests use the service lift to reach the lower ground floor, although the staff insist they are happy to carry anyone down the stairs if requested! There are a couple of steps in the banqueting room but discreet ramps can easily be installed. The banqueting room has direct access through wide sliding glass panels to the second largest private garden in London.
The Goring Hotel Wedding Venue
Luxury intimate wedding venue in Southwest LondonWheelchair friendly ramps at The Corinthia
Guests with mobility challenges should approach The Corinthia from its main entrance on Whitehall Place rather than the stone steps on Northumberland Avenue. The wide, permanent ramps to the entrance make disabled guests feel totally welcome. Guest lifts from the lobby avoid the need for guests to tackle any steps. The function suite is all on the same level making The Corinthia completely accessible for disabled guests with no special arrangements required.
Disabled street access to 8 Northumberland Hotel
Next door to The Corinthia, 8 Northumberland don't have the luxury of a second entrance so have adapted their main steps from Northumberland Avenue. Their special lift will take a wheelchair or small scooter from street level to the hotel lobby. There is a huge function room with easy access on the ground floor. Reaching the two function rooms on the lower floor isn't quite as easy. Disabled guests are sent along a corridor to a service lift. However, once they have reached the lower floor, discreet ramps link the two function rooms.
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8 Northumberland
Celebrate with grandeur at 8 Northumberland, a Central London venue for bespoke weddings in a stunning Grade II listed setting.The challenge of disabled access to The Church House, Westminster
The impressive stairs to The Church House are within Westminster Abbey's Deans Yard. Planning restrictions mean they can't be easily adapted for disabled access. In fact even getting disabled guests to the outside of the venue is a challenge. You'll need special permission from Westminster Abbey for any vehicle to enter Dean's Yard. Guests are sent round the block to access the venue from the rear. Once inside, there is a guest lift to the first floor. Gentle ramps link the various reception and banqueting spaces.
Wheelchair friendly ballrooms at The Landmark Hotel
There is easy access for cars and taxis at the front and back of The Landmark giving plenty of space to unload a wheelchair or mobility scooter. The main front entrance has not one, but two stone staircases taking you up to the spectacular internal palm court. Other than the Winter Garden Restaurant, which has a small step elevating it from the main palm court, the entire venue can be easily accessed using guest lifts. Most of the banqueting rooms, including both ballrooms, have step-free access from the same wide corridor.
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The Landmark London Wedding Venue
Discover a luxurious city wedding venue offering an unforgettable celebration in the heart of London, with Elegant ballrooms and a stunning atrium.Easy access for disabled guests at The Ham Yard Hotel
It is no surprise that this modern, quirky hotel was designed to make every guest feel totally welcome regardless of any disability or limited mobility. At The Ham Yard Hotel there is step free access from the street level courtyard, close to Piccadilly Circus. There's a lift for guests just inside the main doors, whisking you to private dining spaces or the main function room two floors below.
Wheelchair friendly courtyard at The Rosewood
Venues with stunning, sweeping staircases aren't the most obvious choice for a wedding venue. The Rosewood is one of London't many exceptions to that rule. Guests arrive through a courtyard with a flat wheelchair friendly paved area. You have all the time and space you need to unload a wheelchair or scooter. Lifts in the main lobby take you to the mezzanine level for cloakrooms and drinks. There are also lifts down to the lower ground floor for the ceremony and reception. The guest lifts are close to the main stairs, so other than missing out on the experience of sweeping down one of London't most majestic staircases, your disabled guests will be very well catered for.
Rosewood Hotel London
A 5 star Edwardian Hotel just steps from Covent GardenWheelchair accessible weddings at The Berkeley Hotel
There are several stone steps to the main glass-fronted hotel entrance of The Berkeley Hotel, but if you are looking for a wheelchair friendly wedding venue, don't be put off by this first impression. Staff are happy to put ramps in place for hotel guests, but for wedding receptions there is an impressive separate dedicated entrance to the function suite. A gentle slope takes guests through wide glass doors to the function area. Once inside there is a gentle slope and a wide door connecting the bar area with the banqueting room.
Neighbourly help at Dartmouth House
Of all the venues we looked at, Dartmouth House was the most creative in ensuring that disabled guests could reach every part of this elegant Mayfair mansion house. They have direct access from the venue to the lobby of the Chesterfield Hotel next door. Guests with mobility issues can use the Chesterfield's lift to reach the first floor. From the first floor there is a corridor linking back to Dartmouth House. For guests attending a Dartmouth House wedding, special bedroom rates are available at the Chesterfield; a must for any guests requiring disabled toilet facilities.
Dartmouth House Wedding Venue
Elegant mansion in the heart of MayfairChoosing London for a disability-friendly wedding
London is known to be a very diverse and welcoming city. We've only highlighted a very small number of wheelchair friendly wedding venues here, there are many more to choose from. Our research showed us that venues in London really do go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that all your guests, regardless of mobility challenges, will be welcomed and well looked after.
If you are struggling to find a wedding venue near you with the appropriate disabled access or the disability-friendly features you require, please get in touch with our team, we would be more than happy to assist you on your search. To contact us you can call us between 9am and 5pm, Monday - Friday on 01235 770078 or send us an email to info@guidesforbrides.co.uk.