The Cawdor in Llandeilo hosts weddings from small vow renewals to exclusive-use celebrations, with an all-inclusive package built around a minimum of 80 guests and ceremonies in Ty Horeb, a restored 1810 chapel. The hotel is a Grade II listed Georgian building on the main street of this market town in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with 26 bedrooms and suites.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel is licensed for civil ceremonies. Couples can choose a smaller, more intimate celebration or take exclusive use of the whole hotel for larger numbers. For exclusive use, the hotel asks for a minimum number of guests on the day and for 24 of its 26 rooms to be booked for the wedding night. An in-house wedding coordinator works with the couple in the run-up to the day and books the first consultation. A date can be held provisionally for two weeks before a deposit is needed.
The wedding package covers the use of Ty Horeb for the ceremony, a red carpet on arrival, a welcome drink of the couple's choice for every guest, a trio of canapes, a three-course wedding breakfast, two glasses of house wine during the meal, a sparkling toast for each adult, the cake stand and knife, evening snacks for all guests, a discount on guest rooms and the honeymoon suite for the night. Custom packages are also available, and every element can be upgraded. Couples may bring a band, a DJ or singing waiters. Music stops at 11:45pm.
Rooms and capacities
Ty Horeb is the hotel's own ceremony space, a former Wesleyan chapel built in 1810 and restored, with tall arched windows and a gallery. The wedding package is priced on at least 80 guests, and extra guests can be added. The official site does not publish a seated or standing figure for the dining room used for wedding breakfasts, so numbers above 80 should be checked with the coordinator.
Accommodation
There are 24 bedrooms and 2 penthouse apartment suites, each decorated in a contemporary style, with Myddfai toiletries and free Wi-Fi. All rooms are non-smoking. The penthouse suite Dinefwr is offered to the couple for the wedding night. It looks over the town and Penlan Park and has a large double bath and a super king bed.
Catering
The kitchen, Cegin Cawdor, serves a three-course wedding breakfast in the style of a Sunday lunch, adapted to taste and dietary needs. An upgrade to a menu written for the couple by the head chef is available. Corkage is not available. Outside weddings, the hotel runs a restaurant, a bar and seasonal events such as a New Year's Eve murder mystery dinner.
History and setting
The Cawdor is an 18th-century hotel with a bright red front, now listed Grade II. Inside, an open fire, sofas and vintage photographs of the hotel's past furnish the reception and bar. The Sunday Times Travel named it among the 100 best hotels in Britain. Llandeilo sits above the River Tywi, crossed by a stone bridge built in 1848, and its streets are lined with colored Georgian and Edwardian houses. The Towy Valley and the castles of Dinefwr and Carreg Cennen are close by.
Getting there
Llandeilo lies east of Carmarthen in the Towy Valley. The hotel stands on Rhosmaen Street in the town center. Guests can stay on site, which suits weddings where most of the party travels from further afield.
