Plas Brondanw, in Llanfrothen near Penrhyndeudraeth in Gwynedd, offers its Orangery for weddings and civil ceremonies. The gardens are Grade I listed, set inside Eryri National Park, and the owners describe the venue as suited to small, intimate celebrations. The site is managed by the Clough Williams-Ellis Foundation, which also looks after the estate around it. No guest numbers are published, so this page suits couples planning a small ceremony.
Weddings and receptions
The Orangery is registered for weddings and civil ceremonies. The official site calls the setting romantic and describes the venue as right for a small, intimate celebration. Some couples use the gardens for wedding or engagement photographs and hold the reception elsewhere. The wedding page gives the name of the contact, Lowri Jones, for anyone who wants to discuss a booking.
Because the site does not state a capacity, send the number of guests you expect when you enquire, and ask about the layout of the Orangery, the use of the garden rooms, and what must be arranged elsewhere, such as a reception meal.
Rooms and capacities
The one named space for ceremonies is the Orangery. The gardens are laid out as a series of enclosed rooms linked by axial views to distant peaks. Within these garden rooms are sculptures and pieces of architectural salvage, as well as pools, fountains, stone walls and topiary. A woodland walk leads to a cascade and pool built into a disused quarry, and ends at a folly tower with 360 degree views of mountains and sea.
Ask the team for a visit before you decide, so that you can see the Orangery and walk the route your guests would take between the car park, the ceremony and the photograph locations.
Catering
The pages read do not describe catering. The wedding page suggests that receptions may take place elsewhere, and the gardens also have a cafe. Ask the team whether outside caterers are allowed.
History and setting
Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, the architect of Portmeirion, created the gardens, which many people consider his most important work. They draw on the gardens of Renaissance Italy and rely on structure rather than flowers: hedges, topiary, architecture and borrowed views of the mountains. A holm oak of more than 200 years is one of the notable trees. The folly tower was built to mark Clough's marriage in 1915.
Getting there
The gardens are at Plas Brondanw, Llanfrothen, Gwynedd LL48 6SW. Enquiries go to enquiries@plasbrondanw.com or by phone on 01766 772772.
