Wedding couple at the top of the aisle with the guests standing.

Weddings in the Drawing Room

The Gaskells’ drawing room has been carefully restored with authentic Victorian furnishings, including a boudoir grand piano which can be played by an experienced pianist. This comfortable room is perfect for intimate ceremonies for up to 36 people. This includes the couple and 34 guests.

Order of the day

The couple will arrive first and you can access Elizabeth Gaskell’s bedroom as a prep room and private space. Guests will enter through the original front doors into the entrance hall. They are then free to mingle and explore.

Our wedding coordinators will ensure that everyone is seated so that you can make a grand entrance down the sweeping staircase. The important part comes next… you get married!

After the ceremony, you can enjoy a drinks reception in the entrance hall and period rooms. You can mingle with your guests, wander around the house and garden and take some beautiful photos.

If you wish, you can also have your reception at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. Our Servants Hall is the perfect space for your wedding breakfast and dancefloor!

If the Drawing Room sounds like the perfect choice for you, please contact our wedding coordinators by completing the enquiry form below. Alternatively, email enquiries@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk or call 0161 273 2215.

If you’re getting married in the summer, our Garden is also available for ceremonies. All of our couples have exclusive hire of the house on their wedding day so you will still have access to all of the rooms.

Packages and pricing

We offer a 3 or 5 hour package and additional hours can be booked on top of this.

In our experience, 3 hours is the perfect amount of time for your ceremony, drinks reception and photographs. Our 5-hour package allows for all of the above as well as time for a wedding breakfast. Extra hours can be added if you wish to hold your full reception with us.

Spring/summer 2025 prices for a 3-hour package start from £1,050 (midweek) and £1,200 (weekend).

Reviews

“We hired Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in October 2023 for an intimate wedding ceremony and drinks reception and it was the perfect setting. The team have lovingly curated a gorgeous, authentic Victorian environment that provides a wonderful atmosphere. I can’t thank Katie and Lucy enough. They were masters at putting people at ease and accommodating my vision for the day. They were heroes when we threw curveballs like forgetting half the decs at our allocated set up time, friends arriving late and family sneaking in their own invitees (shock). Thank you, thank you, thank you! This venue trumps any other we saw for affordability but without compromise. You’re also paying into the preservation of the museum, rather than the wildly extortionate wedding industry. If you want a beautiful ceremony close to the city centre, please don’t hesitate to consider EG House. We have had immensely positive feedback about the day and we don’t think it could have been better – keep doing what you do!”

Mariah & Chris – married October 2023

We've got a house...it certainly is a beauty...I must try and make the house give as much pleasure to others as I can.’

Elizabeth Gaskell, in a letter to her friend Eliza Fox in 1850.