Weddings at Swords Castle
Swords Castle - Guidelines for Civil/Secular Ceremonies
Guidelines
Registration of Civil and Secular Marriages
All Civil marriages in Swords Castle must be registered with the HSE. The HSE require a minimum of three months notice of any union. Civil marriages that are being conducted by an HSE Registrar at Swords Castle will require venue approval forms to be submitted to the HSE. Our staff can help you with these forms. Approval is granted for each individual ceremony. Please note that HSE Registrars will only conduct ceremonies from Monday to Friday at 3.30 p.m. only.
Secular marriages in Swords Castle must be arranged with a registered Secular Solemniser (details on the Humanist Association of Ireland’s website www.humanism.ie)
Secular weddings are legally binding. The HSE will require the minimum notice of three months.
HSE Contact details: Civil Registration Service, Eastern Registration Area, Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2.
Phone 01-8638200 Web: www.hse.ie
Booking
To Book your Ceremony in Swords Castle
Swords Castle is available to book Monday to Wednesday for wedding ceremonies. The cost of getting married in Swords Castle is €500. A non-refundable deposit of €100 is required. Upon completion of our booking form, you will receive a booking reference number and options for payment of deposit, your date will be confirmed. The balance of your ceremony is due at least 30 days prior to your ceremony.
For Booking form - Please email : swords.castleevents@fingal.ie
Swords Castle will provide:
- Banquet chairs laid out for guests (The maximum number of people in the Chapel Room must not exceed 70 at any one time, this includes the wedding couple, Registrar and staff).
- A table and chairs for the bridal party
- Red carpet
- A parking space reserved for use by the Registrar
- A separate private area for the Registrar for one hour before and a half an hour after the ceremony
- A responsible person on hand before, during and after your ceremony as per HSE guidelines
Venue
Dressing the Venue
Each couple will want to decorate the Chapel Room in their own individual way. You will be permitted access to the Chapel Room one hour prior to the service commencing to decorate . We encourage you to bring whatever flowers, candles, aisle markers you may prefer but remember this is a national monument so please adhere to the following conditions:
- No confetti, rice or petals to be thrown
- Nothing to be affixed to the walls (any damage caused must be paid for in full by the hirer)
- All candles must be in lanterns with lids
- No balloons or inflatable decorations
- No food or beverages to be displayed or consumed on site for one hour before and for the duration of the ceremony, as per HSE guidelines
- There is strictly no parking permitted within the Castle Grounds
- Strictly non-religious ceremonies only.
*****
Testimonials
"I have to say the experience was absolutely amazing. As both of us grew up in Swords, I knew the Castle was going to be the perfect venue but it really did exceed my expectations. It was also so easy to get in touch and I always had quick replies back when I had any questions. The girl working there even helped me find a vendor to decorate the chapel. I would 100% and already have been recommending the castle as a wedding venue. I think a lot of my guests were shocked at how stunning it actually was more inside and have been spreading the word too.
My photos in the castle grounds turned out amazing and our video walking through the grounds looks like something from a film. My favourite thing was the chapel. The interior is so amazing. I felt like a real life princess getting married in there. You could feel the history of the place I when you stepped inside! I will remember that day forever. Thank you so much for providing such a fantastic venue. I hope many other brides get to experience it."
Shauna and Brian
"My husband and I celebrated our civil ceremony at Swords Castle. From the booking and set up of registration to the day of the ceremony the staff at Swords were great in making sure our documentation was in on time and we were all set up for the day. We had a very positive experience celebrating our wedding there and it couldn’t have gone smoother! My favourite part was the gardens and outside the castle, we took lovely photos with the beautiful historic backdrops. The inside is gorgeous with stained glass windows and we were allowed decorate it with careful instructions on how to take care of the venue (We hired Julie from Love at First Site wedding decorator) and a balcony above the guests for our harpist (Luke Webb) to play music in the background. We had an intimate ceremony of 20 guests and there was plenty of space and comfortable chairs. We would recommend Swords Castle to other couples looking to have a beautiful civil ceremony in a historic monument! The staff are fantastic and so supportive throughout the whole process. The wedding was a dream to plan and we would do it all again if we could!"
Liah and Manuel
"Oh our experience was amazing. Swords Castle was so easy to work with, with no hassle and had no problem catering for wheelchair access! It is such a beautiful venue, and it is so cosy, warm and intimate. Would 100% recommend it to everyone!"
Laura and James
"Joanne was so helpful with the booking and viewing of the castle. The process was very easy and the ground men were always willing to accommodate us with access to plan the décor for the day. The Chapel itself is beautiful so we just added led candles and dried wild flowers ,nothing more was needed. We are both from Swords and remember the castle in ruins, so to get married there, as it stands now, was a dream come true . The wedding day was beautiful and better than we could have ever imagined. We would definitely recommend the castle as a venue for a wedding."
Forever grateful
June and Sean
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