Lower Damgate Farm

Lower Damgate Farm is situated in the Peak District National Park, nestled between the magnificent Valleys of Dovedale and the Manifold Rivers with far reaching views over the Peaks and surrounded by National Trust land.
Weddings
Our venue is unique, relaxed and supports Dovedale Animal Sanctuary where we only host a small number of weddings a year, where all the accommodation is booked with the venue, leaving you with exclusive use of the farm for the 3-night weekend.
Our 12 Large weddings a year can host from 40 to 180 guests, with use of the whole barn and grounds for your ceremony and reception, management of your day with staff etc as well as live music and all the support you need to help create your dream day as well as all the accommodation on site. We have also independently won the Lux Life Rustic Wedding Venue of the Year award for 2023, (we had no idea that some of our guests and couples had nominated us and to win was a massive shock, but we are absolutely thrilled as the farm is very special as you will hopefully see if you come and view)
Small weddings are for up to a maximum of 40 guests, (all who are resident on the farm for the weekend) Use of the barn and grounds for your ceremony, sadly restrictions apply in so much that your reception would be in the garden room, your day would not be managed, and no amplified music is allowed in the barn for a reception. However, there are no restrictions for the use of the cottages, and your residents’ guests will be onsite with you all weekend.)
Hire of the farm is over three days, you’ll have time with family and friends before your big day and afterwards as well. Your wedding is completely your own as you’ll plan and design it yourself, creating your own dream wedding where we have put the infrastructure in place, though it is your imagination that makes it special and unique, and every wedding is different. For large weddings, you source your own music and caterers without the tie of having to use specific suppliers, giving you freedom of choice.
For large weddings, please be assured that even as a DIY venue we do not leave you to do all the hard work yourself and over the months and weeks leading to your wedding we are there to guide and support you and we and our staff will manage your day to your specifications. However, for small weddings, we also support and guide, but the day is manged by yourselves, and we do not provide staff unless you ask for it.
All our weddings support Dovedale Animal Sanctuary, and though the animals may play a big part in your wedding, where you and your guests will enjoy photographs and hopefully feed the Alpacas and Goats, these animals are all rescued, and we ask that guests are mindful of this. However, we lend ourselves to guests who love animals and don’t mind them being part of your big day! Our cheeky goats and alpacas love to photo bomb and they may come and say hello especially to those who have apple or a carrot or two!
Whatever size your wedding is, Dovedale Barn and grounds are licenced for civil ceremonies where you can get married either inside the barn or outside in this beautiful setting.
Large weddings include * staff, toilets, furniture, tables, and chairs as well as a stage and dance floor. Fairy lights are also included plus props, red post box for your cards, and other little touches that add to the magic of the place, this saves you additional costs in hiring these items in. In addition, the barn has a large parlour area, (great for prepping food) but sadly not for cooking in (caterers use their own structures) there is also the Garden Room, bar, cosy seating area, foyer, loos, and a shower. Live and amplified music is permitted until 11.30 and we welcome a culture of diversity at the farm.
Small weddings include all of the above apart from live or amplified music, nor does it include staff or management of your day.
Dovedale Barn as well as being licenced for ceremonies is very different from a usual ‘farm barn’, this 4800 square foot building has a stunning vaulted wooden ceiling which is strung with twinkly fairy lights and light cascades at the sides. The barn has its own wow factor and creates the atmosphere for a completely different wedding day!
There is also a lovely light and airy Garden Room as well as the adjacent field to get married in, The barn, garden room and outside areas are all licenced for civil ceremonies, the backdrop of the stunning views and Peaks beyond is a magical setting for a wedding.
All you will need to do is arrange for a registrar (we can’t do this for you, but we happily provide these details for you and support you from the moment you book). There is also the option of getting married in our local churches of Ilam or Alstonefield. Wherever you decide to hold your ceremony or blessing you can be assured that you will be surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Peak District National Park.
Adjacent to the barn is our outside ceremony area, this manicured field hosts a very old standing stone, not quite stone henge! but the ambiance of the farm speaks for itself and you can see why the Saxons and Vikings chose to live here, with the amazing views and sunsets that the farm enjoys. If you are after an outdoor games, festival or afternoon tea, picnic affair, then this area is also good for creating that environment (though sadly we can't guarantee the English weather) For mingling and barmy days there is also a large outside gravelled reception area where guests can enjoy comfortable seating and watch the alpacas looking on. In addition, there is a lovely circular fire pit where you can share marshmallows and keep warm later on in the evening.
There are amazing views across the farm and the barn overlooks the hills to Dovedale and highlights the magnificence of this softer part of the Peak District. We have 22 acres of lovely farm grounds, hay meadows, a pond with a little bridge as well as woods, gazebos, hay barn and other areas that offer great photograph opportunities.
Dovedale Barn is hired on a "DIY" basis where you set up and take down. However, on your wedding day we do not leave you to fend for yourself and after you set-up, you hand your day over to us to manage to your specifications of which we will have gone through months in advance.
For large weddings, the price also includes staff * which is a much-needed resource for your day, and we manage your day smoothly behind there scenes. We serve your welcome drinks and canapés, pour champagne for speeches as well as help to put out evening food, cut up cakes, serve tea and coffee etc. (the only thing we don’t do is help your caterers as we just don’t have the resource for that as well) We also keep things clean & tidy and well stocked; we will hopefully leave everything as well as we can for you by the end of the evening before we hand it back to you!
With regards to suppliers, these are for you to choose, and we believe in the freedom of not being tied to a venue’s stipulation. However, we have built up a useful suppliers and helpful list and you can choose your own caterer with no middleman costs! However, this is not finite so if you find a supplier that you like then you are welcome to hire them.
We hate the thought of corkage, and you are free to provide your own welcome, speech and table wine with no corkage, up to a specific time, In addition, we run a fully stocked licenced charity sales bar where all proceeds go to support Dovedale Animal Sanctuary.
The Farm Accommodation is inclusive to your wedding and exclusive to you. These include cottages with 14 bedrooms as well as the Alpaca Hut, our honeymoon suite with a Hot Tub.
In 2021 and 2022 the cottages were awarded best farm accommodation in the Northwest and midlands respectively, and all have 5-star reviews on google, Facebook and Airbnb.
Our accommodation has affectionally been referred to as the “Tardis” as it seems larger on the inside, They up to 36 guests in permanent beds as well as another 4 in put ups. In addition you have the Alpaca Hut sleeping 2, and in the summer months we have our little gypsy caravan, sleeping another 2, Exclusive use of the farm accommodation sleeps a maximum of 40 guests.
Rosie’s Retreat and wild field camping is an additional seasonal extra, with the facilities shared either in the cottages or Dovedale Barn, where there are shower and toilet facilities.
The whole farm grounds, barn and accommodation is completely at your disposal for three nights (normally Friday to Monday) This enables you to spend quality time with the guests who you've chosen to be with you on site, as well as having the relaxed atmosphere to set up and then get ready at leisure with those closest to you. Feedback from guests say the added weekend break creates ‘amazing quality time’ and often breaks the ice for those meeting for the first time!
As we are nestled in the Peak District National Park overlooking Dovedale and the Manifold areas, the views from the farm and Dovedale Barn are amazing, and the sunsets are spectacular! Please look at our Facebook page Lower Damgate Farm Cottages and Wedding Venue to see all our pictures of our weddings.
As mentioned before, please don't forget the animals as the goats and alpacas will surely love to share your weekend! Your very own wedding crashers! Maybe the chickens and geese too as all our animals are free range! You’ll get some amazing photographs with them as well as in some lovely bespoke areas that we have created for you around the farm. Karl and I often follow you around with our cameras and most of the photos on our social media and all on our website are ours! unless credited. You couldn't have a wedding at the farm without including the animals as the goats and alpacas love to photo bomb and the animals, we share with you are good natured and tame! That’s why photographs with the animals are often asked for, we are also happy to use one of the goats as a ring bearer!
Now for the serious part! We are a very individual family run and relaxed venue, with a few quirky rules! This is due to the fact that we are situated in The Peak District National Park which is classed as an area of outstanding area of natural beauty and with this comes strict planning restrictions.
Even though we are remote and rural, music does carry in the hills, and we have a noise limiter installed. We welcome live and amplified music and often have bands, ceilidhs, and discos, but sadly amplified music must end by 11.30pm, and all non-resident guests must leave the site by midnight.
We are a friendly family run farm, with an attitude to life that is relaxed and wants to make a difference. There is no corporate feel to the place, as we live onsite and have diversified to ensure that the animal sanctuary is supported, we always say that Nothing is a problem and if we can do it will, but if we can't then there is a really good reason why we cant.
Therefore if after reading this you would like a wedding that is completely different, over three days, relaxed, happy, with your own theme and very much your own thing, plus a few goats, and alpacas in your photographs, stunning far-reaching views, hay meadows and the odd straw bale or two, then maybe we are for you!