River Cottage
100 acre organic farm wedding venue tucked in the rolling hills of Devon
Who are we...
River Cottage HQ is a fantastic wedding venue for your ceremony and celebration. Our 100 acre organic farm is tucked amongst rolling hills on the Dorset and Devon border.
Celebrate your wedding day at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s iconic River Cottage in Axminster, Devon. The venue sits on 100 acres of organic farmland and is located just a short distance from the stunning Jurassic Coast. This estate is a unique setting for your celebration, with a strong emphasis on the food served throughout the day.
Facilities and Capacity
The venue is fully licensed to conduct civil ceremonies and partnerships. Couples can say their vows in Hugh’s famous farmhouse, the beautifully refurbished barn with breathtaking views across the Axe Valley, or in the walled garden. The Threshing Barn is the perfect rustic venue all year round and can accommodate up to 100 seated guests for your ceremony and 60 for dining. In the evening, the team will clear the tables to make room for 120 guests to dance into the night. After the night has drawn to a close, you can retire to the refurbished 17th-century farmhouse.
Services Offered
At River Cottage, couples receive a dedicated wedding coordinator who is on hand to plan their perfect celebration and ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. Accommodation and bed and breakfast for six people in the farmhouse are included in your wedding package. A marquee can be provided for shelter for outdoor weddings, while facilities are offered for both DJs and live bands.
Cuisine
Couples are invited down to the farm to design their seasonal menu in collaboration with the fantastic River Cottage chefs. The focus is on the food. All of the dishes created here use the finest homegrown, local, organic, and seasonal ingredients, guaranteed to impress your guests.
From the outset of River Cottage HQ, the intention was to create a site that was low carbon, low energy and that considered the various issues of sustainability on the site. River Cottage developed a holistic approach for the site that would assure nothing went to waste and that all aspects of the energy creation, infrastructure and physical build were realised with maximum sustainability.
Everything from the materials sourced to the systems used, strives to have minimal impact on the environment. We harvest rainwater from our roof and the Proven WT2500 wind turbine at the top of our hill supplies some of the electricity for the site. We are ambassadors for the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We are proud that our farm carries organic certification as accredited by the Soil Association and is managed under Countryside and Environmental Stewardship; schemes run by Natural England.
“River Cottage was the perfect venue for our big day – we aren’t super traditional, love being outdoors and enjoy eating good food! We fell in love with the relaxed vibe, and were so excited to get married in a beautiful garden – what more can you want than a robin singing along whilst you read your vows?! Magical! We honestly had the best time.” – David & Charlie, 2023
“At River Cottage, our wedding day was perfect. My husband and I woke up the next day on cloud nine and we both agreed it really could not have been any more perfect. Our day felt unique to us, but the team were so well organised you could tell they’d had done this many times before, but taking just as much care each time.” – Lucy & Alex, 2023
“We are so delighted to have had our wedding at River Cottage HQ. Being foodies and trying to live sustainably, the ethos and spirit of RCHQ was a perfect match for our big day. We would absolutely recommend the venue to couples who want to celebrate their marriage in an intimate, beautiful, sophisticated and relaxed venue. Thank you to the RCHQ team – we can’t wait to visit again, hopefully for an anniversary celebration!” – Fazana & Jason, 2023