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IDYLLIC VENUE

WEDDINGS

THE HEART OF CAMBRIDGE

Set in 20 acres of lawns located in the heart of Cambridge, Downing College is an idyllic venue for your wedding day. With a combination of beautiful architecture, tranquil gardens and landscaping, our wedding couples can relax and enjoy their day knowing they are in safe and experienced hands.

The College and its grounds are available for a limited number of weddings in July and August for College alumni, Fellows, current members and staff. Please do not hesitate to call us on 01223 334860 or email us to request our wedding brochure, arrange a site visit or discuss questions you may have. Downing College is now fully booked for 2024, but we would be delighted to speak with you about your wedding plans for 2025 and beyond.


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YOUR CEREMONY

The Howard Building offers a classical and elegant venue for your Civil Ceremony. The Assembly Room, which is situated on the first floor, is a spacious room with decorative scrolls, an abundance of natural light and a balcony overlooking the West Lodge Garden. Situated on the ground floor is the Drawing Room with patio doors opening out on to the West Lodge Garden. An ideal area for a drinks reception and photographs following your ceremony.

YOUR RECEPTION

After the wedding breakfast and speeches, why not continue the festivities in the Howard Building. The ground-floor Drawing Room features a fully stocked bar and lounge, whilst the first-floor Assembly Room can be used for a band or disco to dance the night away! 

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THE HALL

Couples have the opportunity to enjoy their wedding breakfast in our stunning neo-classical College Hall. Seating up to 140 guests, you can dine in a beautiful, vibrant and warm room filled with rich character. After your four-course wedding breakfast is served, we invite our guests to then enjoy a drinks reception in the Senior Combination Room and the Fellows Garden, to further unwind before the Hall is transformed into an evening entertainment venue.

YOUR WEDDING COORDINATOR

Kerry-Ann, our experienced and dedicated Wedding Coordinator, prides herself on ensuring she can create your dream celebration, paying attention to the finest of details to make sure everything runs smoothly. From the initial enquiry to your big day, you will be looked after and cared for. Kerry-Ann is there to answer all your questions no matter how big or small.

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WEDDING PACKAGE

Downing College offers two different packages to ensure that all your requirements for your special day are met in our unique College environment. Details of each of the packages can be viewed below, together with Frequently Asked Questions. 

 

AVAILABLE ROOMS

GRACE
HOWARD
ROOM


DRAWING ROOM

MUSIC ROOM
AND
TIM CADBURY

WEST LODGE
AND
MAITLAND ROOM


ASSEMBLY ROOM

HOWARD
THEATRE
AUDITORIUM

Just a quick note before we board the plane to say a massive THANK YOU to you and everyone at Downing for a truly perfect wedding weekend. We had the best time, felt so supported and relaxed throughout the whole wedding and couldn't have asked for a better experience. We know that is all down to your hard work in the months, weeks and days leading up to Saturday, as well as on the day itself. All of our guests had so much fun and were so impressed by the college, staff and the food. The food was incredible!! 

Downing provided an absolutely fantastic day! They had a high attention to detail, throughout the months of planning beforehand and on the day itself. The grounds at Downing are stunning and provided a beautiful back drop to photos. Guests also enjoyed exploring the vast grounds in small groups whilst the band were setting up in the evening. In general, all guests expressed how much they enjoyed their day at Downing, especially those that chose to stay the nights around the wedding. Thank you to everyone at Downing who made the day so amazing!

We had the most perfect wedding day at Downing! All your wonderful organisation paid off fabulously. The venue looked stunning, the food was exquisite - please do thank and compliment your chef most warmly from us - the serving staff were attentive but not intrusive, and you personally co-ordinated all the different elements superbly. Our overnight guests enjoyed their lovely rooms and great breakfasts in that impressive hall, and both they and our day guests felt looked after by you and the porters wonderfully and were able to find their way around the site comfortably and happily in all respects. We have had so many positive comments from our guests who were all blown away by every detail of the day. 

Thank you ever so much. It was without a doubt the best day of our lives. We are still completely overwhelmed with joy and happiness. Thank you for your help in both preparation and execution, and for accommodating the cultural nuances. We are truly so grateful for all your hard work in creating such a wonderful memory.

We both wanted to drop you a line to say a huge thank you for all your help organising our wedding. We had the most perfect day and so many of our guests said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to!

Yesterday was wonderful, a perfect day. The weather was great, and the college and rooms looked resplendent. Sarah was lovely, and wonderfully just discreetly, managed everything without any notice or fuss, and certainly that helped us to relax and enjoy things so much more. 

The food was delicious - all of it - and everyone (and I mean everyone!) remarked at how good it was. Compliments to the chef(s) and their team. The folks who kindly served us all were also perfect and respectfully navigated the small children and bustle! We will send some formal thanks but for the time being just wanted to convey our immediate gratitude for a memorable and wonderful wedding. We loved it and so did all our families and closest friends.

CONTACT US

Use one of the methods below to get in touch with us.

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Email

Our friendly team is here to help

conference@dow.cam.ac.uk

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Office

Come and visit us

Conference and Events Office
Downing College
Regent Street
Cambridge CB2 1DQ

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Phone

Mon – Fri, 8.30am – 5pm

+44 (01223) 334 860