While you may spend your time as a student slogging away in the library or downing pints at the pub, some lovebirds are using this time to find their soulmates. The grounds of university campuses are ripe for romance, so what better place to hold your wedding than at uni?
Whether it’s stained glass windows or open gardens, these universities all offer something incredible for prospective couples. Will you be a Birmingham bride or a Glasgow groom? These are the best Russell Group unis for a wedding.
The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
The Divinity School via YouTube
The Bodleian Libraries are a gothic dream for students who spend most of their time reading wistfully. The gorgeous divinity school features a vaulted stone carved ceiling, stone flooring and large windows to let light through. Where the divinity school is light and airy, the other venue option called Convocation House and Chancellors Court, is dark and brooding. A beautiful spot to commemorate your undying love for Blue VKs (Oxford’s colour is blue if you didn’t know).
Whitworth Hall, University of Manchester
@westudioimage The University of Manchester (Whitworth Hall where the magic begins) #theuniversityofmanchester #graduation #graduationceremony #graduationphotoshoot #grad2024
If you’re a BNOC at uni, this will make a great wedding venue for its ability to hold up to 675 people standing and 300 banquet style. The hall is grand and romantic, with stained glass windows, wood-panelled walls and an organ to complement the divinely luxurious, yet classy vibe.
Kings College Hall and Back Lawn, University of Cambridge
Kings College Hall via YouTube
This is a truly picturesque space, with the imposing buildings providing a fantastic backdrop to any fairytale wedding. The dining hall also features yards of snowy white, candlelit tables beneath a warm carved wooden ceiling. If you have any friends called Tarquin or Millicent, there’s a very high chance that you might be a guest at this venue in a few years time, it’s deliciously posh.
The Great Hall, University of Birmingham
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Birmingham’s Great Hall is equally as lush as Cambridge’s except this one’s vaulted archways are made of stone instead of wood. With balconies overlooking the banquet area perfect for spying on the guests below, it’s excellent for a drama loving couple. Invite the relatives who hate each other, put them at the same table and you’ve got wedding entertainment sorted.
Old College and Playfair Library, University of Edinburgh
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With the stunning law school providing the entrance to the Playfair Library, any wedding here has already got off to a great start. With its clean white colonnade running down the length of the library and the old books locked up behind gold bars, this venue has an almost mystical, magical aura about it. Or maybe that’s just the sounds of the Harry Potter tour guides outside wafting through the windows.
Bute Hall, University of Glasgow
@uofglasgow Bute Hall during grads is just
#UofGgrad25 #Graduation #UniTok #University #UniversityOfGlasgow #GlasgowUni #Glasgow #ButeHall
Where other halls flaunt plain carved stone walls, Bute Hall is intricately decorated with colourful wallpaper and woodwork. Ornate columns and colourful stained glass windows give this hall a luxurious feel to it that would be perfect for a bougie bride or groom.
Ness Botanic Gardens, University of Liverpool
Ness Botanic Gardens from above via YouTube
Calling all the granola girls and guys! This venue takes you deep into the greenery and gorgeousness of nature, based in the university’s botanic gardens (how cool is it that the uni has its own botanic gardens??). Perfect for a laidback spring time wedding, you can practice for the ceremony right now by kicking back on the lawn with your friends.
Royal Holloway Chapel, Royal Holloway University of London
@photosfromsophie England has the prettiest chapels wow
#wedding #weddingtok #weddingtiktok #weddingphotographer #weddingplanning #bride #bridetobe #cathedralwedding #churchweddings #royalholloway
Ok whilst this isn’t technically one of the best Russell Group unis for a wedding, it’s still a beautiful location and deserves a mention so I saved the best but perhaps the most disappointing for last. The best because of how beautiful the gilded 19th century venue is, with its Sistine Chapel-like murals and gold painted walls. The most disappointing because, unless you are a student, alumni or member of staff at the university – you can’t get married there. Is it too late to get my masters there?
Featured image via Instagram @unibirmingham @ediuniestates and TikTok @uofglasgow
