Hiring your home out for weddings can be a lucrative business, but not all houses are suitable. Here’s what you need to think about.

Indoor space

Most wedding venues require a formal dining or banqueting room large enough to cater for at least 100 guests. Milhanger, featured below, has a reception room that could comfortably accommodate that number; the double doors that lead on to a balcony overlooking the lake are an added bonus.

Preparation areas

You will need space for a commercial kitchen and sufficient room to store supplies.

Outdoor space

Grounds should be large enough for a marquee. Goldingtons, also featured below, offers the ideal setting for a marquee, with far-reaching views over the Chess Valley.

Attractive setting

Grounds that will look good in the wedding photographs are another important factor. Great views, beautifully landscaped gardens and a lake all help to create the perfect backdrop.

Accommodation

Think about providing overnight accommodation for the bridal party before the wedding. At the very least, you will need somewhere for the bride and bridesmaids to make their pre-ceremony preparations.

Accessibility

Good transport links to central London and international airports are preferable.

The following properties would all make excellent wedding venues. One – Goldingtons in Hertfordshire – is so perfect it featured as the first reception in the film, Four Weddings and a Funeral.