Antrim & the Causeway Coast: Intimate Wedding Venues

County Antrim is the part of Ireland everyone has already seen. The hexagonal columns of the Giant's Causeway, the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede, the dark hedges and cliff-edge castles of a hundred screensavers and half of Game of Thrones, all of it crowds into this one county in the island's top right corner. Coaches stream up the Causeway Coastal Route all summer long and the north coast has learned to perform for them.

Step one road inland, or arrive out of season, and a different Antrim appears. The nine Glens of Antrim run down from high moorland to the sea in green folds that the tour buses skip entirely, waterfalls dropping through forest to villages that still feel like working places. The lough shore south of Larne keeps its little harbours and painted terraces. And Belfast, twenty minutes from open countryside in almost any direction, gives the county something no other scenic corner of these islands can offer: a proper city with two airports, good restaurants and guests' hotels, right on the doorstep of the drama.

For a small wedding that combination is quietly unbeatable. Hire prices here start lower than almost anywhere we list, the venues run from sea-view barn to Gothic music hall and nothing is more than about an hour from arrivals. We have gathered the six best venues in the county, all verified on Littlewed with capacities and prices upfront, from the Glens to the city centre.

The Glens and the Causeway Coast

The north of the county is the showpiece, and its two venues could hardly be more different in style while sharing the same wild backdrop.

Kilmore Country House, Glenariffe

Kilmore Country House sits at the foot of Glenariff, the glen they call the queen of the nine, a 17th century gentleman's residence wrapped in woodland with waterfalls above it and views that reach across the sea to the Mull of Kintyre. It is an award-winning, exclusive-use venue that pairs heritage rooms with a ballroom, a spacious marquee overlooking the grounds and boutique bedrooms for the wedding party, so the whole celebration settles into the glen for the weekend. Glenariff Forest Park rises directly behind for photographs that look like the Ireland of the imagination. For couples torn between coast and country, this is the venue that refuses to choose. From £3,000 for up to 50 guests.

Stay Lagom, Ballycastle

Stay Lagom takes the small wedding at its word. Three restored houses in the Causeway Coast town of Ballycastle sleep up to 31 guests around a shared courtyard with gardens, fire pits and a hot tub, and the whole collection is yours on an exclusive-use basis. There is no function room and no top table, just multiple kitchens, lounges and libraries designed for people to actually spend time together, with private chefs available so nobody cooks on the day. It suits elopements, family gatherings and couples who want their wedding to feel like the best house party of their lives, with Rathlin Island and the Causeway a short drive away. From £3,000 for up to 31 guests.

The coaches see the Causeway and turn for home. The glens, the lough shore and the best of Antrim belong to whoever stays the weekend.

The Lough Shore

South of Larne the coast softens into Belfast Lough, and the sea views come with the city just half an hour away.

Altahammond Wedding Barn, near Whitehead

Altahammond Wedding Barn is the venue that keeps winning Antrim hearts, a family-run barn on the coast near Whitehead with sea views across Belfast Lough and a rustic, homely warmth that no purpose-built venue quite matches. Exclusive use guarantees yours is the only wedding on the day, the family's decade of catering experience means homemade food from fresh local produce and the on-site B&B at Altahammond House gives the wedding party boutique rooms overlooking the water. It is barely 30 minutes from Belfast yet feels a world apart, and at this price it may be the best value coastal wedding venue in Northern Ireland. From £2,000 for up to 50 guests.

Belfast and Its Countryside

The county's southern edge holds the city itself and the estates that hide surprisingly close to it.

The Belfast Empire Music Hall, Belfast

The Belfast Empire Music Hall is what happens when a Victorian Gothic church becomes one of Ireland's most storied music venues and then, occasionally, a wedding. Soaring balconies, sweeping red curtains and extraordinary acoustics make a reception here feel like a headline show, and the hall takes 50 guests in intimate style with room for up to 80 at dinner. Couples can bring their own caterer and stylist and shape the space freely, which keeps costs in your hands, and the city's hotels, bars and late trains are all within walking distance. For music-loving couples nothing else in the county comes close. From £1,800.

Larchfield Estate, near Lisburn

Larchfield Estate is Northern Ireland's benchmark for the luxury small wedding, an exclusive-use countryside estate just 20 minutes from Belfast with award-winning service and packages tailored to each couple. Weddings spread across multiple spaces from walled garden to barn, and the estate sleeps up to 43 guests in heritage cottages, cosy rooms and glamping, some with hot tubs, so the celebration rolls naturally into a house-party weekend. It is also a carbon-negative estate, which sits well with couples planning a smaller, more intentional day. From £3,500 for up to 50 guests.

"We wanted the coast, the countryside and a city night out for our guests. Antrim was the only county that said yes to all three."

Mid Antrim

Between the glens and the city, the farmland around Ballymena holds the county's easiest all-rounder.

Rosspark Hotel, Kells

Rosspark Hotel is the practical heart of this list, a countryside hotel near Ballymena, 30 minutes from Belfast, that has built its wedding reputation on transparent, customisable packages with no hidden costs. Choose your menu, add only the extras you want and let the in-house team run the day while guests settle into the hotel's rooms, bridal suite and spa facilities. Its central position makes it the natural gathering point when family is scattered across the county, and for couples who want a full-service wedding without exclusive-use pricing it is the straightforward choice. From £2,500 for up to 50 guests.

Planning an Antrim Wedding: The Practical Bits

Let the Causeway Coastal Route do your guest experience for you. The drive from Belfast to Ballycastle along the coast is among the most beautiful in Europe, passing Carrickfergus Castle, the Gobbins cliff path, Glenariff and Cushendun on the way to the Causeway itself. Point your guests at it for the day after and your wedding weekend plans itself.

Get the legal steps in early. In Northern Ireland each of you gives notice to the local council at least 28 days before the ceremony, at £22 per person, and civil ceremonies take place at approved venues while religious and humanist ceremonies, legal here since 2018, are arranged with your officiant. Our guide to getting legally married in Ireland vs the UK walks through the paperwork on both sides of the border.

Budget with Antrim numbers. Hire from £1,800 in the city and £2,000 on the coast undercuts nearly every county we cover, and our Northern Ireland cost guide breaks down what a full 30 to 40 guest wedding really costs here, line by line.

Look across the county lines too. The Causeway Coast runs on into County Londonderry, where Drenagh's 1,000 acres and Ardtara's gourmet country house both take small weddings, and our Northern Ireland venues guide gathers the best of all six counties. If lough shores and drumlins tempt you south, our County Down guide covers Strangford Lough's finest, and the country house wedding venues in Northern Ireland page collects the region's houses and estates in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a small wedding venue in County Antrim cost?

Venue hire in Antrim starts at £1,800 for the Belfast Empire Music Hall, with Altahammond Wedding Barn from £2,000, Rosspark Hotel from £2,500, Stay Lagom and Kilmore Country House from £3,000 and Larchfield Estate from £3,500. That makes Antrim one of the most affordable counties in these islands for a small wedding. A full celebration for 30 to 40 guests typically lands between £8,000 and £16,000 once catering, drinks and celebrant are counted.

Can you get legally married at these County Antrim venues?

In Northern Ireland civil ceremonies take place at approved venues or the registrar's office, and religious or humanist ceremonies, legally binding here since 2018, can happen more flexibly by arrangement with your officiant. Altahammond, Kilmore, Larchfield and Rosspark all host ceremonies routinely, and each couple gives 28 days notice to their local council at £22 per person. Always confirm the current approval arrangements for your ceremony type directly with the venue.

How far is the Causeway Coast from Belfast?

Closer than the scenery suggests. Ballycastle at the top of the coast is a little over an hour from Belfast by car, Glenariff around 50 minutes and Whitehead on the lough shore barely 30. Belfast International and Belfast City airports put every venue in this guide within 90 minutes of arrivals, and the Causeway Coastal Route between Belfast and the Giant's Causeway is one of the great road trips guests will happily build a weekend around.

Do County Antrim wedding venues have accommodation on site?

Most do. Stay Lagom sleeps up to 31 guests across three restored houses in Ballycastle, Larchfield Estate sleeps up to 43 in heritage cottages and glamping, Kilmore Country House has boutique bedrooms in the glen, Altahammond offers luxury B&B rooms overlooking Belfast Lough and Rosspark Hotel has a full hotel of rooms including a bridal suite. Only the Belfast Empire is ceremony-and-party only, and it sits in a city full of hotels.

When should we book an Antrim wedding venue?

Twelve months ahead for a summer Saturday is a safe rule, and earlier for the exclusive-use properties like Larchfield, Kilmore and Stay Lagom since each takes one wedding at a time. The Causeway Coast is at its dramatic best in September and October, when the crowds thin and the light turns gold, and winter dates are both easier to secure and better value.

The County That Has It All Within an Hour

Antrim's trick is compression. Nowhere else puts a world-famous coastline, nine quiet glens, a working city and some of the lowest venue hire prices in these islands inside a single hour's drive. A small wedding here can hold a ceremony in a glen, dinner by the lough and a last night out in Belfast without anyone repacking a bag. Every venue above is verified with capacities and prices upfront on our County Antrim venues page, and the rest of the region waits on our Northern Ireland venues page.