Studland Bay House stands on Ferry Road above one of the loveliest stretches of the Dorset coast, an Edwardian country house looking out over Studland Bay with Old Harry Rocks to one side, the Isle of Wight on a clear horizon and the lights of Bournemouth away to the other. Six acres of mature gardens fall away in front of it, and a path from the bottom of them takes you straight onto the beach, which is the sort of detail that tends to settle a decision. By day the view is blue water and white sails; by night it is a scattering of coastal lights and, if you are lucky, a proper sky full of stars.
The house is let exclusively and, unusually, by the week — Wednesday to Wednesday — so a wedding here becomes a holiday with a party in the middle of it. There are 9 double bedrooms sleeping 18, and the Knoll House across the road absorbs more guests if you need it. Ceremonies are licensed in a pleasing variety of places: the oak-panelled hall for 30 seated, the drawing room or the dining room for 22, or outdoors on the front lawn and veranda for 120, in the lower gardens for 130, or in the Secret Garden looking out over the sea for the same. Catering is done in house by the team who live and work there, with full table service and everything supplied, which removes a whole tier of planning. Most couples put a marquee on the lawn, or further down towards the cricket pitch where it sits almost on the sea — pitch it end-on to the view with a clear gable and you will not need much else in the way of decoration.
Where the band plays
With a marquee doing the heavy lifting, the layout is yours to design, and the usual advice applies: put the band at the end furthest from the view so the open gable stays clear, and keep the bar on the same side as the dancefloor so the party has a centre of gravity. Canvas is kind to live music, softening reflections and giving the sound an easy fullness, and a crowd of 120 or so in a marquee of the right size is close to ideal — big enough to feel like an event, small enough that the front row of dancers is never more than a few feet from the band.
How the evening runs
The shape of the day tends to follow the light: a ceremony in the garden, drinks on the terrace while the sun works its way round the bay, dinner as it sets, and then dancing until around midnight. That gives a band two full sets with a break, and the break is worth planning for here, because a warm night and a beach path below make for the sort of wandering that a good venue encourages. Do talk through sound levels and the finish time when you book — Studland is a small, quiet village and the house sits among neighbours — and agree how the marquee gets power and where a van can park before the day rather than on it.
Bands available in Dorset and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Dorset.
- Dorset Wedding Bands
- Dorset Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Dorset
- Wedding DJs in Dorset
- Corporate Entertainment in Dorset
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.