Martinstown House

Ballysax, The Curragh,
Co. Kildare, Ireland
View their website

Average Base Cost: $21,000

Our average base cost for a Martinstown House wedding is calculated by figuring a 100-person guest list on a Saturday evening reception with a food/beverage catering price of $135/pp plus $6,700 for a hotel buyout (converted from euros), which includes lodging for 12 people for two nights. Entertainment, additional decorations and rentals, transportation, and photography are not included. Price is rounded up to the nearest thousand. Gratuity and sales tax included.

*Prices subject to change

How it breaks down:

Facility Rental Fee: Martinstown House is available on an exclusive basis. High season venue rental includes two nights accommodation in six guest rooms (sleeps 12-15 people total) for €5,950 (does not account for euro-to-dollar conversion), and includes use of the grounds and marquee. Special rates are available for small, midweek, and winter weddings.

What’s Included: 

• Exclusive use of Martinstown House
• Classic Indian-style tent for up to 220 people
• The gardens & 140 acres of grounds
• A large variety of potential photograph locations, from the gardens to the woods to the drawing room.
• Accommodation for 12 for two nights, including a large breakfast.
• The Bird Room for the couple on the night of the wedding, with Victorian full length mirror, oversized bathroom and balcony overlooking the flower meadow.
• Champagne, chocolates and flowers in the bride and groom’s room on the wedding night.
• Complimentary wedding menu tasting with the venue’s Ballymaloe trained cook (t&c apply).
• Free parking.
• Personal planning meetings.
• Flowers from the garden for the house.
• Table for wedding cake & antique silver cake knife.
• White tablecloths.
• Use of their store of decorations, from fairy lights to candelabras, quirky lanterns to colorful table cloths.
• Extensive contacts with local wedding suppliers to help ensure you get “the best service and price for any outside help you need.”
• Family run house, with over 30 years in the hotel & catering business.

Food/Beverage: The average price for the meal and open bar would be around €120 per person, however this can of course vary based on your selections.

Vendors: You are welcome to hire outside vendors although there may be some additional costs.

More Stats:

Space Type: Inside/Outside. A standard wedding at Martinstown House will start with your ceremony in their 19th century walled garden with flowers in bloom. After the ceremony, a prosecco or cocktail reception will be waiting for guests in the house or on the lawn. Dinner will be served in their large tent, followed by wedding cake and a dessert buffet. After the sun sets they can light the bonfire and torches in the garden so that you may relax either inside or under the stars.

Size: Flexible. Their smallest wedding was for two people (the bride and groom!) the largest was 220 with plenty of room to spare. Their tent can accommodate up to 220 for dinner, while inside the house they can seat up to 20 in the dining room and up to 40 in the Drawing Room.

Bridal Suite: This would be your room, the Bird Room. Decorated with prints of exotic birds with a floor-to-ceiling Victorian gilded mirror, the room has some of the best views from the house across the parklands. It features a large walk-in wardrobe and King-sized bed. There is an open fire which can be lit on request. The large bathroom has views over the parkland and has both an oversized bath and separate shower.

Parking: Yes

How Will Grandma Get There? Martinstown House is located 1 hour from Dublin and 2 hours from Cork in Co. Kildare. Ideally Grandma would stay in one of the 6 suites provided, however there are also lodging options in Co. Kildare such as the Kildare House Hotel, which is a 15-minute drive away. The cost for lodging included with the wedding package is €4,950 for one night (includes the 6 guestrooms (sleeping 12-15 people) as well as use of the marquee and grounds) and each additional night is €1,000.

Party On! Events can go as late as you want. Amplified music must end by 1 a.m., but they welcome non-amplified music afterward. From the venue: “Some of our parties have enjoyed their night so much that they have been keen to watch the sun rise.”

The Report:

Martinstown House is a Strawberry Hill gothic style cottage ornée, just southeast of the Curragh (the capital of Irish flat [horse] racing) in County Kildare, Ireland. The house was built in the 1830s as a shooting and hunting lodge and, along with the lodges to Dublin’s Phoenix Park, is the only known Irish oeuvre of the English architect, Decimus Burton. Martinstown House is situated in its’ own miniature park, surrounded by mature trees and enclosed by stone walls. The rooms all have views over the park and farmlands, and have private bathrooms. Outside there is a well-maintained walled garden, a croquet lawn and a large marquee for your reception, with options for bonfires and torches in the evening.

Woman Getting Married Says:

Brides RAVE about weddings here, and we can see why. The location of the venue (1 hour from Dublin) is perfect for guests traveling from the US or abroad (they can stay a couple nights in Dublin, which has an international airport, before or after the wedding before renting a car and traveling to the venue). The Shannon Airport is also a great option. The venue and the grounds are charming and romantic and would be lovely for an intimate or big wedding, with either all of the wedding guests staying on-site or using nearby accommodations for a larger guest list. Budget-wise I also think this is a great deal for what you’re getting as well. This is definitely a must-see venue for brides planning a destination wedding in Ireland!

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