We’re thrilled to share that Leez Priory has already celebrated incredible recognition in 2026, proudly winning the Hitched Wedding Awards for the fourth year in a row and being named a finalist in the Guides for Brides Awards. In 2025 we where named a Finalist in the Guides for Brides Awards, awarded Regional Excellence Award for the South East by For Better For Worse and won in the Hitched Wedding Awards.
We were voted County Champion for the hotly contested Essex area in the Bridebook awards in 2022. In 2020, we won the ‘Best Countryside Wedding Venue’ category at the prestigious British Wedding Awards 2020 for the second year running! We were also shortlisted in the Best Historic Wedding Venue category at Hitched’s UK Wedding Awards in 2017 and 2019.
In previous years, we were voted ‘Best UK Wedding Venue’ by the readers of Wedding Ideas Magazine in 2014, and highly commended in the Best Wedding Venue category for the Perfect Wedding Awards in 2013. Finally, the readers of Wedding Ideas voted Leez Priory as best UK wedding venue for two years in a row in 2007 and 2008.
Nick and I got married at Leez Priory on 03.08.25. We had the most brilliant day. All of our guests commented on the beauty of the venue, the friendliness of the staff and the great food.
We cannot thank Rachel, our Personal Wedding Manager, enough. She was brilliant from start to finish – making sure everything went smoothly and generally just taking care of us when we were at our most nervous!
We also stayed in the cottage the night before, which meant we could relax and unwind in the hot tub the night before and take the stress out of getting to the venue in the morning. Thank you, Leez Priory, for a wonderful wedding to remember.
Leez Priory exceeded every expectation from start to finish. From the very beginning, Rachel, our Personal Wedding Manager, was absolutely incredible.
She patiently answered all our many questions quickly and clearly, making the entire lead-up stress-free and enjoyable. Her calm, friendly, and professional approach gave us such confidence — she truly went above and beyond, and honestly deserves a pay rise! Rachel made the whole experience smooth and unforgettable.
On the day, the staff were amazing — friendly, attentive, and genuinely caring. They took care of every detail without us needing to ask, making everything run perfectly. Our friends and family kept commenting on how welcome and comfortable they felt thanks to the wonderful team, led by Rachel’s amazing care.
The grounds are breathtaking — picture-perfect castle vibes with beautiful gardens, rolling lawns, and that stunning historic building. Hanging our own flags outside added such a personal touch that made the day feel uniquely ours. The blend of classic, historical charm in the main building with the elegant, modern guest rooms was perfect. One thing that meant so much to us was how wheelchair-friendly Leez Priory is. My dad is paralysed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair full-time, and the venue made sure he had everything he needed. The accessible guest room was spacious and comfortable, the grounds had well-placed ramps, and accessible toilets were available — nothing ever felt like a struggle. That kind of thoughtfulness made a huge difference to our day.
The food was outstanding throughout — the canapés were delicious with plenty and clear allergen boards, the wedding breakfast was a true culinary excellence with generous portions that all our guests complimented, and the evening BBQ feast was fantastic. We loved having an outside dance floor for our live band, then moving inside for a great DJ who kept the party going until 1 am. The drinks service was top-notch — fast, attentive, and friendly, with an enormous bar selection that had everything you could ask for. The quality of the drinks was exceptional, and the wine was a perfect balance of good quality without being over the top.
Even after the wedding, Leez Priory continued to impress — they helped us find lost items, sent a personal card, and invited us back to future events. It’s clear they genuinely care about their couples long after the big day. If you’re looking for a stunning, historic venue with incredible staff who truly care, Leez Priory is unbeatable. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect place or team to celebrate with.
We got married on 22.05.2025 at Leez Priory. All the staff were very efficient and very accommodating and worked so hard to make our day special, making sure ourselves and our guests were looked after. Our day couldn’t have been more perfect.
Brock Harvey, our wedding planner, was so patient, professional and made the day go so smoothly with everything. All our guests have commented on how wonderful the venue, food and accommodation were. 10/10 Highly recommended.
I’ve worked at Leez Priory a couple of times now as a wedding photographer. It’s a stunning venue.
There is, of course, the building itself with bridal prep areas, multiple options for ceremony locations, a large open lawn, very well-kept grounds, fountains, and on and on.
There is so much flexibility, and all of it very photogenic. The staff are also very friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.
Leez Priory is the perfect venue for a wedding. Beautiful setting and lake, stunning house and perfect cottage for the night before your wedding.
Food was excellent, staff were excellent, and our wedding manager was outstanding, looking after our every need. Dream location still in a bubble, Mother of a very happy Bride. Thank you.
This place is so beautiful, went to a wedding recently here and out of the multiple weddings in Essex I’ve been to, I think this is my favourite venue, very very nice staff and food was amazing. Highly recommend.
As the father of the groom, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for all your help, guidance, and support in arranging, what I can only describe as the perfect wedding.
I have never experienced such an event when all the guests expressed such praise, compliments, and surprise at the quality of the arrangements, facilities and service provided. I am astonished at how well the wedding was organised, and how smoothly it ran.
Every member of your staff throughout the day delivered excellent service, particularly Leanne. A truly amazing wedding manager. Leanne was exceptional in every way. Nothing seemed too much for her to deal with, and her manner remained so calm, welcoming and positive throughout the day. We knew we were in very safe hands, and the outcome proved it. A perfect example of a guardian angel!
Thank you again to Country House Weddings and all the staff at Leez Priory for making the day so special, and for giving everyone who attended such wonderful memories.
Leanne Neville was excellent, above and beyond excellent. On a scale of 1-10 we have to give Leanne at least a 17! I cannot commend her enough.
Whether it be having meetings with us in Madeira, Portugal, to constantly being able to answer the onslaught of questions we had for Leanne, Leanne managed this and made us feel at ease. We could not have had our wedding without her there. Leanne certainly deserves a pay rise! Everyone expressed how good this meal was, and the amount of food offered. All staff were amazing on the day.
We have to make a special mention to a blonde girl who was working on the day. Forgive us as we did not take her name (had a bit going on). This lady was in control of my sons’ phone for walk on music, seating music etc. when we viewed our seating area for meal we found we had no music, though Leanne tried singing to us the songs she had in mind for ‘dining music’, this young blonde lady came up with the goods, finding an incredible playlist which complimented our dining experience. This young blonde lady deserves a pay rise! We wouldn’t want to change anything. Our wedding was perfect.
Perfect in every way. A really nice warm feeling. Very comfortable and everything we needed was close by.
Well, where do I begin? The grounds are what caught our attention. Well maintained. Plenty of space. The best scenery. Very beautiful. Having bedrooms here was a bonus, very comfortable and spacious. The best lamb and pork belly we have ever eaten.
Guests commented on how neat and maintained the lawns/gardens were. Guests thoroughly enjoyed all of the food.