From The Cinema To The Zoo: The Top 10 Alternative Places To Get Hitched In Dublin

Gone are the days when the only places to get hitched were draughty churches, impersonal registry offices, or worse –grim hotel rooms smelling of the feet of a thousand insurance conference delegates.

No, ’tis a different time altogther, and our beaut of a city has AMAZING alternatives for a new generation of lovebirds who want to tie the knot in cool, offbeat venues.

10. Smock Alley Theatre

Brimming with natural light, stunning ornate plasterwork and exposed brick to beat the band, this restored 17th-century theatre on the banks of the Liffey is only feckin’ divine. Oh, and the amazing arched stained glass windows are just ‘church-y’ enough to keep old Auntie Breda happy.

9. National Gallery of Ireland

Romantic souls can go a bit Jane Austen (well, her books; the woman herself ended up alone in real life) with an intimate ceremony in this beautifully restored Georgian house at No. 5 South Leinster Street.

8. Drury Buildings

This place really is so hip it hurts. Ow! See?

With gorgeous features like parquet flooring and exposed plasterwork, Drury Buildings overlooking Fade Street is a deadly venue for a modern, urban wedding. For industrial-chic, jimmy the place up with fairy lights, mismatched chairs and cool printed signage.

7. Dublin Zoo

Monkey suits and actual monkeys? Penguin suits and actual penguins? A rhino, bearing the rings on his horn! A flowergirl llama! Flamingos!

Okay, okay, maybe there won’t actually be any animals – but the ceremony venue, Haughton House does offer amazing views of the zoo.

6. The Guinness Storehouse

The view. The VIEW! Located in the St James’s Gate Brewery, the iconic seven-floor superbuilding is packed with venue options with capacities ranging from 16 to a whopping 2,000 – handy for a country where contraception was only introduced in the 1970s.

5. Powerscourt Theatre

Aptly located in Dublin’s Creative Quarter in the iconic Powercourt Townhouse, this space is a stunning blank canvas to play around with. Make a production of your vows with the venue’s built-in stage, projectors, lighting rig and sound system.

4. The Grand Social

Now offbeat sweethearts can get hitched in one of the city’s premier live music venues. You have the option to say your vows in the The Grand Social’s ‘boho-circus’ Loft, rooftop Garden or main Ballroom.

And crucially, Penneys is only around the corner if there’s a ladder in someone’s tights.

3. Lost Society

If you’re looking to hold your nuptials somewhere with bit of bygone grandeur, Lost Society’s two Georgian Rooms on South William Street are just the job. Decked out in fancy restored antique furniture they’re the perfect option for a vintage-glam aesthetic.

2. The Lighthouse Cinema

This is defintely one for the film buffs. Screens in Dublin’s coolest cinema can be hired for wedding ceremonies, followed by bubbly.

Sure feck Gone With The Wind, feck When Harry Met Sally – isn’t your relationship the greatest love story of our times?

1. Dublin City Hall

Before I decided to get married in the ancestral seat of House Bifolchi (Co Waterford), the Rotunda at Dublin City Hall was my number one choice.

Everything about it is awe-inspiring, from the detailed domed ceiling to the intricately tiled floor. Definitely a building to wow your guests and add a special gravitas to the occasion.