Weddings - The Lost Village of Dode

The Lost Village of Dode is the perfect intimate wedding venue and is available for exclusive hire for your special day.

Located in an almost forgotten valley between Luddesdown and Holly Hill in the heart of the Kent countryside, having been lovingly restored by the current owners, this beautiful, unique and intimate medieval church and its surroundings are known as The Lost Village of Dode.

Experience our unique wedding venue accommodating up to 40 guests, with self-catering accommodation for the wedding party conveniently on-site in our two superb award-winning cottages.

The Lost Village of Dode is a distinctive blank canvas on which to create your own memorable wedding celebration. Choose from a small, intimate indoor wedding or partnership and renewal of vows. Or for an outdoor spiritual blessing or pagan handfasting ceremony, you can hold your event within the ancient Stone Circle followed by a lavish wedding reception banquet with dancing to finish the night.

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Civil Wedding Ceremonies, Civil Partnerships, Renewal of Vows

Have you always imagined getting married in a church?

Maybe it’s the stunning architecture, the sense of tradition, or how special churches or chapels feel that makes a church wedding venue appeal to you and your partner?

Some couples feel that a traditional church wedding ceremony venue is too religious, but a civil ceremony just doesn’t feel traditional or spiritual enough.

Here at the Lost Village of Dode, our former Norman Church enables you to ‘have and to hold’ the best of both worlds. The ancient and sacred building allows you to have a church wedding ceremony with all of the tradition and beauty, but without religious restraints or connotations.

This ancient place of worship, now a licensed Kent wedding venue, enables you to get married in a unique, lovingly preserved, medieval former church but with a non-religious wedding, civil ceremony or partnership. You can even have your wedding reception and drinks in the church afterwards.

This uniquely Kentish church wedding venue is atmospherically illuminated with flickering candles. Flanking the central walkway to the nave there are carved oak wooden benches, covered with warming rugs for your guests to sit on. Following your ceremony Dode Church is transformed ready for a Medieval wedding reception banquet, after which you can end the evening with dancing and much merriment.

Our Wedding Packages have been carefully created to ensure you are getting the best value for money and the best quality service from a team that’s passionate about creating your ideal ‘I do’. They have been carefully curated using our knowledge and experience, along with our carefully chosen suppliers, affectionately known to all as the Friends of Dode.

The Lost Village of Dode prides itself on being an inclusive Kent wedding venue, where everyone can come together, be themselves and enjoy each other's company. Furry friends are also welcome to join in on the fun, we are proud to be a dog-friendly wedding venue.

Lost Village of Dode Ceremonies:

Exclusive use of the venue and grounds for your wedding ceremony and up to two hours post ceremony.
Wedding Ceremony Coordinator, plus on the day support.
A closed and private Facebook account, where we share inspiration from all around the world and you can ask questions confidently in the knowledge that they are not going public.
The church and grounds, including our sacred stone circle, will be exclusively yours on the day for after ceremony drinks and Instagram-perfect photographs.
If you are holding a Civil Ceremony at the Lost Village of Dode we will reserve your wedding date with Kent County Council.
Free parking for up to 8-10 cars, for use by guests and suppliers.
An opportunity to book our superb on-site cottages, perfect for the wedding party (subject to availability).
A planning meeting ahead of your ceremony. We believe this is a really important aspect of our wedding package ensuring your day goes to plan.
In-house sound system to play music of your choice.

Lost Village of Dode Wedding Package:

Ceremony Coordinator plus on the day support from a member of Dode’s team.
Your choice of three different catering options including a two-course wedding reception banquet or hogroast – a feast that will become legendary amongst your nearest and dearest. The banquet options includes a food tasting ahead of your day.
The church and grounds will be exclusively yours on the day.
In-house sound system to play music of your choice.
Free parking for up to 8-10 cars, for use by guests and suppliers.
A closed and private Facebook account, where we share inspiration from all around the world and you can ask questions confidently in the knowledge that they are not going public.
A run through/planning meeting of your special day either within Dode Church or amongst the Ancient Stones. We believe this is a really important aspect of our wedding package, ensuring your day goes to plan.
Our in-house photographer to capture those all-important memories of your special day from arrival, the ceremony and the couple/family shots after.
If you are holding a Civil Ceremony at the Lost Village of Dode we will reserve your wedding date with Kent County Council.
Seasonal flowers of your choice in the two urns adjacent to the ceremony area.
An opportunity to book our superb on-site Cottages, perfect for the wedding party (subject to availability).

Blessings, renewal of vows, ceremonies and thanksgivings

The Lost Village of Dode is one of Kent’s most unique venues, ideal for celebrating milestones in your married life. You can book a wedding blessing ceremony, renewal of vows or thanksgivings, led by a Celebrant. Many of our couples choose to have their blessing outside, amongst the unique Stone Circle, in the knowledge that, if there is inclement weather, you can move into the church.

Booking a wedding blessing at The Lost Village of Dode enables you to work with your celebrant to shape your ceremony in any way you like, whether you want to stay traditional or personalise it to you and your loved one. You might choose to include a particular style of music and outfits – perhaps something medieval inspired or even a hint of a Steam Punk wedding theme?

The Lost Village of Dode provides lots of opportunities to make your wedding day truly unique. This historic, memorable and romantic venue is the perfect canvas for you to add your own personal twist to your special day.

Enchanting Wedding Banquet receptions

After your wedding ceremony at The Lost Village of Dode, guests usually spend time enjoying a glass of bubbles and some canapés in our stunning grounds, which also make a unique backdrop for your wedding photos.

Behind the scenes we’ll be busy transforming Dode Church ready for your wedding banquet reception, with all the trimmings! There are lots of food options including traditional hog roast wedding reception, roast lamb with seasonal side dishes, a lavish grazing table or High Tea.

Example wedding breakfast menu* *Subject to change based on seasonally available and locally sourced produced

Drinks at the Lost Village of Dode

There are plenty of options for a memorable drinks reception following your wedding ceremony at The Lost Village of Dode. We recommend using one of our Friends of Dode suppliers, who know the venue inside out. Double Bubble are a regular feature of some of our most memorable weddings, whose unforgettable camper van or converted bike make a great addition to your drinks reception.

You are also very welcome to provide your own drinks, with no corkage charged, and we are proud to be one of few Kent wedding venues to offer this.

Our Friends of Dode

Accommodation at The Lost Village of Dode

Stay with us on the night before the Big Day, or fall into bed at the end of your special day. We have two superb on-site cottages for couples to stay in, or for use by family and friends if you prefer.

The Accommodation

Extra special touches

The Lost Village of Dode is a magical wedding venue which lends itself perfectly to unique extra special touches. If you love birds and in particular owls, at The Lost Village of Dode you can also include feathered friends, by hiring an owl ring bearer to silently deliver your precious rings.

Special Touches

Availability

The Lost Village of Dode is available to book exclusively for wedding celebrations and events during the summer months, from April to end of October, and for a festive Christmas feel in early December on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday. Please contact us to discuss your requirements for your wedding venue hire.

If you would like to make The Lost Village of Dode part of your love story, or celebrate an important family celebration or event that will go down in family history, please share some information that will help us understand how we can be part of your story. We promise that these details will remain confidential.

If you would like to write your own enchanting, epic love story and get married at the Lost Village of Dode, or you want to celebrate an important family occasion or event that will go down in your family folklore, please just let us have some information (that we promise not to share), that will help us to give you an introduction to your narrative:

The perfect intimate wedding venue