A practical guide to getting married at Castillo del Bosque La Zoreda, Oviedo

The photos on this page are from other weddings of ours (La Nucia), not from Castillo del Bosque La Zoreda.

Castillo del Bosque La Zoreda is a castle-style hotel 4 kilometres from Oviedo, surrounded by Asturian nature. Visit Oviedo places it in the heart of the Asturian countryside. Idealista describes it as set in a magnificent natural setting. For a wedding, that means stone, greenery and the city close by. And the exact municipality? Idealista places it in Ribera de Arriba, but we haven't seen that detail in any other source. It's worth confirming with the hotel. COPE counts it among the most sought-after wedding venues in Asturias and gives it five stars. Both of those details come from that outlet alone. It suits couples looking for a castle with a hotel, a restaurant and countryside all around, all in the same place.

Getting there

Getting there from Oviedo is easy, as it's only 4 kilometres away. By car or taxi it's a short journey. We don't have the exact address, so the best thing is to ask the hotel for it and check it on the map before sending out the invitations. Nor do we have reliable journey times from Gijón, from Avilés or from Asturias Airport. If some of your guests are coming from the coast or arriving by plane, it's worth working out the journey carefully. For the trip back in the early hours, a coach hired for everyone saves a lot of trouble. Nobody has to drive after the party and nobody gets lost on back roads. Ask the hotel, too, whether they recommend a local transport company. Guests who stay the night right there save themselves the journey altogether.

Spaces and capacity

Where does the ceremony take place? And the drinks reception? And the dinner? That's the first thing to find out, and in this case you'll need to ask directly. We haven't found a description of La Zoreda's spaces, or of how many guests each one holds. To know what to ask for, it helps to know what wedding castles are usually like. According to Bodas.net, most of the castles in its directory have a terrace, a garden, a dance area, banqueting rooms, a marquee, a kitchen for the caterers and parking. That's a general pattern, not a description of this castle. With that in mind, on your visit it's worth walking through each part of the day. First, where a couple can get married: a garden, a function room or some other spot. Next, where the drinks reception is served, which is the time for drinks and nibbles between the ceremony and the dinner. And finally, where you eat and where you dance. For each space, ask for a specific number of guests seated and standing. That way you'll know straight away whether your guest list fits or whether you need to trim it.

Food and catering

Here there's more information. The castle has its own restaurant, Restaurante La Zoreda. Visit Oviedo says it serves traditional cooking, holds the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and is among the 10 best restaurants in Oviedo. We haven't seen this confirmed anywhere else, so it's best taken as a pointer and worth trying the food in person. What we don't know is whether the wedding food is always handled by that restaurant or whether you can bring in outside caterers. Bodas.net explains that some castles hire out the space without food and others don't offer that option. That's why it's worth asking. Nor do we have wedding menus or prices, so you'll need to request them. If you can, ask for a menu tasting before you sign.

Rooms and parking

For accommodation, things are clear: it's a hotel. The couple and some of the guests can stay in the same place where the wedding is held, and that makes the night much more relaxed. We don't know how many rooms it has, so that's one of the first questions to ask. It's also worth finding out whether there's a special room for the couple and whether the hotel holds a block of rooms for guests with a booking deadline. The same goes for parking: we have no details. Ask whether there's on-site parking, how many spaces it has and whether cars can stay overnight. If a lot of people are driving from Oviedo or Gijón, it's a detail that matters.

A plan B for rain

It rains in Asturias, and an outdoor wedding needs a plan B. We don't know what covered spaces La Zoreda has. So the question is simple: if it rains, where does the ceremony take place and where is the drinks reception served? It's also worth knowing whether there's a marquee, whether it's already in place or set up separately, and how late you can decide to make the switch. Ideally, see the plan B in person during your visit, rather than just hearing that it exists. A lovely room for a grey day takes a lot of stress out of the week of the wedding.

Photos at La Zoreda

And the photos? COPE has published images of the outside of the castle, showing its façade and surroundings. That already gives you a clue: the building itself, with its castle feel, is the main backdrop. The landscape does the rest. Visit Oviedo talks about the Asturian countryside, and the name of the place speaks of a forest. Meadows, trees and soft light. We don't have photos of our own from there, so we won't show you specific spots. On your visit, it's worth taking a slow walk outside, noticing where the sun falls in the afternoon and looking for a covered spot with good light in case it rains. That way, your photographer or photo and video team will have a clear plan from the start.

How to book

To book, the first step is to find the hotel's official website and phone number, as we don't have those details. Call and ask for a visit. There's one question worth asking at the outset: idealista lists the hotel for sale, and COPE published a news story about what the management company was going to do with pending weddings. We don't know where things stand today, so ask who runs the hotel now and what happens to bookings already made. After that, everything else: spaces, capacity, catering, rooms, parking and the rain plan. And if you're looking for photography and video for the day, Evan & Natalia Simon take on selected weddings in Asturias, starting with a no-obligation chat beforehand.

Links

Information checked on: bodas.net, zankyou.es, visitoviedo.info, cope.es, idealista.com.