COUPLES looking to get hitched at one of Dorset's most picturesque spots will have to pay extra for the privilege in future.

Highcliffe Castle is raising its charges for weddings from next year, and guests will also have to pay £10 for the 10 reserved parking spaces at the site.

Weekday and Saturday weddings will now be pegged at £515, rising to £750 for people tying the knot on Sundays.

The restored Victorian clifftop landmark, which overlooks Christchurch Bay, has become a huge hit with romantics since it was granted a wedding licence in 1999.

It is now reckoned to be the busiest venue in Dorset, with almost 100 marriages booked or conducted there this year, and a dozen more already pencilled in for 2003.

But Christchurch Borough Council has decided the fee usually charged - £470 - is too cheap.

Chief executive Mike Turvey said: "We have a need to raise revenue through activity at the Castle, and weddings are important income generators.

"Most couples seem surprised that the fee is as little as it is."