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Things To Consider When Booking Your Wedding Venue

The Hungry Plaice • May 2, 2021
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You are nearly there and close to choosing your Dream Wedding Venue!


When you have thought about all the above you will have a number of choices to look at and will have to make a decision about which to choose with some factors to bear in mind



Our 14 Point Guide To Booking Your Wedding Venue

1. What Venues are available for your dates


You might be fairly flexible on your dates particularly if you are booking a long way in advance or it might be that your Wedding Date needs to fit in with your Honeymoon or another date of interest.


In either case you might be limited in your choices of Wedding Venue depending on what dates are actually free for you.


2. Travel for your Wedding Guests


If you have only a few guests and most of these are local to your Wedding Venue this would not cause too much of an issue however if your Wedding Venue is located far away from where most of your guests live you will need to give some thought to how easy it will be for your guests to travel on your day.


Some guests will only come for the day and go home at some point in the afternoon or evening as in the case of elderly guests or those guests with children.


On the other hand there will be guests that are happy to travel and happy to stay overnight after the Wedding Day.


3. Logistics of getting between Wedding Venues


Think about how far each of your Wedding Venues are and of how the Bridal Party will travel between but also how your guests will too.


Make sure you correctly communicate this all to your guests providing exact postcodes, maps and directions wherever possible to help them.


There may be a fleet of cars or vehicles all guests could follow on the day which would make it more simple for those who are unsure about where to go.


If your budget allows you could be inclined to lay on transport for your guests so they don’t need to worry about getting between venues, this way of course you won’t have the worry of anyone getting lost or being held up and everyone should arrive around the same time.


4. Wedding Venue Capacity for guests


A big decider when choosing your Wedding Venue if the number of Wedding Guests you will be inviting and whether these can be accommodated at your chosen venue this should include both inside and outside area and keep in mind venues can be limited due to Health and Safety and Fire Risk concerns and so will have to act accordingly legally.


Large gatherings can usually take place at a Country Hotel but the number of guests that can have for the Wedding Ceremony could be less than the Wedding Reception which could make things tricky when deciding upon the Wedding Guest list.


5. What are the Wedding Venue Onsite Facilities


Have a look at all the onsite facilities and amenities at your chosen venue and will you have to spend more money to have everything you need.


If you are choosing something like a village hall chances are there will be no bar and this needs to be built into your budget as well as the staff to manage the bar and any waiters/waitresses.


Does your Wedding Venue have Catering Facilities and are all the Tables and Chairs available for use too.


6. Can you have Suppliers at your Wedding Venue


Some Wedding Venues can be fairly strict with who they allow onsite for Events and Weddings, they may have preferred supplier lists meaning that you don’t have the flexibility to choose your own Suppliers which could scupper your dream plans.


7. Have you accounted for the Weather


If you are holding a Summer Wedding you’ll need to think about sufficient outdoor space to allow guests to mingle around if it is hot.


Equally think about the inside space should the weather be bad and if there is enough space for all your guests.


There needs to be adequate space not only for the meals and entertainment but also consider children running around and where people can stand outside smoke and chat to others. The venue may provide outdoor heaters around patio and outdoor seating areas.


You should think about how warm it will be inside the venue for your guests on your Wedding Day, if the venue is old and large it might be cold inside even if it is a sunny day, there may be additional cost for hiring heaters and you need to consider the Health and Safety Aspects of doing so.


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8. Is There Sufficient Parking 

Parking is something that can easily be overlooked, if you pick a town centre venue then the chances are that parking may be a little tricky for some.

Ensure there are enough spaces for the number of guests you will have or there are alternatives to onsite parking if there aren’t enough spaces, check with your Wedding Venue if you are unsure about this and they can guide you.

Give some thought to the weather for this point too, in the case of a Tipi Wedding which might be held in a field you won’t want for your guests to have to walk across a muddy field to get to the Wedding Reception.

9. Are There Hotels Nearby For Guests

Identifying places to stay near the Wedding Venue is a must for any guests that choose to stay over, you could do some research and provide this information for them so they can get booked up well in advance.

Some Wedding Venues will have available accommodation such as hotels or Glamping Yurts and Tents, they may even offer a deal if you choose to book all the rooms out for the weekend of your Wedding and your guests could benefit from this rather than booking elsewhere.

10. What Is included In The Price Quoted

Be sure to research your Wedding Venue and read all the terms and conditions so that you fully understand completely what is included in the cost of your Wedding Venue and there are no surprises.

Check out things like facilities, waiting staff, the bar, corkage, table and chair hire and cleaning deposits that might need to be paid.

11. Wedding Venue Layout

Have a good look at the Wedding Venue layout and think about the flow of your day to make sure it is suitable for your needs, are there enough areas for your guests to spend time in and do you have the right outdoor space for your day.

You might be thinking about having drinks after your ceremony but don’t want everyone to move straight to the Wedding Reception area so is there somewhere that could accommodate your guests during this time.

12. How Are The Acoustics

A point often overlooked is how the venue shapes up in terms of acoustics, will your music choices be too loud or too quiet in your chosen venue and will you need to use microphones to make sure your guests can hear the speeches.

Some Wedding Venues will already be aware of these issues so it is best to check with them to see what they think is best.

13. How Does The Wedding Venue Feel

Try not to book somewhere you have not physically seen or if you have to see if you can have a video call with the owners. Overall, how does the Wedding Venue feel when you are there and is there the right atmosphere you want for your Wedding Day.

Much like choosing a house to buy, your Wedding Venue should feel right for both of you.

14. How To Find Your Wedding Venue

There are several ways to find your perfect Wedding Venue as you would for other large spends in your life make time to research your options and read any reviews or feedback available.

Ask friends and family for recommendations on Wedding Venues they know and conduct Google Searches for the areas of interest you have decided upon.

There are a number of Wedding Venue websites which list a range of Wedding Venues some of these will showcase venues that have paid to be listed or you might find a Wedding Blog offering an independent review of Venues.

Check out the venues on Social Media, Instagram will be full of photos and videos of dream Wedding venues and there will be Facebook Groups where prospective couples will discuss their venue choices.

A more personal approach is to just get in the car and drive around areas you are considering holding your Wedding in, you might just come across that perfect place by simply driving past!


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