If you’re about to start looking for your dream wedding venue, then today’s blog will be the perfect read for you!
With engagement season just around the corner and a whole heap of newly engaged couples heading out to find the wedding venue of their dreams, we thought we would share our top tips for finding the perfect wedding venue.
The wedding venue search – Tackle these tasks first!
As award-winning wedding planners, we know that you’re super-excited to embark on your wedding planning journey. However, before rushing out and looking at every wedding venue on earth, it’s essential to do a little groundwork first to ensure your wedding venue search is tailored and focused.
So, the first area to consider is your wedding budget. It’s so important that you have an idea of how much you can spend on your wedding, as this will dictate which venues will fall within your price range. We’ve written lots of blog posts about how to plan your wedding budget, so do have a good look through and don’t continue with your wedding venue search until you’ve covered this task!
Having a clear wedding budget in mind means you’ll approach wedding venues that you can afford to hire, so please be realistic as nobody wants their hopes to be dashed!
Secondly, and just as important – how many guests are you hoping to invite to your wedding? There’s no point looking at intimate boutique hotels if you have 200 + guests, and similarly, hiring a grand ballroom for your wedding won’t work if you want to plan a micro wedding.
Next, you need to decide what are the most important elements that you’re looking for in a wedding venue. For example, are you looking for a wedding venue that can accommodate all of your guests, offer a late licence, is close to home etc.?
Once you’ve shortlisted some wedding venues, you must get the critical information before booking some wedding venue viewings. Here are some top questions we would recommend you ask each wedding venue
Can we hold a legal wedding ceremony here?
With many couples opting for a celebrant-lead service, this may not be essential. BUT, if you are hoping that your ceremony is legally binding, you will need to check that your potential venue holds a wedding licence.
What is your wedding guest capacity?
Seems obvious but ensuring the wedding venue can host all of your guests is critical. It’s also important to keep in mind throughout the planning journey, especially if you decide to add additional guests
Will we have exclusive use of the wedding venue?
As specialist dry-hire wedding planners, most of the wedding venues that we plan weddings at offer hire on an exclusive use basis. However, some of the traditional, larger wedding venues can host multiple weddings on a single day which may mean you need to share facilities with other couples.
How long will we have use of the wedding venue?
You must have a clear understanding of when you can access and depart the wedding venue. This is particularly important where you’ve engaged the services of a wedding stylist who may need additional time to set up the décor for your wedding. With dry-hire venues, you’ll usually have access the day before and a day after the wedding to clear down but some of the more traditional venues.
What about wedding suppliers?
As wedding planners, we predominantly plan weddings in dry-hire venues which offer the opportunity for you to select your suppliers which means you can truly personalise your day. However, some of the more traditional wedding venues will have a preferred supplier list that you need to choose your suppliers from and will often charge additional fees if you would like to work with a wedding supplier who isn’t on that list. Make sure to check this in advance.
If you’ve chosen to hire a wedding planner, they’ll work through these questions with you and will be able to make tailored wedding venue recommendations based on your specific requirements.
Why not get in touch to chat through your wedding plans?
You can reach us on 0800 772 0765, [email protected] or book a wedding consultation here.
