5 Tips on Picking the Perfect Wedding Venue



Wedding venues are often a couple’s biggest expense.  In the UK, the average cost of hiring a ceremony and/or reception space is £4,354. Some couples choose their wedding venue solely based on a feeling when they walk in.  Others have an eye on the budget.  Perhaps you prefer to have a check-list of non-negotiables, allowing you to weed out the unsuitable and the ugly.  If you’re choosing a destination wedding, then the venue might need to be part of a package.

No one said planning nuptials was easy, but it’s worth spending time and effort to find the right place: one that works for you, your partner and your guests.  Fortunately, we’ve had a little think for you and are on hand to offer our top-five tips for securing the wedding venue of your dreams.

Crunch Your Numbers

We’ve always said that wedding planning is a marathon not a sprint. Initially, it’s important to keep an open mind and to plan in broad strokes gaining a general idea of what it is you both might like. That being said, once you’ve read the magazines,  brainstormed themes over coffee, scoured Pinterest for colour schemes, sipped glasses of free prosecco at fairs and open days, and chewed the ear off every newlywed you know, then it’s time to start getting down to the serious business of planning your wedding and that means crunching numbers.

It’s not romantic.  It’s not sexy.  It’s 100% necessary.

Before you shortlist your venues and ABSOLUTELY before you sign a contract with one, then sit down with your partner and have an open and honest conversation about the budget and the guest list. This will save you from falling in love with somewhere only to discover its £5,000 over your budget or that it only seats a third of the number you want to invite.  


Is the venue LGBTQ suitable?

Venues are supposed to be okay with same-sex couples getting married but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Getting married in a safe and supportive space is fundamental.  You can find a list of gay-friendly wedding venues and vendors on the Pink Wedding Days website.

The wedding industry is still very heteronormative even in 2018. You’re probably going to see a BIG emphasis on Mr & Mrs in a lot of venues. If you’re a gay man, then don’t be surprised if you and your partner spend your wedding night in a bridal suite.  Often it’s not deliberate, it’s just semantics - but it’s annoying and that’s the last thing you want to be on your big day.  Gay or not, you’re spending a lot on your wedding venue – make sure they work for it!

Visit! Visit! Visit!

Visiting a wide range of venues might seem like obvious advice, but it’s important that you cover ALL your bases.  You might not know what you want or need until you see it.  The devil is definitely in the details.  It’s not just about the ceremony space or the breakfast venue, either, but consider toilet facilities, parking, access from the road, access for disabled guests, reduced rates on hotel rooms and catering options.  Review sites are very handy for much of this as are wedding fairs and open days.  One tip that we’d give is to see if you can get into the venue during the set-up of a wedding.  You can get a feel for the staffing and logistics.  If you’re not having exclusive use of a venue, then it’s a good chance, too, to see how the venue segregates guests from members of the public. 



 Talk to the Wedding Planner

The venue’s wedding coordinator or planner will be a huge help.  These are the people employed to keep things running smoothly and to make sure you sign the contract.  Make sure any agreed extras or ‘favours’ are outlined in any document you sign. If there’s something you’d like to include in the ceremony, then this person is your first port-of-call.  They’ll help liaise between you and the venue and they should know what works and what doesn’t based on their experience of helping with other people’s weddings. 

If you know suppliers or vendors who have worked with couples at that venue, then ask them for an honest opinion about the place.  They may even be able to ask previous couples about their experiences as what you see on the open day (when everyone is on their best behaviour and everything is under control) might not be a regular occurrence. 

Find Out About the Venue’s Cancellation Policy

Here’s something else that’s not romantic or sexy: finding out what happens if the wedding is postponed, delayed or cancelled.  Knowing where you stand is hugely important as you’re signing a legally binding contract with the venue.  Weddings are usually planned many months or even years before the big day, and there’s a lot that can go sideways in that time.  Some venues will be more flexible than others. Maybe that might colour where you settle on paying for. Nobody ever thinks it will happen to them but, unfortunately, it sometimes does so know where you stand in advance. If the venue has a strict cancellation policy, then we’d advise that you consider wedding insurance.





Popular posts from this blog

Should I Propose at Christmas? (Spoiler Alert: Probably Not)

Image
There’s something relentlessly optimistic about the festive season: the gathering of family and friends, the gift-giving and peace-and-good-will-to-all-men shtick. It’s probably the proximity to New Year, too, and all those resolutions and promises for a fresh start. SO many Christmas films have proposals in them, too.  And what greater gift could there be than an engagement over the festive period? Well… It’s easy to get carried away in the spirit of things but Christmas engagements aren’t always a great idea.  And if you have to ask should I propose at Christmas , then the answer is probably no. According to a survey by event company Chili Sauce , men seem to like proposing on Christmas Eve  (woman aren’t quite so keen). Guess you lucky lesbians are off the hook… Only you know whether or not it’s the right time to propose to your partner but here’s why we think you should be careful. 1.   Don’t propose just because it’s Christmas .  Propose bec
Read more

Who Walks Down the Aisle at a Gay Wedding?

Image
Wedding traditions remain an important component of many gay and most straight wedding ceremonies. So who walks down the aisle at a gay wedding?   The short answer?  Whoever you want. What you choose to do and celebrate within your own wedding should be entirely up to you and your partner. Tradition shouldn’t be seen as something that must be adhered to or – in the case of LGBTQ ceremonies – adapted mindlessly.  One of the best things about planning a gay wedding is that there are plenty of opportunities  to customise both the ceremony and reception to reflect your own individual personalities.  The important thing is not to let family or friends who are fixated on what’s traditional to unduly influence what it is that you want to do on your big day.  Some people just don’t have the imagination for anything other than a cookie-cutter ceremony. You might hear people saying things like: You CAN’T see each other before the ceremony You HAVE to have
Read more

Wedding Fair or Wedding Fayre: Which is it?

Image
Fair or fayre? We got busted by a simple Google search.  And we owe you an apology. After writing hundreds of posts promoting wedding open days , showcases and exhibitions , we assumed that we had wedding terminology down-pat. It turns out that we didn’t. All’s Fair or Fayre in Love (and Wedding Planning) According to The Cambridge Dictionary, Fayre is: “an old-fashioned spelling of fair , used to talk about a traditional public event where goods are bought and sold and where there is entertainment: a country fayre” Uh-oh. We went back through some of our posts to double check what we've been using and... How to Survive a Wedding Fayre  Hadley Park is Hosting a Wedding Fayre And these weren't the only ones.  In fact, every single wedding event we’ve advertised (aside from those specifically marketed as open days) has been described as a fayre. Okay , we thought, let’s get a second opinion.   The Oxford E
Read more

Gay Wedding Hashtags

Image
Creating a wedding hashtag for a ceremony and reception isn’t every couple’s cup of tea but is it really so ridiculous when most of us use social media to document and organise our lives anyway.  Gay wedding hashtags are one example of how same-sex couples are creating new traditions.  Planning a wedding when you’re LGBTQ often means navigating heterosexual customs and gender-based norms.  This is one way that couples (gay or otherwise) can embrace modernity and add a bit of fun to their ceremony and reception. Customising a hashtag for friends and family to follow across social media platforms is bound to raise an eyebrow with some guests who may feel that it’s a bit soulless, tacky or narcissistic BUT hashtags are so helpful in curating photographs taken throughout the day.   It’s great for the happy couple to search back through, too, and see a different side of the celebrations: a guest’s eye-view.    Another reason that it’s popular is that a wedding hashtag
Read more

How To Make Small Talk At Weddings

Image
*This post was updated July 30th 2015* The service  was delightful. The brides looked divine. The grooms were as handsome as you’ve ever seen them. You made small talk with the mother-in-law, buried your face in the order of service when everyone was  hugging , and mouthed hello to someone you vaguely remember from the hag do.  Now, you’re standing in the car park and everyone’s hanging around before the reception, but you don’t have anyone to talk to. Or maybe, you are with people you know. Maybe you’re laughing all the way to the reception until – ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? – You read the place settings only to realise that you’re sitting on a table with people you don’t know. Suddenly, you can’t kick your shoes off under the table; you can’t bury your face in the salmon starter, and you can’t do that party trick with a glass of water, a penny and the tablecloth. Well, you could... Oh, but THANK THE STARS , at least there’s wine. Being polite shouldn't be so
Read more

Should You Invite a Homophobic Relative to Your Gay Wedding?

Image
It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a straight, gay or bi wedding – families can make things difficult .  LGBTQ couples have the additional headache of deciding whether or not to invite relatives that don’t support same-sex marriage .  It’s hurtful and it adds additional pressure and stress onto what is already a difficult time of planning.  When you’re curating your guest list the question is: should you invite a homophobic relative to your gay wedding?   No – that’s our gut reaction.   If someone can’t give you 100% love and support on your wedding day, then they shouldn’t be there.  For some couples, it’s as straightforward as that.   But it isn’t always that simple, is it? It rarely is when family are involved.  Only you can decide whether or not that person (or those people) deserves to be a guest at your wedding.  You hold the power.  You’re the inviter-in-chief.  But before you make a decision, there are a few things that you might like
Read more

Guest Who? A Wedding Guest Book with Personality

Image
The Guest book is hardly the highlight of the wedding reception. There's the pressure of writing something thoughtful, something touching, lightly humorous or insightful in the space of a couple of minutes and all  without the luxury of a first draft.  Unless you're some kind of ad hoc Shakespeare , then it's hardly ideal. There's the risk, too, of scribbling some insipid message that's as generic as the  verse  in the Hallmark card you've already deposited in the  wedding  postbox.  But o f course, you don't want to write something too personal. Those penning later entries can't help but flick through previous pages to see what's already been said. Nobody wants what they've written to become a template for what not to write.  That's why we thought we'd share with you something that could spice up your guest book:  the wedding guessing game and guest book – Guest who? (Scroll to the bottom of the page for a li
Read more

10 Things You Need On Your Wedding Morning – By Tammy Madge, Owner of Manor By The Lake

Image
Today, we're handing the blog over to The Manor By The Lake, Cheltenham Spa, and this outstanding venue really does have to be seen to be believed. They know their stuff about weddings, too, and we're fortunate enough to benefit from that experience with  10 Things You Need On Your Wedding Morning. The morning of your wedding can be super stressful so ensure that you are ready beforehand and fully prepared for anything that might come your way. Below is a quick list: 1. Breakfast Start the day off right and have a light healthy breakfast, it's important that you don’t skip any meals. You don’t want to feel faint or light headed! 2. Timings Make sure everyone knows timings of things throughout the day – especially anyone coming to do your hair or make-up! The wedding party has to be ready in time – only you can be a little late – on purpose! 3. Emergency Survival Kit  Be prepared for an outfit or beauty related problem! Have an emergency kit which include
Read more

Paris: The City of Love as an LGBTQ Honeymoon Destination

Image
What’s the most romantic city in the world? Most people will say Paris even if they’ve never been there. They’ll say it even if they’re single or if they despise romance because it’s an opinion transformed into fact by its re-telling.   Whether or not you think that Paris is THE city of love, it’s believed to be true by the countless couples who add their padlocks to the railings on the Pont Des Arts. And isn’t French known as the language of love? The cuisine is often the first port-of-call for those looking for a romantic meal and what of the cosy cobblestone streets of Montmartre? Paris is a city made for handholding, for sunset cruises, for champagne and croissants by the river and for proposals and for love. Of course, we couldn’t possibly comment on the reputation of the French as exception lovers; we’ll leave that one to your imaginations (or experience). There’s no doubt that Paris is a popular honeymoon destination but how safe and how suitable is it for same-
Read more

Wedding Favours: 5 LGBTQ Charities to Donate to

Image
The average wedding costs around £27,000 . Couples could be forgiven for thinking that an invitation is favour enough without adding a small gift on top.  Wedding planning is stressful and shopping around for trinkets and tokens to add to place settings can seem an unwelcome drain both on time and budget.  But favours are still popular.  They do make a cute addition to the tables at the wedding breakfast, too, when they’re chosen to complement the reception's overall aesthetic or theme. One of the biggest trends in recent years has been serving retro sweets and chocolates as wedding favours. Sweetie carts and jars where you fill your own bags are a regular feature at receptions and are popular both with younger and older guests.  It’s easy enough to find out which sugary treats are fan favourites; you can read the results of a recent survey on the nation’s favourite candies and chocolates here. But is there still a place for the traditional favour: the sm
Read more