He went down on one knee and popped the question. You said yes and cried with happiness. The ring is gorgeous; your guests are thrilled – you’ve even agreed on the minister.
But… can you agree on the wedding venue? He’s got elderly family flying in from abroad; your sister’s bringing her brood of children. Your mother wants a romantic country retreat; his favours the city sleek hotels. How on earth do you keep everyone happy?
Fortunately, there are plenty of brides before who’ve struggled finding that perfect wedding venue and, listening to their tales of woe, five key points emerged.
Most importantly, you need to know how many people are coming to your wedding. Wedding venues vary greatly in size, from the hugely imposing grand ballrooms of stately country houses to the idyllic parish church hall.
Once you know numbers, you need to think about the style or theme (if you’re feeling extravagant). Unique and unusual wedding venues like museums, zoos or botanical gardens might appeal to the more adventurous or quirky couple. Traditionalists might prefer a castle or stately home, with grand gardens for photos and luxurious bedrooms for the guests. A less formal, friendlier alternative is the country barn or rural hotel, which offers the same luxury as a grand house, but on a smaller, comfier scale.
So you think you know the kind of wedding venue you want – be it barn, zoo or hotel. Exclusivity is next on the tick list – and for some brides, it’s made or break. Do you get the whole venue to yourself? Or are you going to have to share it with other hotel guests / zoo visitors? It may be that you have to pay extra to guarantee exclusivity, but most brides think it’s worth it, not to bump into another bride on their wedding day.
Food and drink obviously play a large part at any wedding. Wedding venues such as hotels will have in-house caterers who will help you design your dinner menu. Unique venues and most country houses will have to call in outside caterers in order to feed your guests – if this is the case, check the extra charge and ask around for advice on reputable caterers.
Price. It’s a tricky topic at the best of times but if you’re working to a strict budget it can make all the difference. Compare what is being offered by your top wedding venues; if one doesn’t provide exclusivity, can it provide marquee extensions instead? If you’ve children in the party, will the venue charge extra for a cache? You might think you’ve found the perfect venue only to realise they’re going to charge you for extra staff.
If, after all that, you’re still struggling to find the perfect wedding venue, it might be time to call a wedding planner, who’ll be able to offer expert helping planning your big day. Or you could just elope to Gretna Green…
