Choosing The Perfect Wedding Venue

Having worked at many wedding venues and met many an excited Bride & Groom I thought I would share some of my thoughts on finding the perfect venue as its not always straightforward……
After the initial engagement excitement has died down, you will be keen to get into full on nuptial planning top of your list will probably be finding the perfect venue (and the most important!).
Unless you have been planning your wedding in your head (or Pinterest) for the past few years and know EXACTLY where you are getting married then you may find its a bit of a minefield, so I’ve listed a few factors to take into consideration……

1) Location – So you have fallen in love with a stunning 16th century Manor House with its own chapel and lake but if its in the middle of nowhere and not particularly easy to get to its possible some guests will politely decline. If travel is difficult or expensive then you may want to lay on transport for them or re-think your plans to include an easily accessible venue.
2)Suitability – Is the venue well enough equipped to hold weddings ? Logistically does it work and more importantly feel right ? Can they cater for the number of guests you have ? All of these and more will impact on your day so when visiting each venue take a list of everything that’s important to you, that way right from the start you are clear on what can and cant be provided on the day.
3) Popularity – If your dream wedding venue is beautiful, well located and perfectly suited to hosting weddings then you might find you need to book quite some time in advance sometimes up to three years for the really busy places. A good question to ask is do they play host to more than one wedding each day and if so how are they placed, the last thing you want is to bump into another blushing bride and her wedding party, sharing the limelight is not generally ideal (well not for everyone).
4) Affordability – Some wedding packages within hotels or wedding venues can come with a hefty price especially at peak times (summer weekends), this is when you may have to compromise slightly, would a weekday be less expensive perhaps you could tailor the day to your budget, leaving out Canape’s, or offering guests a glass of wine with dinner instead of a half bottle or sandwiches instead of a full evening buffet. There are many ways to amend the days itinery to be a little more friendly on the purse strings.
I hope this helps when looking for your venue!