Choosing a wedding venue

Choosing a wedding venue is for many couples where their wedding planning journey begins. Your wedding venue sets the tone for the rest of the wedding and helps determine the finer details of your wedding.

There are lots of traditional and non-traditional wedding venues available these days and you will probably have to look around a few different places before you find the right wedding venue for you.

There are a number of factors you’ll need to bear in mind when you’re choosing your wedding venue.

Type of wedding

Whether you’re having a religious or civil ceremony for your wedding can have an affect on the venue you choose. If you’re having a civil wedding, the venue may need to be suitable for the wedding itself as well as the reception.

You can also hold a religious ceremony at many wedding venues. Ask about whether the venue holds a licence for this. If you choose to marry in a church and then move on somewhere else you should try to keep the travel time between the two venues under half an hour if possible.

Style

Think about the overall style you’re going for your wedding and whether your wedding venue can reflect this. If you have always dreamed of a traditional white wedding, a castle or stately home would be a great option for your wedding venue.

However, if you’re thinking of a more modern wedding celebration, you could go for a more unusual wedding venue, such as a restaurant, a trendy hotel, or somewhere outdoors.

Other more eccentric venues include football grounds, a hot air balloon or a theme park.

Number of guests

You’ll need to have a fairly good idea of the number of guests coming to your wedding before you start investigating venues. Think about what will be taking place at the wedding venue. Are you thinking of having a band? Will there be a formal meal or just a buffet?

Staff at wedding venues will be able to advise you about the numbers that their venue is suitable for. You want to make sure there is enough room for dancing and eating etc, but at the same time if a room is too big it can affect the atmosphere of your wedding celebration.

Choosing a wedding venue

To find venues to start investigating there are a few options. Word of mouth recommendations are always encouraging. Ask around and if any venues get a particularly glowing review they are probably worth getting some more information on. You can also do an internet search for venues in the area you are interested in. Alternatively you could drive around the area you’re interested in and look for possible wedding venues. This also gives you the opportunity to drop in unannounced and get a realistic idea of how a particular venue is run.

Although brochures and internet photos will give you a good idea of different wedding venues, it really is best to visit in person if at all possible before you book anything. You will want to get a feel for a venue, get a better visualisation of the size and find out how easy or hard the venue is to get to. You will also want to try the food at different wedding venues before committing to one.

Speak to the staff at wedding venues. Ask them about their experience of working at weddings. It will also give you an opportunity to assess if the staff are knowledgeable and friendly and if you trust them to run your wedding.

Find out what would be included in the price of hiring different wedding venues. Ask if decoration, music and flowers are included. If not you will have to factor in all these extras.

Enquire about access to the room. If you’re providing your own decorations and flowers at the venue ask when you would be able to come in and do this. Also clarify when you and your guests would be expected to vacate the venue.

Think about the practicalities of wedding venues. If you are inviting a lot of guests from different places they may need accommodation for the night and they will probably need somewhere to park.

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