I’m trying out this new feature on my blog called wedding Wednesdays, where every Wednesday I will post a How-to or an update on my own wedding planning!
I thought it would be a nice insight from someone who is currently planning their own wedding, and any opinions from fellow wedding planners are absolutely welcome!
Feel free to leave a comment or drop me a message via Instagram etc! I’d love to hear from you!
So to kick things off, let’s start with:
HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of having that big
white wedding, Growing up watching American movies about weddings, like Father
of the Bride, I always wanted to have the same: Loads of people, tonnes of
flowers, huge cake, MAHOOSIVE venue etc etc.
Now that I am a lot older, wiser and actually engaged, the realisation that this type of wedding in the UK would be extortionate!
Now that I am a lot older, wiser and actually engaged, the realisation that this type of wedding in the UK would be extortionate!
So I’ve had to find a new dream from scratch. But where do
you start?
Step 1: WEDDING FAYRES
Wedding fayres are great. They are amazing at two points in your wedding planning journey.
1) At the beginning when you’re newly engaged.
Events like this are an amazing jumping off point when you have no clue what you are looking for. You get to see loads of different vendors and get a feel for what is available and possible for a wedding.
In terms of venues, there should be many different stalls that showcase local venues with members of staff who works there that can answer questions you have. There you can see the type of venue you could hire: Manor houses, farms and barns, gardens and orangeries etc. Plus here you can also work out which venues would fit your budget.
From this you will be able to figure out also what you need from a venue – e.g. Ceremony and reception together at the same place? Accommodation available? In house caterers?
2) Towards the end of your wedding planning, these fayres can be useful to recruit suppliers for small details – like place settings or sweet carts, to tie everything together and also to milk the wedding planning process and enjoy it while you still can!
Wedding fayres are great. They are amazing at two points in your wedding planning journey.
1) At the beginning when you’re newly engaged.
Events like this are an amazing jumping off point when you have no clue what you are looking for. You get to see loads of different vendors and get a feel for what is available and possible for a wedding.
In terms of venues, there should be many different stalls that showcase local venues with members of staff who works there that can answer questions you have. There you can see the type of venue you could hire: Manor houses, farms and barns, gardens and orangeries etc. Plus here you can also work out which venues would fit your budget.
From this you will be able to figure out also what you need from a venue – e.g. Ceremony and reception together at the same place? Accommodation available? In house caterers?
2) Towards the end of your wedding planning, these fayres can be useful to recruit suppliers for small details – like place settings or sweet carts, to tie everything together and also to milk the wedding planning process and enjoy it while you still can!
Step 2: INSTAGRAM
For me, an important part of the venue was it had to look
nice in photographs. I trolled Instagram for pictures of all the wedding venues
I was interested in and actually found that some of them didn’t actually look
that great in guests’ photographs!
The venue would have hired professional photographers to photograph the place and make it look amazing.
Find the venue in question on Instagram and go on the tagged photos on their profile. There you should find photos from previous wedding that guests had taken on their own cameras or iPhone.
The venue would have hired professional photographers to photograph the place and make it look amazing.
Find the venue in question on Instagram and go on the tagged photos on their profile. There you should find photos from previous wedding that guests had taken on their own cameras or iPhone.
Step 3: SHOWCASES
Individual venues may offer a showcase or mini fayre where they will dress the venue like a wedding is actually about to take place, with loads of different suppliers around (eg cake makers and florists) and allow visitors to walk around freely. This will give you a chance to see the venue in full swing and help you to decide if this venue is really for you.
Try to visit the venue in the same season you are thinking of booking. For example if you are having a December wedding, try and see if the venue holds a showcase the autumn/winter months. You don’t want to fall in love with a venue all kitted out in summer flowers and outdoor facilities when in fact it might look a little different in the colder months.
Individual venues may offer a showcase or mini fayre where they will dress the venue like a wedding is actually about to take place, with loads of different suppliers around (eg cake makers and florists) and allow visitors to walk around freely. This will give you a chance to see the venue in full swing and help you to decide if this venue is really for you.
Try to visit the venue in the same season you are thinking of booking. For example if you are having a December wedding, try and see if the venue holds a showcase the autumn/winter months. You don’t want to fall in love with a venue all kitted out in summer flowers and outdoor facilities when in fact it might look a little different in the colder months.
Again – Instagram may come in handy here to check this via
guest photos!
Step 4: GO WITH YOUR GUT
Venue
hire can take a big chunk out of your budget so choose wisely!
My (new) dream venue.
I think one of the biggest trends at the time of my
engagement was rustic weddings. They were everywhere on Instagram and Pinterest
so I think this influenced my decision to book my venue.
I ended up booking
Clock Barn, in Whitchurch – a beautiful renovated barn with a farmhouse out
back for accommodation. It really doesn’t need much décor on the inside which
is amazing and sticks to the simple rustic theme. It’s fairly close to where my
partner grew up, so accessible for his family and not too far from London
either.
But I think the most important thing for me was I could see
myself getting married here. I could picture every aspect of the wedding so
easily and I knew as soon as I visited it this was the one.
I really hope this has been helpful and that you have been
able to pick out a few hints and tips to find your venue! Good luck and most
importantly enjoy the process! It shouldn’t be overly stressful so if it does
get too much, take a break and come back to it!
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