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Congratulations, you’re engaged! This is such an exciting time and journey and SO important to get the right suppliers to join you. These people should be your eyes and ears, your professional insight and your wedding day cheerleaders. So let’s start at the beginning. Your venue for your celebrations… What do you need to think about when looking for the backdrop for your day? There are so many wonderful venues with so many different offerings; how do you know what would work best for you and reflect your personality and style?
Who? This is your wedding and your celebration of love. With the flurry of excitement and drafts of guest lists it can be difficult nee impossible to please everyone. I’m a big believer in this is your day your way. Your venue should reflect you and your partners personalities and styles. Perhaps you love times gone by and grand buildings. In that case a historic venue or castle packed with nuggets of the past may be for you. Maybe you like being surrounded by nature; estates with woodlands, outdoor space and plenty of gardens might be for you. Maybe you’re a real home bird and couldn’t imagine holding your wedding anywhere other than at home, on family land.
What? The facts. The numbers. Look at what individual venues are offering and if that really suits what you want.
Where? Location, location, location. Do you want to be near where you live, are you happy to travel for a venue that suits you better? Are your family and friends scattered? Do you have people coming from abroad? If you have your heart set on your family church for example, this may limit your radius. In that case, can you look at a wedding on your own land?
Why? Reasons for picking a particular venue may have a lot of different whys. Venue staff are your first point of call and I think you can tell an awful lot from the first meeting. Do they really take in an interest in your wedding day, are they passionate about making this the best day for you? Enthusiasm is extremely underrated but can make a huge amount of difference to your journey. Perhaps you are looking at a venue for logistical reasons, maybe it’s close to the church you dreamed of. Why is an important point to consider.
When? Maybe you haven’t got quite as far as exact dates yet, but having an indicator of the type of time of year will help you plan. Weddings are seasonal, there are peak times. As a general rule, Winter will be less expensive than Summer. A weekday wedding will also be less expensive than a weekend. Work out the cost savings between days of the week and you may be pleasantly surprised. Fridays are fast becoming popular and family and friends will make the effort to take days off to join in your celebrations regardless of the day. If narrowed down to a particular time of year, try and visit during this season so you can get a better feel for how the venue will be presented if a fixed abode. What are the gardens like? Does the venue decorate around the festive period if you think you would like a wedding during that time?
It’s ok to not know the answers to all these questions, it’s also ok to reach out and ask for help. That is one of the reasons I exist, to make sure that your day is as stress free and transparent as possible. I have worked within venues for many years, and understand how different each one can be!