Deciding where you want your ceremony/wedding breakfast/evening reception is extremely important and it can quickly become quite stressful. I work as a wedding registrar and from my experience I know there are a few key things you need to consider when you are visiting your perspective venues...
What type of ceremony is best for you?
If you are getting hitched in the UK there are lots of different options open to you.
Firstly, you have the choice between a religious ceremony (held at a place of worship) or a civil ceremony that can either take place at a register office or an approved venue, (such as a licensed hotel for example).
If you had set your heart on an outdoors ceremony, (pray for good british weather!) there is such a thing as a DUO ceremony which basically means that the legal elements of the ceremony would be carried out in a licensed room followed (or proceeded) by a ceremony outside. For more info on DUO ceremonies you would need to discuss it with the registration office that is in the area of your ceremony as not all of them are able to do these types.
If you are getting hitched in the UK there are lots of different options open to you.
Firstly, you have the choice between a religious ceremony (held at a place of worship) or a civil ceremony that can either take place at a register office or an approved venue, (such as a licensed hotel for example).
If you had set your heart on an outdoors ceremony, (pray for good british weather!) there is such a thing as a DUO ceremony which basically means that the legal elements of the ceremony would be carried out in a licensed room followed (or proceeded) by a ceremony outside. For more info on DUO ceremonies you would need to discuss it with the registration office that is in the area of your ceremony as not all of them are able to do these types.
Is it going to take place in the area/county where you live? The area where your family live? Abroad?
Think about logistics here, is it a reasonable and 'do-able' distance for you both and your guests to travel to your chosen area/county?
If you have decided on a wedding ceremony abroad then you will need to contact the country's authority/government dept to find out what information and paperwork you will need, how early this paperwork/documents needs to be with them and also how long this paperwork will be valid for. (Some countries ask you to present them with a 'Certificate of Non-Impediment' which is something you would then need to speak to your local registration office about getting.)
Think about logistics here, is it a reasonable and 'do-able' distance for you both and your guests to travel to your chosen area/county?
If you have decided on a wedding ceremony abroad then you will need to contact the country's authority/government dept to find out what information and paperwork you will need, how early this paperwork/documents needs to be with them and also how long this paperwork will be valid for. (Some countries ask you to present them with a 'Certificate of Non-Impediment' which is something you would then need to speak to your local registration office about getting.)
Key things to think about:
- Location vs. Travel costs: Remember that if you are travelling a long distance it will cost you more in travel expenses. Especially if you are hiring cars/transport.
- Disabled access: Do you have any elderly or disabled guests attending? When looking around venues check for disabled access and parking
- Parking: Speaking of parking, is there any parking? A lot of inner-city locations may only have 'pay and display' or multi-story car parking which can leave guests with a large bill if they are there all day.
- Accommodation: At the end of your day, are you going to be staying in your venue? A nearby hotel? Do they offer a discount for the wedding party rooms?
- Venue vs. Photography: Is it a place that you can have nice photos taken indoors if the weather turns sour?
Whats included? (Some ideas of what to ask…)
- Do you get drinks upon arrival? - Is there a bar?
- Are seat covers included or do you have to pay per seat?
- Is there a min/max number of guests for the room?
- Can you have the ceremony/wedding breakfast/evening reception all in the same room?
- Do you get special rates for wedding guest bedroom bookings?
- Do you have good choices in the menu and is there an evening buffet?
- Do you have to use their own in house DJ/caterer/florist? Beware! Some venues charge extra if you wish to use your own people.
Our Ceremony
David and I sat down one evening and discussed exactly what we wanted for our wedding ceremony. Neither of us are religious at all so we were both in agreement to have a civil ceremony. We are both very family orientated people and both bought up in the same town in Norfolk so we figured it would make sense for us to have our ceremony where we have always lived. We also wanted it at a location that is easy to get to with parking and accommodation. Therefore after looking around several different venues we decided to have our whole day at a large hotel/manor. Our venue has a huge car park and can offer us a discount on 20 rooms for our wedding party - which was important for us.
David and I sat down one evening and discussed exactly what we wanted for our wedding ceremony. Neither of us are religious at all so we were both in agreement to have a civil ceremony. We are both very family orientated people and both bought up in the same town in Norfolk so we figured it would make sense for us to have our ceremony where we have always lived. We also wanted it at a location that is easy to get to with parking and accommodation. Therefore after looking around several different venues we decided to have our whole day at a large hotel/manor. Our venue has a huge car park and can offer us a discount on 20 rooms for our wedding party - which was important for us.
Remember!
Haggle! The prices the venues set are not set in stone. If you want something thrown in to the plan then ask. Or if you feel uncomfortable asking outright then mention your budget and ask of anything can be done/swapped/exchanged.
The worst they will do is say no. What have you got to lose?
Haggle! The prices the venues set are not set in stone. If you want something thrown in to the plan then ask. Or if you feel uncomfortable asking outright then mention your budget and ask of anything can be done/swapped/exchanged.
The worst they will do is say no. What have you got to lose?
It's your wedding! So DON'T let people bully you into changing your plans or doing something you don't want to do. However, DO keep an open mind and don't get annoyed or upset if somebody suggests an idea or highlights a problem.
Nobody likes a bride/groom-zilla after all!
Nobody likes a bride/groom-zilla after all!
I would love to hear your experiences of venue hunting, please comment below and us your story.
Argh! I remember having to go through all of this when I got married! So many decisions! Great blog hun. Check out my beauty blog xx http://www.beautythink.org/
ReplyDeleteThere is just so much to think about. Thanks for stopping by and your kind comment. I'm now going to zoom over to visit your blog. xoxo
Deleteah I will have to remember this when I eventually getting married (still awaiting proposal) haha :) some great tips though & lovely blog hunny xxx Sunshine On A Cloudy Day Blog :)
ReplyDeleteThanks chick! The time will come, I'm sure. Then we can all give great advice to you. :) Thanks for stopping by hunni. Take care xoxo
ReplyDeleteLove this! We had ours in a hotel too as it was a fair distance from both our families and it was important they could all stay the night with us :) I've been to a fair few weddings and I think there's a big, massive difference betwen a wedding venue and a venue that does weddings. It was vital to me that I found the right venue that would see my wedding as important as I did x
ReplyDeleteClaire | AgentSmyth
Thats exactly right Claire! When we found our venue we knew straight away simply because the lady took us seriously and was really interested and dedicated. Same with our fab Photographer, Luis. Have you done any posts about your wedding? Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my blog! xoxo
DeleteWell, there are several aspects of wedding and making it perfect. Wedding invitation card is one the important aspect of making any marriage special.
ReplyDeletewedding planning