5 Things you need to consider when looking for your dream wedding venue.

A 'dream wedding venue' can be anything from a stately home in the countryside to an industrial warehouse in London, it truly depends on what you want and what represents you both. However you need to remember what will work and be logistically correct for you, your guests and your budget! Below is a few points to check before going to view any venues so that you can find your perfect wedding venue .

Image found on Pintrest by Sarah Gawler

Check availability.

There is nothing worse than going through all the details with a venue, deciding this is the one then finding out they have no availability in the time you are looking for. Before making any appointments to view a venue call them to ask about availability, and if possible hold a provisional date! Then you have piece of mind when you go to your viewing knowing that you have a date on hold so you can go ahead and book without a worry. However I would not advise doing this for lots of venues, only hold dates if it is a contender and a venue you are seriously considering!

Capacities.

Drafting up a guest list is the best thing to do when thinking about capacities. If you set your heart on a venue that can only hold 60 guests for a ceremony and you were looking 120 you'll need to eliminate the venue straight away (or dramatically cut the guest list!). Try and be as accurate as you possibly can with the guest list, you can always play around with the numbers later on but you want to make sure you view venues that will work for your numbers.

If you are struggling with your guest list take a look at this post with 8 quick tips on how to build your wedding guest list.

Photo by Camilla J Hards Photography

Check to see what the venue offers.

Some venues are dry hire so you will just get use of the space, and in some cases use tables and chairs too. Others will provide you with food, drink, accommodation and entertainment. It is worth checking what the venue offers and if they are flexible on what you or the venue can provide. Sometimes there may be hidden costs with this such as corkage so make you get all the information at the initial phone call.

Any limitations?

If you are hiring a field and putting up a marquee for your wedding there will be less limitations than a specific wedding venue, as you are likely to be far away from any local areas so noise limits etc may not be too much a problem. However if you are looking to have your wedding in a 5* star venue in London there will be limitations on timings, décor, music levels, access points etc. So you will need to check this by asking the staff what their limitations are for your wedding.

Photography by Lottie Photography

And finally.....location

If you are having your ceremony and reception in different venues or locations its important to think about the transport between the two. If your getting married in a church then going to a nearby venue for the reception then most guests will probably make their own way. But if your looking to have a city wedding you may need to book transport to make sure everyone gets to the reception venue, as you dont want your guests having to take the tube to the next venue!

Still not sure where to start, let me help you with your venue search, head over to the Services page for more info and then get in touch to check availability for your wedding date