Deciding on a Wedding Venue  

Planning a wedding can be a very exciting yet daunting time.  Having recently announced my engagement the time has come for me to begin planning my own wedding. Throughout the next year I am going to keep an account of my experiences and share this with other brides to be.  Hopefully I will be able to provide others with some tips and suggestions that they may not have considered.  Equally I would encourage other brides to be to share their experiences.

On accepting a proposal what are the first steps a bride should take.

1. Set the Date
2. Organise the Ceremony – Chapel/Church/Registrar Office
3. Decide on a reception venue

When setting the date things you should consider are: 

Does your date clash with any other family/friends weddings?

When can you afford to get married? 

Will your date accommodate your wedding guests? E.g. family living abroad

What season would you like to get married in?

When deciding on your reception venue things you should consider are:  

The Cost of a Wedding Reception

Food Costs

What does it cost for three/four course meal?  Most venues will give you a price per guest.  This can range from £19 to £100+

What are the buffet costs?  Again this will most likely be a charge set per guest.

Tip: When making arrangements for your buffet generally you do not need to order food for every guest.  Most hotels will advice what percentage of your guests you should cater for.

Drink Costs

Are jugs of orange complimentary or does the venue charge for these?

Are you allowed to supply your own wine?  What is the corkage charge?

If the venue does not allow you to supply your own wine do you know how much they charge for wine?

Remember to consider the arrival of your guests to the reception. Some venues offer complimentary tea/coffee & biscuits on arrival.  Check with your venue if this is included in your package as it could cost approximately £2 per guest so it may be worth considering when deciding on your venue.

Some couples choose to offer guests a drinks reception on arrival, or a free drink for the toast, others may decide to hire in a chocolate fountain.  What you can offer your guests is really at the discretion of your budget.   Everything is possible.

Room Hire

Is room hire included or is this an additional cost the venue will charge for?

Extras

Some venues offer complimentary table decorations and chair covers.  Is this included in your package?

Capacity of function suites 

It is important to work out an approximate number of guests you are planning to invite to your wedding.   You and your partner should write down a separate list of who you are planning to invite and then swop lists and have your partner check that you haven’t left anyone out and vice versa.  You could surprise each other.  When writing down your names remember that in most cases you will multiple by two as you will probably want to invites partners/friends.  Until you have an approximate number in mind it may be a waste of time checking availability and prices of venues to later find out that they don’t cater for your numbers.

Accommodation 

Does the venue have bedrooms to accommodate those guests who want to stay over?                                                                                                                                                                 How many bedrooms do they have?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Will your guests receive discounted accommodation rates?                                                                                                                                                                                                                 If you are getting married over the holiday season i.e. New years, are the rates more expensive?                                                                                                                                                   Does the venue offer a complimentary overnight stay for the bride and groom?

Location 

It is worth considering were both you and your partner’s guests will be travelling from.  Do either of you have family or friends travelling from overseas?  If so you may want to limit the travel time from the ceremony to the reception.  You will also want to consider how the guests are going to travel.  Will you need to put on a bus to transport them?

Other 

Does the venue offer late bar facilities?

Have you attended a wedding reception at your chosen venue or heard good reports from others who have?

All of the above are areas that I will be considering before I decide which venue to hold my reception in.  I will keep you posted on my choice and will let you know what attracted me to the venue of my choice.

Editor@Bookourwedding.com