Choosing your wedding venue is an exciting mix of fun and practical decision-making. In this article, we dive into the ins and outs of selecting the perfect venue.
Picking out the venue where you’ll be hosting your wedding day is one of the most exciting parts of planning a wedding. We imagine some of you already know precisely where and when you want to get married, possibly at your local church with a beautiful reception venue nearby or perhaps the family home with a marquee?
If you’re not one of those people, then don’t worry. If you need help figuring out where to start your search, let us take your hand and walk you through the best method for picking the perfect wedding venue.
1. Cultural and Traditional Considerations
It all starts by choosing a venue that can represent and tick all the boxes required for your religious & cultural beliefs. Whether you’re Christian and looking to get married in an Orthodox church, Jewish and require a chuppah at your ceremony or Greek Orthodox and require space for the crowning ritual – your expectations should be clearly presented to the venue before you even put your coat on to go take a look.
You may also wish to consider historical sites and centres that hold significance to your ethnic background or family history, for example, a local chapel, mosque or even castle, depending on your family heritage.
If most of your guests’ first language is not English, you’ll need to check if the venue has bilingual staff or has experience hosting multicultural events. Remember to ask if they can cater to your guests’ dietary requirements for in-house catering.
Of course, if none of the above apply to you, then the wedding venue world is your oyster! A civil and humanist ceremony can occur at any venue, provided it’s not a religious building.
2. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Venues
If you’re conscious of your carbon footprint and want to ensure your wedding is as eco-friendly as possible, there are many ways to achieve this.
Luckily, many eco-friendly wedding venues are available for hire nationwide; why not look at the list provided here in our essential wedding planning tips article.
Holding the ceremony and reception at the same venue will help reduce transportation requirements. Biodegradable confetti is an excellent alternative for the bridal exit. Second-hand clothing, seasonal flowers and digital invitations can all help towards organising an eco-friendly wedding.
For a deeper dive into this topic, look at our 8 tips for an eco-friendly wedding article here.
3. Technology and Connectivity
Internet speed is hardly the most romantic notion, but it could be an essential lifeline for guests who can’t attend on the day. You’ll find that some venues will have audio-visual capabilities to ensure friends and family can live-stream on the day.
Checking if the venue has decent Wi-Fi will also help in other factors, like reaching your suppliers during the day in case of emergencies and communicating with guests if they get lost making their way to the venue.
If you hire a DJ or band, having a secure Wi-Fi connection will also enable them to stream music from Spotify, YouTube, etc., which opens up their song bank for your guests to make requests.
Finally, if you decide to hire a photo booth or magic mirror, you’ll find nowadays that they have the ability to upload photos straight to social media or to a wedding app of your choice. A secure network will help gather all the best snapshots and viral moments of the night, so don’t deny your guests of this potential fun and engagement!
4. Accessibility for All Guests
We want to assume that all venues have great accessibility for any guest with disabilities, but sadly, this is not always the case. For this reason, it’s impertinent not to look into this thoroughly before hiring a wedding venue.
If you want a wedding outside, you’ll need to consider wheelchair access across potentially muddy, sandy and uneven grounds. An excellent venue will have a suitable workaround for these scenarios.
The venue you decide upon may have several floors to host the wedding. It might be that the ceremony is on the 3rd floor, the breakfast on the 2nd, and the reception party on the ground floor. If this is the case, you’ll want to double-check there are accessible lifts for friends and family who need an alternative to using the stairs.
Service animals are not always welcome at specific venues, so if you have a relative or friend who needs to bring them along, it’s worth finding out now if they can be accepted before booking.
For friends and family with hearing difficulties or sight problems, check to see if the venue can accommodate their needs. However, there will be some aspects of the day you can control internally, like creating a drinks menu card with braille written or hiring someone who can sign during the ceremony and wedding speeches for those hard of hearing.
5. Weather Contingency Plans
British weather, ey? There’s good reason it’s a go-to for small talk in this country, and it’s not because it’s reliable. Whether you choose to hold your wedding in the summer or winter, you can never truly predict the weather, so it’s worth discussing contingency plans with your venue.
Rain, it’s every bride’s worst nightmare. Whether you plan to have your ceremony, drinks reception or party outside, you must consider an indoor contingency plan. Can your venue move the ceremony indoors at the last minute, and do they have a suitable space?
Marquees are a tremendous failsafe, but you’ll want to ensure they can heat or cool it down depending on whether it’s a cold, wintry day or a hot summer’s day – a stuffy marquee in a 3-piece tweed suit isn’t much fun.
Regardless of the weather, remember to embrace the day and whatever comes with it. You’ll be surprised to know we’ve seen photographers win awards for the wedding shots they’ve captured of couples dancing in the rain.
6. Historical and Unique Venues
The story of your relationship should be reflected in the venue you choose, whether it’s history or just the vibe of the space that speaks to you.
A beach by the sea might be perfect for showcasing your love of the wild ocean and winding coastlines. For surfers, fossil hunters and dog walkers, the beach is a haven for the body and soul. Check out Lusty Glaze Beach weddings if this interests you.
Historic wedding venues offer a grand, opulent setting for a lavish celebration, blending architectural wonders like medieval castles and elegant manors with tranquil gardens. Perfect for glamorous or sophisticated events, they promise an unforgettable experience with impressive spaces and natural beauty.
Unique wedding venues are relatively easy to find, from national museums to zoos & old cinemas to tropical conservatories. If you want your guest’s first words to be ‘wow’ when they step into your venue, then when not consider hiring the largest glass Victorian house at Kew Gardens (if the budget allows!).
7. Photography Opportunities at the Venue
Natural lighting, scenic backdrops, picturesque spots and unique decor need consideration when picking your perfect wedding venue. After all, this will be the backdrop to your entire day and all your photographs.
Consider the ceremony as a starting point; how do you want the room or space to look and feel? Do you prefer intimate, candlelit, cosy rooms or more space and greenery with an outdoorsy feel?
The drinks reception should take place in an interesting spot, as it’s usually the part of the day where guests will all be together in one place in the best lighting of the day (hopefully).
We recommend walking around the grounds of your chosen venue. Take a look at the open spaces and scenery and try picture where you’ll take your post-ceremony photos. Open fields, old buildings with character and lush gardens are great spots to capture a photo.
Wedding reception venues with great lighting can help capture the evening’s antics. If you want to access outside during the evening, check in with the venue to see what lighting options are available to help illuminate the night and your guests for some stunning late-night photos.
8. Venue Size and Layout
Once you have figured out the number of guests attending, you can begin searching for the perfect venue, as you’ll want to ensure your chosen venue can accommodate your numbers before proceeding.
The venue layout is essential to how the day flows as a whole, especially if you’re having your ceremony, drinks and breakfast at the same venue. Visit the venue and walk between each section to understand how the transition will feel from the ceremony to drinks and then drinks to the wedding breakfast.
The room’s acoustics will create or break the atmosphere depending on the desired effect. A ceremony with high ceilings will create a wonderful ambience for singers, harpists, guitarists or pianists to play you in and out. Whereas a similar room for the wedding reception will mean the music is often lost to the ceiling, and your wedding band might struggle to get the levels right.
A top tip: find out where the bar is located in comparison to the dance floor. If you’d like to keep the guests dancing and the party vibes going all evening, make sure the drinks aren’t served in a different room to stop guests from lingering at the bar.
9. Catering and Dietary Requirements
Are any of your guests gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, or have other dietary requirements? Be prepared to have options available to offer your guests and plans in place for any allergies.
The venue you choose may offer in-house catering and can share its menu to review before booking. Still, if you’re looking to hire a separate supplier, you must check if the venue can accommodate their catering, space and electrical requirements.
Outdoor wedding spaces may require you to hire a generator to supply electricity to your suppliers. If this is the case, then you’ll need to ask all your supplies (including catering) how many kW of power they draw. Knowing this will help pick the right-sized generator; we always advise going slightly bigger to ensure enough power for everyone on the day.
10. Local Attractions and Accommodation
Checking out the local area before booking the venue is a great way to get a feel for the day. You can scout out potential hotels & accommodation options for those unable to stay onsite and local eateries for guests travelling the night before.
If the nearest town or village has some interesting local spots your guests should take advantage of, then recommend them in the invitations or wedding website. For some guests, it might be their first time visiting that area of the country, so providing this information will only help enhance the overall experience.
Put together a list of hotels, restaurants, taxi providers, supermarkets, cafes, breakfast spots and local attractions to help everyone plan their stays accordingly.
So that’s it! A comprehensive guide to booking the perfect wedding venue, but before you go, look below at the list of questions to ask your venue before booking. It’s a great starting point, but please remember your wedding might prompt further questions specific to your day.
So that’s it! A comprehensive guide to booking the perfect wedding venue, but before you go, look below at the list of questions to ask your venue before booking. It’s a great starting point, but please remember your wedding might prompt further questions specific to your day.
- Does my booking include a dedicated wedding coordinator?
- What is your guest capacity?
- What is your disabled access like?
- Do you have a sound limiter?
- Will I have exclusive use of the venue?
- Do you have links with nearby accommodation (if this is not provided at the venue)?
- Do you have a caterer? If not, do you have a specific list we have to choose from?
- Do you have a list of Recommended Suppliers? Are you happy for us to choose outside this list?
- Can all our guests park onsite for free – some city or town venues charge for parking.
- What input can we have with the menus?
- What do you provide? Tables, chairs, table linen?
- Are the different rooms close to each other throughout the day?
- Can we bring our own alcohol?
- Is corkage included?
- Are we allowed real candles?
- What is the space for evening entertainment?
- What time do we need to wrap up the wedding?
- Can we revisit the venue before the wedding?
- Can the bridal party get ready at the venue?
- What is your cancellation policy?
