PERFECT PLACE YOUR

Discover how to choose a wedding venue that reflects your style, fits your budget, and creates memories for a lifetime.

You can opt to use an Independent Celebrant which means that you can celebrate your marriage on a secluded beach or in that beautiful wildflower meadow. You must register your marriage and complete the legalities at your local Registry Office and then the rest is up to you. You are not limited by venue, ceremony or style. You are free to create your bespoke wedding and make it as unique as you want. In these circumstances, couples can ensure that their wedding is where, when and how they dreamed it would be.

The venue that you choose plays a big part in your wedding day and will affect many of the other details that will make your big day. It will depend on location, amount of guests and of course your budget. As a basic guide to booking and paying for the venue of your choice, it should be no more than half of your overall budget. Estimate the amount of people that you would be inviting to your wedding as most places have a minimum party size meaning that you may need a substantial amount of people to attend. For example, if you are hoping for a small and private wedding then a stately home or a castle is probably not the most realistic idea to go for.

The best way to choose the perfect venue is to roughly decide your number of guests and your budget and then choose a few favourite places between you. Shortlisting three or four venues that fit your style and write a list of pros and cons for each, not forgetting the travel for guests and the photographer.

Whether you are going for country and rustic then why not take a look at a local barn venue or talk to a company that hire out marquees for the grounds of a country house. When you are intending to get married in a church, you always have to remember that your guests will have to transfer to the wedding reception venue, why not hire a coach or arrange beforehand how the guests will travel from venue to venue.

Most venues tend to host fayres or open days to allow you to visit and look around, helping you to visualise your big day and hopefully set your mind on what you really want. When budgeting for a venue, it’s important to keep in mind that you may need to set aside a little extra for things you may want on the day. Ask your venue to give you a list or a breakdown of what is included in the price in order for you to see exactly what you will get for your money. Overspending can be worth it, especially when you are getting the wedding day of your dreams. It should be the best day of you and your partner’s life so getting it just right is worth a little extra spending.

An all-inclusive hotel or ballroom is the perfect backdrop for a classic fairy tale wedding. A traditional and big wedding benefits from a country house or estate or even a castle as the venue. These old places have bags of character and will ensure that the ornate details that you crave are included in your day. Always look for somewhere with plenty of landscapes such as a golf club or spa with sweeping views, where there are opportunities for stunning photographs to capture your wedding day.