Tips for Finding Your Perfect Wedding Venue

Searching for your wedding venue is one of the first tasks that you should tackle on your wedding to-do list and one of the most important elements of your special day. So to help, I’ve put together a few tips for finding your perfect wedding venue.

If You’re Hiring a Planner, Enlist Their Help First

If you’re thinking about hiring a wedding planner, enlist their support before you get too far with your venue search. A wedding planner can save you SO much valuable time and effort when looking for your venue as they will have a far deeper knowledge of locations that match your brief than any google search. What’s more, they’ll be able to make practical suggestions during your site visit to help you visualise your day.

As a wedding planner, I love this part of the planning process. We are spoiled with some really beautiful wedding venues in the UK and, when you find the perfect place to say ‘I Do’ it can really help the rest of the wedding fall into place. If you are looking for support from a UK wedding planner, get in touch with me through the Rachel Dalton Weddings website – I would love to hear from you!

Decide on a Location

This really can make one of the biggest impacts on where to focus your venue search. Sit down with your fiancé and decide where geographically you would like to host your wedding. Consider things such as how far your guests will be travelling (and whether there are any important family members that aren’t able to travel) as well as whether there is a location you’d like to marry in for sentimental reasons.

Once you have a location narrowed down – for example a Cotswolds Wedding – avoid extending your search further afield (you’ll just confuse yourselves!).

Write Your Guest List

Before you look at any venues, have a draft of your guest list so that you can get an idea of numbers for your wedding. Every venue has a maximum capacity so deciding how many guests to invite will instantly narrow down a shortlist.

Budget, Budget, Budget

If you haven’t already, start a budget spreadsheet. This is also a good time to sit down together and establish your priorities for the day, as these factors will likely get the biggest allocation of your budget.

Your costings for a lot of your wedding day will fall into place once you have confirmed your venue, but it is vital that you have an overall budget breakdown before you start your search. You don’t want to blow your whole budget on your venue!

Choose the Style of Your Day (and Venue!)

Pinning fingers at the ready! Before you shortlist any venues, envisage the style of your day, and therefore the style of venues you are going to be looking at. If you’ve always dreamt of a traditional affair at a country house, don’t waste your time looking around industrial warehouse venues.

Take some time to look on Pinterest, Instagram and wedding blogs to get some ideas for the style you are drawn to. Keep this in mind and try to visualise your day as a whole whilst you are doing your venue research.

Set a Wedding Date

If you can have some flexibility when it comes to your wedding date – wonderful! It’s great to have a few options in mind when you are enquiring with venues.

On saying that, it’s important to consider the year, season and even day of the week that you would like to get married on. All of these factors can come in to play when looking at venue prices and availability.

Decide What Type of Ceremony You Would Like

If you have your heart set on a religious ceremony, you will need to consider this when you are choosing where to host your wedding as you will need a separate venue for your reception. If you are looking to have a civil ceremony, speak to each venue and check which of their rooms have a licence.

Nowadays, there is much more freedom when it comes to wedding ceremonies, blessings, and saying ‘I Do’ in a way that suits you. Be sure to do your research – and enlist the help of a wedding planner if you need any guidance.

Establish Whether You’ll Need Accommodation Onsite

These days, it’s almost inevitable that some of your guests will have to travel for your wedding. If this is the case for a large portion of your guests, I’d suggest having a look at the accommodation available at (or nearby) the venues you shortlist.

It’s also worth noting – if you’re making a weekend of your wedding and extending the celebrations over a couple of days, make sure that you have accommodation options available for you and your guests.

Decide How Much Freedom You’d Like

Different venues will have different processes when it comes to preferred suppliers. Often, they’ll ask that you choose from an approved list for caterers, production companies and occasionally more. If this is the case, check that the recommended suppliers align with the budget and style of your day. I’d also suggest asking each venue about their rules on alcohol, and whether they charge a corkage fee to supply your own.

If you are looking for guidance and support with the planning of your big day, get in touch to have a chat about how I am able to help!

Images taken by Kristine Herman Photography at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire