Wedding Venue Ideas

Having recently written about creating gorgeous wedding photos I thought I would continue on the topic but this time to branch into venues.

I remember arranging my wedding a gazillion years ago (okay maybe more like 15 or so years ago).  A lot of thought went into preparing for our big day and one of the most important decisions we had to make was deciding on the venue.

The venue choice can really make a big difference to your special day and you need to give it a lot of thought.

What do you need to do?

Think Numbers

You need to have an idea of the number of guests you plan to invite to the wedding prior to booking.  You may have too many people to fit at a venue or on the other hand not enough.

Costings

You need to work what your budget is prior to deciding where to book the wedding.  Make sure you get a full list of expenses including the possible venues, flowers catering if the venue doesn’t do this, the wedding dress, grooms suit, wedding cake, bridesmaids and pageboys gifts, wedding favours etc.  You don’t want any shocks at the end of the day.

Deciding on a Venue

Location is very important.  A friend of my husband’s friends booked a church that was about an hour and a half’s journey from the actual reception venue.  Think of your guests guys, make sure the choice makes sense.  There are so many great venues all over the country so all you need to do is pick a venue and a local church and you are sorted.  Although London is pretty built up you can still find some great wedding venues with some impressive settings and rooms where you can celebrate your special day.  I have been to some amazing venues in London with fantastic views whether you are booking a meeting room or conference centre once the room is dressed with table covers, decorations and flowers they can look stunning.

Above is a dining room at The Cumberland.  I love this hotel as it looks amazing.  The decor is modern and stylish and for those not planning a wedding just yet I’d consider this as a great hotel for a romantic weekend away.  I’ve been here twice and loved it.

Another hotel that is lovely is The Park Plaza London Riverbank.  I have stayed here too and also attended a wedding here.  The tables and chairs were all dressed and the floral arrangements on the tables were stunning.  The room we went to for the wedding was extremely spacious making it the perfect location for a wedding for those with plenty of guests.  Also just to add they have a lovely restaurant called Chino Latino that you might like to pop in and try if you love Pan Asian.  I have enjoyed their food a number of times.

If you are not near London and more Coventry area (I am working my way up the country) then have you considered hiring out a theatre as a wedding venue?  The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry could be the venue for you.  This sounds like a remarkable opportunity for those that want a great wedding with lighting, sound and stage technicians and a set construction company on hand to help them create the most amazing entertainment for a wedding that will be truly unforgettable.

Still not near enough for you?  The New Dock Hall and Royal Armouries Museum offers something that bit different.  Located in Leeds this £350 million waterfront development looks stunning and caters for large parties.  It’s perfect for those looking to wow their guests and drink receptions can be given an unusual twist by combining the event with a reception in one of the prestigious Royal Armouries Museum galleries; War, Tournament or Oriental.  Each of these has a unique performance area where you will be treated to live action events and dramatic live interpretations.  Guests are surrounded by fascinating artefacts, vaulted ceilings and a range of performances to entertain guests to guarantee that your wedding is the the best they will experience in a long time.

The last location I wanted to mention today is Edinburgh.  There are numerous places here from world-class restaurants, historic houses, bars and unusual venues such as museums and sporting stadia.  I quite liked the look of The Hub – Edinburgh’s festival centre.  There are rooms to cover different sized weddings too so fear not if you are not trying to recreate the Big Fat Greek wedding!  

For those that want some outdoors photo’s some of the venues have petty green areas and for those that don’t there are normally pretty parks near by where you can get some great photo’s before you get to the venue.

Book the Venue and Church Early

Wedding locations can get booked up early.  You might find you need to book some places more than a year and a half to two years in advance and sometimes more to get the day and time you want.

The key to a perfect wedding is ultimately good preparation and I hope by writing this post I have helped to set you on the right path and helped give you an idea of some lovely locations that you might like to consider.

Not looking to book a wedding yourself but know someone that is then please do feel free to share this post with them.

What location in the UK would you love to hold or attend a wedding?

Enjoying this post? You can subscribe to Melanie’s Fab Finds to have posts delivered straight to your inbox once including recipes, reviews, competitions etc. before anyone else.  Don’t worry I won’t spam you.

https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=MelaniesFabFinds&loc=en_US

Watch our product reviews on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7N9LSm6HlbeVfliBZZRRBg