Guest Blog – Five things to consider when searching for the perfect venue
Advice from an experienced wedding planner
Finding the perfect venue for your event can be overwhelming – there are so many boxes you need to tick. Not only does your venue need to look perfect in your photos, but it also needs to accommodate all of your guests, match your theme and be available! Ultimately the venue really affects the feel of the day and there are so many things to take into account.
Here are 5 things to consider when you are looking for your perfect venue.
Room Layout
Do you have a dream layout for your wedding? If you do, make sure you mention this! Different layouts change the capacity in a room, so while a venue may accommodate 150 people theater style, if you are set on having cabaret style tables this capacity will be greatly reduced. Your venue or planner will be able to advise you on layouts. But if you do have a dream layout in mind please don’t forget to mention this when you are looking at venues.
Accessibility
How accessible is your dream venue? Are there sufficient disabled toilets, is there an induction loop in the ceremony room? You want all of your guests to feel included; if you have a guest who is struggling to get into your reception room, or to the toilet or can’t hear your ceremony they will not feel considered or included and it’s an additional issue to deal with on the day. A bit of planning could avoid this. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t have anyone with accessibility issues attending – if your mum / brother / best friend falls and breaks a leg before your wedding and has to attend in a wheel chair would they still be able to make it around your venue? The last thing you want is to have to consider postponing your wedding because one of your most loved guests won’t be able to make it around the tables! (Clearly we hope this doesn’t happen, but as planners it’s our job to think about and therefore avoid any issues that might arise on the day of the event!)
Parking
This isn’t a make or break situation, but it is something you should consider. Does your venue of choice have sufficient parking? If not is there somewhere close by you can direct your guests to? Will you have to put on transport from the allocated car park to your venue? These are all issues you can overcome, but you need to know about them in advance, extra transport will have an impact on your budget for example and the more time you have to plan these extra details the less stress for you.
Staffing
Does your venue provide staffing throughout the day to serve drinks, change room layouts, direct guests etc? It is completely possible to hire staff in, but again you need to know about this in advance and plan your budget accordingly.
Wet weather options
Finally – wet weather options. We all hope that our wedding (or any event) is going to be as we picture it in glorious sunshine, but….this is the UK and it’s always best to have a back-up plan! If you are planning your summer wedding, imagining guests sipping champagne outside in the beautifully fairy lit gardens, it sounds perfect. But do you have somewhere to go if there is a sudden downpour? If you know you have somewhere for your guests to go in all weathers it is a weight off of your mind on the day. Chat to your planner or venue; should you get a marquee in, maybe some personalised umbrellas (if you are planning on a more traditionally showery month) to get your guests from one area of your venue to the next. You can keep it light-hearted, keep it fun, but having a plan will mean that whatever weather the great UK meteorological system decides to throw at you, you know that you have a perfectly themed plan in place that will accommodate all of your guests and fit with your day perfectly.
Now you have a selection of tips to consider when looking for a venue why not get in touch with us to see how we can help, either find your perfect venue, or help you plan the rest of your day. With 15 years experience planning, organising and managing a wide range of events, and having venue’s sourced for a selection of events from international conferences to weddings, we know how to make sure everything is taken care of and are here to remove the stress from you. www.hsquaredevents.co.uk
Helen has spent over 15 years working in the events industry, working on everything from managing large international conferences attended by delegates from over 40 countries, special birthday parties in exclusive venues, wedding receptions, and corporate away days. She’s experienced in attention to detail and anticipating all problems that may arise, there isn’t much that can make her flap! A creative and calm approach to problem-solving is in her nature. She also likes food, music and wine!
Written by Eleth Mageehan, (c) 2020, all rights reserved.
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