Choosing the perfect venue

So you're now ENGAGED! How exciting!?

One of the first steps towards tying the knot is finding the perfect venue. The venue needs to be perfect because this is where you and your other half will be saying your vows and promising to spend your lives together.

We started our venue search by looking online at what venues were around us. We had a small idea of places where we could hold our ceremony and reception but we wanted to see what else was out there. Our search found us venues which varied in style, location and price! Perfect.

Photo found on hitched.com

We first looked online at a venue which is located in Otterburn in Northumberland, Le Petit Chateau. It is an absolutely gorgeous fairytale venue but the more we looked at it we found that many people we knew had gotten married there and it seemed to be the 'it' venue for our area. It was also quite a distance from our home which meant we would need to budget for transport. For ourselves personally, we wanted something still as grand and beautiful but less known and less expected.






Our second find was a classic hotel down by our local coast. Andrew and I regularly spend time walking along the coast and visiting the local weekend market so a venue by the seaside seemed perfect. We booked in a visit to look around this venue and we went down so full of excitement.

Once we arrived, we were shown lots of different spaces where we could hold our ceremony and reception. We liked the spaces we were shown and its proximity to the beach but there were a few points which put us off. Firstly, the price was quite expensive, the bar was within the reception room and the venue would have their hotel guests able to use some of the same spaces we were offered. I did not like the idea of people I did not know being in the same places we would be taking photos and entertaining our guests.

When picking a venue, please make sure that you are choosing somewhere that fits your budget but also fits the both of you. You are both the most important parts of the wedding and if you are choosing somewhere for show or just because it is where everyone gets married, it wont feel as special to you as somewhere your heart takes you.

Ask lots of questions when you visit a venue and don't be afraid to ask if things can be moved or changed to your liking. Please remember, this is YOUR day!

I will share in another post the venue we decided on because there is that much to tell you about!