Guest Blogger – Melanie from Cranberry Weddings

It is a pleasure to have the lovely Melanie from Cranberry Blue Weddings as our guest blogger today!

Melanie is here to give some fantastic tips about finding the perfect venue. Melanie creates seamless and stunning wedding and events, she is based in Islington, London.

Finding your perfect wedding venue

The Royal Naval College, Greenwich

If you are about to embark on looking for the perfect venue for your wedding, you may well have already read some hints and tips about how to go about this…or maybe not. Before you launch into what I think is one of the most exciting parts of planning a wedding, have a quick read about some important points you may not have considered:

Try to decide on your guest list numbers early on as this will be one of the main drivers behind choosing your perfect venue. If you plan to have a large wedding and dream of a country house then you may need to consider having a marquee on the lawn to accommodate the numbers for example (always check this is an option).
It is a good idea to have a ‘must have’ list and then a ‘would like to invite list’ so you have some flexibility. For example, if you find a venue that you fall in love with but is too expensive then reducing the numbers can dramatically lower the cost overall and make it affordable.

Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire

Once you have your budget outlined, think about the time of year you would like to get married. You may wish to consider an ‘off peak’ month, such as November to February, a weekday or even a Sunday as the cost will be considerably lower (giving you more money to spend on other things!) In addition to this, a lot of suppliers will offer reduced rates at these times which will help to keep your budget down.
What overall feel would you like for your big day? Are you looking for a formal or more casual affair? The type of venue will invariably dictate certain elements, for example a marquee reception in a rural location will evoke more of a relaxed feeling, whereas a city wedding in a boutique hotel is likely to be more formal.

Marquee from Best Intent Marquees

With the current trend for couples to have their wedding celebration over a weekend or even several days, it can be great to have your guests staying on-site. If this is important to you then does the venue have facilities for this or are their hotels nearby, also are their any activities readily available such as a spa, golf or river boat trip?
You need to consider the size of the room, style, colour scheme and furnishings as whatever look you would like to create needs to work with the interior. For example if there is a deep red carpet and curtains then keep in mind you will need to choose a colour scheme that works with this, otherwise it can be very costly to completely transform the room.
Always ask if the venue only allows their recommended suppliers and check the fine details to ensure everything is covered and there are no additional charges such as service charges, crockery hire and is VAT included?

There are a great number of other factors to consider when looking for your wedding venue but hopefully you have found these ones helpful…happy hunting!