Choosing Your Perfect London Wedding Venue
IMAGE: Jessy Papasavva Photography
Choosing your wedding venue is one of the first and most important steps in the wedding planning process. It sets the stage for your celebration and can make or break the dream that you have for your day. If you have a particular venue in mind, you should think about booking it straight away. If, however you are open to exploring the various options that are available, it is advisable to start your search 18 months before your wedding date to ensure that you can secure your dream London venue. This advice also goes for booking your suppliers, the earlier you book them, the better chance you have of securing them for your wedding.
IMAGE: Jessy Papasavva Photography
Location
If your ceremony is being hosted in a different location to your reception, for example a church, first find out which dates are available for your ceremony. You can then start venue hunting giving yourselves a greater chance of both the ceremony and the venue location being available on the same date. Do give some thought to the distance and travel time between the two locations.
The capital has an array of amazing venues from iconic Central London locations to stylish venues on its leafy fringes. There are many locations to choose from but do consider accessibility. Is the venue easily accessible? Does the venue have adequate parking? If not, are you going to provide transportation for your guests or are you happy for them to make their own way? Do bear in mind that parking is not only for your guests but also for the suppliers you hire for your day.
Venue Size and Capacity
The size of your venue and its capacity is very important as it determines the number of guests you have at your wedding. You don’t want to be squeezing lots of guests into a tiny space neither do you want to try filling a vast empty, hollow space with fewer guests. An oversized venue may mean spending copious amounts of money to make it feel more intimate.
Start by making a list of all the people you couldn’t imagine getting married without then add anyone else that you would like to invite. You can then choose your venue based on those numbers.
Knowing your guest number before visiting venues also saves valuable time on viewing unsuitable spaces that would be either too big or too small.
IMAGE: Jessy Papasavva Photography
Type of Venue
London has an abundance of stunning venues with striking architecture from opulent hotel ballrooms, grandiose Georgian townhouses & Grade I & II listed buildings to modern museums, trendy warehouses, and iconic buildings with breath-taking panoramic views across its skyline.
The venue you choose sets the tone of your wedding therefore it is important to choose one in keeping with the style of your day whether it be traditional, modern or fairy-tale.
In addition to the style of the venue, consideration should be given to its interior colour scheme. You do not want to clash with the venue’s existing colours. Neutrally decorated spaces provide a blank canvas for colour giving you the luxury of using whichever colour combinations you like. Not all venues offer this luxury as they have their own colour scheme already in place. If this is the case with your chosen venue, think about how you can work your colour palette into the existing colours or choose your colour scheme based on what is present at the venue.
Another area for consideration is catering. Does the venue offer the option of both in-house and external catering? If they only offer in-house catering, do they offer the cuisine that you would like? If external caterers are welcome, are they permitted to use the venue’s kitchen?
Check what is included in the venue hire. Don’t make assumptions based on photos that you see of weddings set up there, you need to check. Included items are usually basic such as white linens, standard flatware, standard glassware and, banqueting chairs. If you want anything other than the basic to make the space truly authentic to you, you will need to rent these separately and of course there will be an additional cost. Your Wedding Stylist or Wedding Planner will be able to assist you with this. You may also find that you are charged extra for things such as the dance floor, cloakroom, and stage.
You may wish to choose a dry hire venue for your special day. A dry hire space is generally the space with no extras. You will therefore have to provide everything you need for your event yourself, for example, caterers, drinks, Event Designer, tables, chairs, linen, flatware, and audio-visuals. Consider employing the services of a Wedding Planner to do this for you. An advantage of a dry hire space is that you can truly make the space your own and do something spectacular. The cost of a dry hire venue will most likely be cheaper than non-dry hire however, it is likely to be more costly in the long run when paying for all the individual services you will need on top.
Will you have elderly or disabled guests attending your wedding? If so, ensure that the venue you choose will be accessible to them.
IMAGE; Jessy Papasavva Photography
Your Wedding Budget
Decide on your budget early on. This will help you in deciding which venues to view. Make a list prioritising your non-negotiables. If you have a particular “must have” venue in mind place it at the top of your list and list other requirements in order of priority. You can then, if necessary, compromise on the less important items on your list so that you do not blow your budget. Also bear in mind that the cost of your design and décor will be in addition to the venue hire.
There are many ways to get what you want. If you are not hung up on a particular venue you could look at more affordable spaces that can be transformed to the style you want by a Wedding Stylist. Find out more about working with a Wedding Stylist here.
Consider having your wedding on a weekday. Weekdays are often cheaper as weekend weddings are more popular. Booking a weekday wedding could mean that you secure your dream venue which would otherwise be out of budget if you booked on a weekend.
Finally, when choosing a venue, choose one that is authentically you, one that suits both of your personalities.
If you need help choosing a London wedding venue that is in keeping with you wedding style contact us here.
Happy hunting!