Ask any newly-engaged couple what’s on their mind, and the answer is bound to be the question of where they’ll tie the knot. From sprawling countryside estates to chic, exclusive-use venues, the U.K offers some of the world’s most stunning, sought-after destinations for memorable nuptial celebrations. As a newly engaged couple, there’s simply nothing more exciting than planning venue visits, which are also the perfect excuse for weekend road-trips and staycations— and knowing what questions to ask wedding venues is the key to finding the perfect fit.
Amidst all the excitement, it’s important to ensure you get all the facts before falling head over heels for a dreamy spot to say “I do.” Venue visits are enormously helpful in getting a sense of a place’s atmosphere and accommodations, but only if you come prepared and remember to ask the right questions.
We consulted with the experts at some of our favourite wedding reception venues in the U.K, and gathered their top tips on the questions to ask before signing the dotted line.
Ask about the location options available
The benefit of hosting your wedding in a larger venue over the course of a few days is the ability to create a sense of novelty for guests as you move through different locations for each of the wedding festivities.
At Cornwell Manor, for example, a welcome dinner for immediate family is often celebrated in the ballroom, the civil ceremony in the garden, and dinner and dancing in a marquee overlooking the lakes. Couples are also spoilt for choice at Dewsall Court, which offers 11 different ceremony spaces to choose from.
Meanwhile, at the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, beautiful backdrops abound: whether it’s the stately façade of Goodwood House to take pictures in front of, or the Ballroom Lawn fit for marquees for larger parties, the 11,000 acre sporting estate offers plenty of options for celebrations of all kinds.
Sophie Brooke, General Manager at Deer Park, highlights the importance of understanding the potential indoor flow of the day in case of unpredictable British weather. “Lots of couples want a summer wedding and use that to inform how the day will go, but we just can’t trust the forecast, she says. “It’s important that they are just as happy with the indoor spaces on offer if they can’t be outside on the day.”
Despite its name, The Walled Garden at Cowdray features two spacious reception rooms so couples have beautiful spaces to celebrate in, even if there’s rain.
Get clear on arrival and departure times
While scheduling may seem like a finer detail to be arranged closer to the time, it’s important to understand what your venue can—and can’t—accommodate in terms of access for vendors to set up, and check-out times for on-site guests. Many venues, including Deer Park in Devon which offers a 24-hour day hire from 11am to 11am, will only have on-site accommodation ready for check-in later in the afternoon, to allow housekeeping to turn the rooms around.
If you’d prefer more time to debrief with loved ones after a late night affair, consider extending your venue hire to another day if budgets permit (Deer Park offers consecutive 24-hour hires for two- or three-day affairs), or search for venues that can accommodate a more relaxed day-after schedule.
Weddings at Cornwell Manor, for instance, allow couples to check in on a Thursday at midday, giving them plenty of time to settle in ahead of any festivities. Departure from Cornwell isn’t until 5pm on a Sunday, making it easy to enjoy a lie-in or host a farewell pool party. Similarly, most weddings at Dewsall Court are two- to three-night stays, which offer more buffer time for welcome and departure events.
“Our beautiful Dressing Room always gets a great reaction from visitors, and it’s filled with lots of natural light for getting ready,” says Hannah Fullagar, Wedding Coordinator at The Walled Garden in Cowdray. “It’s also accessible from 8:30am onwards so preparations can get underway nice and early, and has plenty of space for a good crowd of bridesmaids or groomsmen.”
Understand exactly what’s included in each venue’s hire fee
If you are comparing prices of venues, make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples and you know exactly what each quote includes. For example, do the price quotes both include any set-up and take-down fees? Are there additional charges for external vendors to set up marquees and food trucks?
“Some venues may seem more expensive at first, but consider carefully the support you get and what’s included in your stay when booking,” says Samantha Vaughan, Marketing Director at Dewsall Court. Sometimes a more affordable quote turns out to have fewer inclusions, and added costs for essentials like furniture rental end up dwarfing the savings you hoped to make by choosing the cheaper option.
While venues such as Dewsall Court in Herefordshire include smaller but vital elements such as cutlery, crockery, glassware, and robes and towels for guests in their fees, charges for food, drink, and staffing are variable depending on the requirements of the couple.
“All weddings are bespoke, so we cannot charge the same for a wedding with 30 guests who want a seven-course tasting menu, and a wedding for 130 guests who want feasting platters: we don’t think it’s fair to blanket charge people when their needs are quite different,” Samantha adds.
Find out if the venue has any non-negotiables
Venues can usually be flexible on most elements of your special day, but there are a few things that they might not be able to budge on. It’s worth asking about these ahead of time, particularly if you have a specific vision for an element of your wedding that might be a deal-breaker for an otherwise perfect venue.
For example, Goodwood, Deer Park and Dewsall Court all ask its couples to work with their kitchen teams to craft a bespoke menu and require all catering to be delivered in-house, while Cornwell Manor and The Walled Garden at Cowdray ask couples to choose from a little black book of vetted catering suppliers.
“We try to be as flexible as possible, and offer introductions to the vendors we’ve worked with over the last ten years who all know the place inside and out,” says Charlotte Boston, Events Director at Cornwell Manor.
Hannah from The Walled Garden at Cowdray adds that things “run a lot smoother when you’re in the hands of a catering team who really know the venue,” which reduces the risk of any on-the-day glitches.
Beyond catering, venues may have other stipulations to ensure logistics are managed so you are free to enjoy your special day. For example, Cornwell Manor requests that all couples marrying at the house hire a wedding planner or coordinator to oversee the nuptial festivities (they don’t have in-house coordinators), and Deer Park requires any fireworks displays to be arranged using an approved supplier.
Leave room for the “unquantifiables”
The beauty of visiting venues in person is the chance to experience the unexpected, and encounter elements of a place that no website or photograph can capture. It might be that you fall in love with the spectacular sunset light that falls over Dewsall Court, the treasures from historic travels that fill every room at Cornwell Manor, or the gorgeous secret garden tucked away in Deer Park.
Pay attention to the elements of a venue that you can’t get out of your head for weeks afterwards — they are memorable for a reason.
“Couples that marry at Goodwood always fondly recall their memories with our Head Butler, David Edney,” General Manager Tara Bottomley tells us. “He’s been here for more than 25 years and looks after our couples, from meeting them at their first visit to calming pre-wedding nerves. He’s even lent his shoes to the father of a bride when a sole fell off before he was due to walk his daughter down the aisle!”
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