how to choose your wedding venue 100

How To Choose Your Wedding Venue

Photography by Bethany & James Photography

Choosing a wedding venue is one of the hardest parts of wedding planning. There are so many different things to consider. From the location to the capacity, from the amenities to the flexibility, there are decisions that need to suit both you and your guests. In order to help, we've come up with a handy two-stage guide; a selection of questions to ask yourselves and our top ten questions for your shortlist of venues. This process can take some time and is a large part of your wedding budget. It's therefore definitely something to consider carefully. So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let's chat venues!


The all-encompassing guide to choosing your wedding venue - 10 important questions

Stage One: What Do You Need From Your Wedding Venue?

Decide on a budget and have a rough guest count before you start looking. Having a parameter of lowest to highest budget will certainly help. As will having a few guests that you can remove if push comes to shove. For more advice on this matter, we've got an article on how to select your guest list to help you out. This then in turn gives you a bit of wriggle room if you stumble across something you really love that may be slightly over budget. Some stellar advice: never forget to discuss location. Is getting married in a certain part of the world essential to you? Then you'll need to narrow your wedding venue search, and perhaps consider having your ceremony and reception at different venues. 

Have a priority list that matches both of your needs. Is accommodation on site really important to you? Exclusivity for a certain time period? Being able to use a certain caterer, bringing in your own wine, burning candles, late bar? If there's anything that you can't imagine your day without, then make sure it's on the list. As well as things that you're not willing to compromise on, make sure you have some that you're happy to forego if required. Finding the right wedding venue for you is perfectly achievable, but only if you're open-minded. 

Bride and groom embracing on the steps of Elmore Court with pampas grass floral arrangements
Birdseye view of Elmore Court in the sunshine
Brides in complimenting wedding dresses sharing a kiss at Elmore Court wedding venue
Minimalist wedding tablescape at Elmore Court with pampas grass floral arrangements

Stage Two: Our Top Ten Questions To Ask Your Wedding Venue

Once you're both on the same page and have an idea of your budget, guest numbers and location, you can start your search. Here at Rock My Wedding, we have an abundance of gorgeous real weddings in real(ly) wonderful locations to start off the inspiration. This allows you to see inside potential venues. We also have a list of Recommended venues! Here, you can browse the UK's very best wedding venues and filter them using the criteria you've narrowed down already. Barn venues? We've got them. Unusual venues? We have those too. Plus, a whole lot more to boot!

We're not done yet. We've helped thousands of couples find their perfect wedding venue. So we thought we'd compile a list for you. Without further ado, these are the top ten questions we think you need to ask. 

Earthy and neutral wedding tablescape at Middleton Lodge
How to choose your wedding venue, the front of Middleton Lodge venue
Groom giving speech to bride in Made With Love wedding dress at Middleton Lodge with earthy wedding tablescape
Bride and groom going down spiral staircase at Middleton Lodge Sudanese wedding

1) What is your capacity for wedding receptions? And how many people can stay on-site?

The most important thing is that everyone can fit. Ceremonies can get away with people standing, but definitely not receptions unless you're having a very informal dining arrangement. Being able to accommodate guests on-site can make a wedding truly special. If it's important to you, chat with your wedding venue about room setups. If it's not important to you, then make sure to ask your venue about local hotels and B&Bs for those guests coming from further afield.

2) Can we hold our legal ceremony here?

Unsurprisingly, the actual getting-married-legally part is fairly crucial. If you can't get married legally onsite, then you'll need to get married legally before or after your celebrations at your local registry office or church.

3) Are you an exclusive-use venue? How long do we have the venue for?

Having the whole wedding venue exclusively can be pretty important to some. Apart from some hotels, which offer rooftops or parts of the building exclusively, most of our Recommended venues are for exclusive use. Finding out what times you'll have the venue from and 'til (including the guest rooms and shared spaces) is really important. No one wants to be kicked out of their room because it's check-out time, with hours to go until the ceremony. Making sure you have enough time to set up and tidy away the following day is also hugely important too.

How to choose your wedding venue - converted barn venue with wooden signs and plant pots
Neutral minimal wedding tablescape with splashes of nude pink
Large hanging foliage decor hanging in rustic wedding reception room
Two brides in complimenting white bridal jumpsuits embracing at rustic wedding venue

4) What exactly is included in the price of hiring the venue?

It's imperative to make sure you know exactly what you're paying for. Some venues will have additional services you can add on, such as their choice of caters, styling or coordination. Ask lots of questions and read your contract carefully before you sign, so everything is crystal clear.

5) Is there a preferred supplier list and are we allowed to choose different people?

This can vary from venue to venue. Some are happy to work with any suppliers you chose (florists, caterers, wedding planners etc), but some specify who you can work with. Make sure you know any details of preferred supplier relationships and whether these are flexible or obligational. You don't want to have to forgo your dream photographer for the sake of your venue. And vice versa. 

6) Are there any noise restrictions?

If you're planning a big party, this is an essential question. Some venues have noise restrictions, and this can be time or decibel-level dependent. If you want to crank the tunes late into the night (and we can hardly blame you!), don't forget to ask about a late licence. 

Neutral toned wedding tablescape with white roses and long candle centrepieces
How to choose your wedding venue
Bride and groom standing at the alter holding hands with white floral decorations and large chandelier
Wide angle shot of Iscoyd Park wedding venue in Shropshire

7) Who is responsible for taking down the wedding and getting rid of the rubbish?

Cleaning up after a party with a hangover is always horrendous, let alone after the biggest party of your life. If you don't want to deal with this, choose a wedding venue that has a wedding coordination team who looks after this, and double-check that they are happy to dispose of the waste too.

8) Is there a bar onsite? If not, do you charge corkage?

Having a bar onsite can make things SO much easier. Equally, however, being able to bring in your own booze allows for more personal choice and potential cost savings. Remember to check whether you can pay for an open bar up front, or if the alcohol is paid for by guests (or perhaps a mix of the two). If you're bringing your own, find out what the corkage fees are and how to dispose of the empties and clean glasses.

9) Are we allowed to burn candles on site?

I know, I know, a niche question perhaps, but candlelight makes such a difference to the ambience of your big day. Not only that, lots of venues won't allow candles due to health and safety concerns. Naturally, many older buildings have bans on candles, so be sure to check, especially if this is really important to you.

10) Does the quote include VAT?

When the fee is already quite hefty, VAT can be a nasty shock. Make sure you check whether or not your wedding venue charges VAT. If they do, ask whether it's included in the fee you've been shown.

Bride in long embroidered white wedding dress standing under white floral arch at The Giraffe Shed wedding venue
Retro modern wedding tablescape with clear chairs and orange candles
Bride and groom standing at the alter underneath the square window display at The Giraffe Shed quirky wedding venue
Autumnal and colourful wedding tablescape with orange candles and colourful floral arrangements with decorative twigs

Deciding on your wedding venues can be tricky - hopefully, it's now a little bit easier!


Now that you have a better idea of what you want and what you should ask, you need to actually pick your venue. Luckily enough, we can help out in that department. If you're in the market for something more on the quirky side, our article on unusual wedding venues is a great place to start looking. If you're more of a fan of barn venues, then we've also got a great roundup of those. Finally, we have plenty more questions where this came from! Take a look at our questions to ask your wedding venue! Good luck with finding your venue...let the wedding planning commence!


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