This hasn’t stopped me from sneakily checking out a few things in advance just in case he decides to present me with an engagement ring placed romantically between the guttering and the newly white washed exterior wall.
I already knew quite a bit on the subject of wedding venues and the paperwork you need in order to say you have legally tied the knot, seeing as my two sisters and 4 of my cousins got married last year and being a close knit family we all jumped in to help with the arrangements. Now, my gorgeous brides and grooms to be; I would like to help you!
Wedding Church Ceremony v Wedding Civil Ceremony
You and your partner need to decide which type of wedding ceremony suits you best. You can find information on a variety of religious and non-religious services online but for the purpose of this blog, the religious ceremonies referred to will be type of services I am personally familiar with – Church of England.
Factors to consider may be –
1. Religion
Are you, your partner or close family members are religious? Even if you and your partner are not particularly religious, for the sake of close family members who may be, you may decide to do a church wedding
2. Wedding Nerves
How nervous do you get? If your knees start knocking and your mouth goes dry during any kind of formal ceremony you may prefer a civil ceremony as they are generally much shorter.
3. Wedding Budget
Speaks for itself! Set a wedding budget for yourself to keep your expenses in check, you do not need to break the bank to make your dream wedding come true and it isn’t fun beginning married life in debt. That said, a register office is more likely to be cheaper than a stately home.
4. Wedding Venue Location
Do you want to get married in a different area to where you live? If this is of high priority then a church service may not be possible. Generally you can only get married in the parish church where either of you are resident. There are exceptions to this if you can prove a qualifying connection to the church in question.
5. Wedding Guests
How many people you want to invite can easily determine your wedding venue choice. Remember to consider your budget and think of the cost per head for the wedding breakfast should you opt to have one.
Venues for the ceremony
Decided on a religious wedding so therefore a church ceremony? Then the venue is um, probably your local church! Although it could be any other religious venue registered for marriage.
If you choose a civil ceremony then you have the option of getting married in a register office or any other approved venue. These days there are a wealth of approved wedding venues ranging from barns to hotels and castles, so you can find some great options within the UK whatever your ideal venue.
It may seem like a small detail but check the accessibility of a venue. If you have any elderly guests or guests in a wheelchair then make sure there is not a great deal of stairs and/or there are provisions available to help their access into and around the venue. No one wants their Gran sitting outside in the car park because she can’t get up the steps of the castle!
As if there isn’t enough to consider you need to decide if the wedding venue is also the place to hold the reception! If you decide to have a reception elsewhere you will need to think very carefully of the logistics of getting guests from the wedding venue to the reception.
