Congratulations on your engagement! You’re probably wondering where to start with your planning? Choosing a venue is one of the first significant steps and will dictate many choices going forward.
Getting started early with your wedding planning has many advantages. Just don’t forget to take some time out to enjoy being engaged and spending time with your new fiance.
Getting the right wedding venue is one of the critical things you’ll be considering at this point. As a Cornish Wedding photographer, your venue is something I pay attention to and having visited most in the area, I have a good idea of what they have to offer. Your venue will be in most of your wedding pictures, so I always advise that couples choose a place they love. There are also some important questions that you need to ask the venue coordinator to ensure that they are the right fit for your big day. Here are seven questions to help you decide if the venue you’re considering will work for your Cornish wedding or not.
What’s Your Guest Capacity?
You need to find out what your venue can take, if you’re booking them for a larger wedding, in particular, you want to be sure that they can handle it.
If you’re having a sit-down wedding, you want to be sure of the headcount they can take for a sit-down wedding. You should also factor in social distancing in a time like this. Venues will often give you a general figure which could represent cocktail numbers. Cocktails are mostly standing, so of course, they’ll take more people.
Is there a Plan B?
Plan B means more than rain. Most times, couples are only thinking of rain, so if they’re having their wedding in the thick of the summer, they assume they can get away with it. But what happens when you’re outside in 30+ degrees heat? You need to have a Plan B for all kinds of outdoor weddings in all seasons. So, make sure that your venue has that covered.
How Soon Do We Have to Book?
As a Cornish wedding photographer, I’ve discovered that couples tend to book their venue around 18 to 12 months before their wedding. If you’re planning a weekend wedding, this is necessary because you want to lock down your date. Great venues get booked up really quickly. So, if you’ve found a venue you like, book them sooner than later. If you’re flexible about your wedding date, this might not be too much of a problem.
What about a Weekday Wedding?
More and more couples have been opting for weekday weddings because of venue availability. The most popular days are Fridays and Sundays as couples try to keep it as close to the weekend as possible. When planning a weekday wedding, you may find that its harder for your guests to attend due to work commitments. This is less of a problem if you book a year or more in advance as your guests and wedding party will have time to arrange time off work.
Don’t worry, your guests are there to celebrate with you whether it’s a weekday or a weekend.
How Long Should the Break Between My Ceremony and Reception Be?
The break between the ceremony and reception often gave couples and guests time to get from the ceremony venue to the reception. Nowadays, more and more couples are having their ceremony at the same location as the reception, as a photographer, I use this time to get photos of the married couple in and around the venue. During this downtime, the guests are usually treated to drinks and canapes. However, these may not always be included in the price, so it’s worth checking with the venue.
If you are having your reception and ceremony at separate locations, a gap between one or two hours is expected. It gives you more than enough time to have your photos taken with time to get back. You could also take some extra minutes to relax, change if you want to, and then head for your reception.
Do you cater for children and teenagers?
If you’re not having a child-free wedding, it can be a bit hectic, and they could get bored. Many venues help with this by offering some child-related activities, and even a children’s menu for a lower price. They could also have a nanny service for small kids so their parents can have a great time at your celebration, or have space where you could hire in your own wedding day nanny.
Are pets allowed?
Involving your furry friends on your wedding day can be a beautiful and magical experience. However, you must make sure that your Cornish wedding venue is okay with that. Then there is also the question of where they’ll be after your vows or the photo session that they feature in. Some venues can cater to indoor pets, while you go ahead with your wedding. So, ask if your venue is one of them. You could also have a sitter look after your pet for the day and get them back at night or the next morning.
Here at Steven Rees Webb Photography, I believe that every aspect of your wedding day can be a glorious experience.
Let me help you preserve your happy memories for the future using pictures. Contact me today!
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Professional, Fun and Relaxed Wedding Photography
My name is Steven! I'm a full-time documentary wedding photographer from Cornwall. I specialise in relaxed and unposed photography, capturing the moments of your day as they happen.
I love what I do, and I always have fun doing it. If you are looking for someone to capture every moment, create beautiful lasting memories, someone who will laugh with your guests, talk to the kids, pet all the dogs and get stuck into almost any task on the day, then I am the person for you!
