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Type of Wedding Venue
With so many different types of wedding venue to choose from you may be confused where to start. To give you some ideas, we’ve summarised the key points for some of the most popular types of wedding venue.
To give you some ideas and inspiration, we've put together a list of key points for some of the most popular types of wedding venue.
Hotel
- Choose from small, large, country house, modern or boutique hotels
- On-site accommodation for guests
- Food and drink will be in-house
- May have exclusivity issues unless you book up all the hotel rooms or more than one wedding on the same day
Historic buildings/Country House
- Country house wedding venues can be more expensive – especially if exclusive use
- Attractive gardens and surroundings
- Larger wedding venues may have more than one wedding on at the same time
- Usually have onsite accommodation
Castles can provide an inspiring backdrop to any wedding
Castle
- Similar to historic buildings/country house
- Usually have onsite accommodation
- Potential to hire out the wedding venue for the weekend
Golf or Country Club
- Often have fantastic views overlooking a lake or fairway
- Tend to be cheaper than most other wedding venues
- Food tends to be in-house
- You can watch golfers playing during your reception but they will be able to watch you
Sports or Social club
- Often a cheaper wedding venue option
- Will probably need to find external caterers and use in-house bar
- Best suited for buffet style receptions
- Unlikely to be licensed for civil weddings
Barn
- Perfect for intimate and picturesque weddings
- Food and drink may be in-house or external
- Different types to suit your budget.
- Low budget option - get the keys to an empty barn. Arrange all suppliers including table and chair hire.
- Top end budget - fitted out to a deluxe standard with landscaped gardens, carpet, lighting, sound and all the trimmings.
Restaurant or Pub
- Good option for small wedding receptions
- Tend to be the cheapest wedding venue option as you pay only for the food and drink (no venue hire)
- Pubs would probably only accommodate buffet style food but are more likely to accommodate a DJ (if they have a music licence)
Professional sports venues
- A perfect wedding venue for keen sports fans
- Choose from premiership football stadiums, rugby, racecourses, polo and cricket clubs. You'll be surprised where you can get married.
- Potential to have stunning views
Marquee
- Good for use in large gardens or areas where you have lots of open space
- May be an option at a wedding venue with smaller capacity
- Unless part of a wedding venue, you'll need to consider the additional costs such as hire of tables, chairs, flooring, electricity etc.
- Vary in capacity - up to c.200. persons
- Can be quite costly to hire - but considerable savings can be made as you can use your own caterer and provide your own alcohol
- Need to consider when and how to put up/take down
Unusual wedding venues
- Boat - have your wedding reception on board a Thames Barge or tall masted ship. Whilst you can't get married on a boat capable of moving, you could get married on the Golden Hinde - Francis Drake's Tudor galleon.
- Zoo or Wildlife Park
- University or School building
- Museum/Art Gallery - a popular choice for the modern chic wedding
- Iconic buildings or tourist attractions - such as Tower Bridge or the London Eye