We should be done with our viewing of venues by the end of August - too many venues and not enough weekends, I'm afraid. It doesn't help that the Hurlingham Club won't let you visit it during the weekend, which basically means we can't really see it - strangely enough, we work when they say they need us to see it.
Pembroke Lodge was lovely though - and is causing a potential change of plans as they have no dates left for 2012 - so we are now thinking of possibly getting hitched in 2013. I'm not really happy about that year - I have a weird thing about odd years - but on the plus side, it means no Olympics interference!
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
More venue blues
So it seems that the Roof Gardens in Kensington have a Private Member's Club on Friday and Saturday evenings, meaning you have to leave the venue by 5pm. This definitely does not work for us, but it's good information to know. So that means our list now looks like:
One WhiteHall PlaceParkstead House- Grove House
- Pembroke Lodge
- Hurlingham Club
- Kew Gardens
Rooftop Gardens in Kensington
Monday, 4 July 2011
Venue blues
My other half and I went to see a couple of venues this weekend to kick off the great venue hunt. One was a hotel/private club in the middle of London and one was a Grade II home on the edge of Richmond Park. The latter was the one I had fallen in love with from the photos.
They both sucked.
The mid-London one had a lovely coordinator and lots of space, but the decor was very old, dark, traditional and there would be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing for our guests. We want there to be more of a meander in our reception, rather than up and down a lot of steps.
The second one - well, it was on the grounds of a university and unfortunately you couldn't ignore the concrete and glass monstrosity facing you everywhere you turned. The other consideraton was the price was only for venue hire. I mean - no PA system, no tables, no chairs, nothing. You got staff and the venue and you had to wrap up by 11.30pm.
So far, so bad. We have another one to see next weekend then we go on holiday and have some more in August. I'm happy to compromise on various things but I think when you are both looking at each other with 'ergh' eyes and finding it hard to envision your wedding in that room, it's probably best to cross that one off your list.
They both sucked.
The mid-London one had a lovely coordinator and lots of space, but the decor was very old, dark, traditional and there would be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing for our guests. We want there to be more of a meander in our reception, rather than up and down a lot of steps.
The second one - well, it was on the grounds of a university and unfortunately you couldn't ignore the concrete and glass monstrosity facing you everywhere you turned. The other consideraton was the price was only for venue hire. I mean - no PA system, no tables, no chairs, nothing. You got staff and the venue and you had to wrap up by 11.30pm.
So far, so bad. We have another one to see next weekend then we go on holiday and have some more in August. I'm happy to compromise on various things but I think when you are both looking at each other with 'ergh' eyes and finding it hard to envision your wedding in that room, it's probably best to cross that one off your list.
Our potential venues
To help people understand what kind of criteria for venues we're looking at and how you need to be tough, I thought I'd share our list.
Our criteria was:
That's seven places and I'm really hoping one of them is the one for us - otherwise it's back to the drawing board and we'll have to compromise on something. They encompass varying types of weddings, from packages to real DIY opportunities.
Our criteria was:
- In or near London so no extended travelling for guests
- All in one location, so ceremony and reception in the same place
- Space enough for 120 people
- Somewhere a bit modern or different
That's seven places and I'm really hoping one of them is the one for us - otherwise it's back to the drawing board and we'll have to compromise on something. They encompass varying types of weddings, from packages to real DIY opportunities.
Venue search - questions
You might not know anything about your wedding - whether it's going to be big, small, buffet style, sit down, civil ceremony or in a church - but you know you need to start looking for a venue.
Venues can get booked up far in advance, especially if you are doing the 'wedding season' - May to September - so you should start looking early. We're looking around 14 months before when we want to get married, because venues in or around London for over 100 guests are scarce.
When you do start looking (I tended to find a lot of the venues on my list through Hitched, Wedding Venues and Find a Wedding Venue), you may want to have a handy list of questions to ask when you go to look at the venue.
I tend to find that these questions fall into various categories:
Venue availability and the rooms: check when it's available and what areas/rooms are available. Find out the maximum and minimum number of guests, where they can put their coats and if there's a room handy for kids or the band/DJ to eat or get ready in. Also ask if you need to set up the room yourself and whether there's rooms for guests to stay in and especially a room for the bride and groom to get ready in.
Venue price: check what's included in the price, if it's ex-VAT, what the deposit timings are, if there are different prices for different months/days and whether they have any wedding packages that can be tailored. Also find out the cancellation and postponement policy - sounds like tempting fate, but it's better safe than sorry.
Decorations and entertainment: ask whether you can have confetti/fireworks/naked flames, or if there's anything you absolutely cannot have, ask about lighting and PA systems, look at the space for a dnace floor/band/DJ/bar, check what time the bar has to close, check what time the music must stop or if there's volume considerations, check if the venue supplies things like cake stands and knives, chair covers, table linen, table numbers and place cards and a table seating chart. Some do, some don't and the economy is something you need to consider.
Suppliers and food: ask for a preferred list, ask what they do in house as it might be cheaper and you can negotiate a deal, ask when you can have a food and wine tasting, see if they will cater for special dietary needs and if you can change something within a set package. Also ask if they have any deals with local taxi firms and if your photographer can look round the venue before your big day.
Venues can get booked up far in advance, especially if you are doing the 'wedding season' - May to September - so you should start looking early. We're looking around 14 months before when we want to get married, because venues in or around London for over 100 guests are scarce.
When you do start looking (I tended to find a lot of the venues on my list through Hitched, Wedding Venues and Find a Wedding Venue), you may want to have a handy list of questions to ask when you go to look at the venue.
I tend to find that these questions fall into various categories:
Venue availability and the rooms: check when it's available and what areas/rooms are available. Find out the maximum and minimum number of guests, where they can put their coats and if there's a room handy for kids or the band/DJ to eat or get ready in. Also ask if you need to set up the room yourself and whether there's rooms for guests to stay in and especially a room for the bride and groom to get ready in.
Venue price: check what's included in the price, if it's ex-VAT, what the deposit timings are, if there are different prices for different months/days and whether they have any wedding packages that can be tailored. Also find out the cancellation and postponement policy - sounds like tempting fate, but it's better safe than sorry.
Decorations and entertainment: ask whether you can have confetti/fireworks/naked flames, or if there's anything you absolutely cannot have, ask about lighting and PA systems, look at the space for a dnace floor/band/DJ/bar, check what time the bar has to close, check what time the music must stop or if there's volume considerations, check if the venue supplies things like cake stands and knives, chair covers, table linen, table numbers and place cards and a table seating chart. Some do, some don't and the economy is something you need to consider.
Suppliers and food: ask for a preferred list, ask what they do in house as it might be cheaper and you can negotiate a deal, ask when you can have a food and wine tasting, see if they will cater for special dietary needs and if you can change something within a set package. Also ask if they have any deals with local taxi firms and if your photographer can look round the venue before your big day.
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