Category Archives: Wedding Venue

Perfect Venues for Outdoor Weddings

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If you want to get married outside then take a look at some of our favourite wedding venues where you can hold an outdoor ceremony

Although the weather isn’t always reliable, outdoor ceremonies are growing in popularity in the UK.

If you’d love to say your vows outside, here are some UK venues to consider:

1. Ta Mill, Cornwall

There’s a choice of outdoor options at Ta Mill, on the fringes of Bodmin Moor, including lawns that can accommodate up to 100 guests with a wildlife pond in the background. If the weather changes, a canopy can be used on the lawn, or up to 60 guests can be accommodated in the indoor venue. To continue the outdoor theme you can enjoy a bespoke wedding breakfast in a personalised marquee in the gardens.

2. Heaton House Farm, Cheshire

As well as offering a choice of two barns, Heaton House Farm also has a beautiful oak pagoda available for outdoor weddings. Licensed for civil ceremonies, and with its own patio area, the pagoda has panoramic views across the Cheshire plains. Guests can be seated on the patio area with additional seating extending onto the grass if required.

3. Laughern Hill Estate, Worcestershire

Laughern Hill Estate can provide a “complete al fresco outdoor wedding experience”. It has a selection of ceremony locations, including beside a wishing well. You could have a quintessentially British marquee wedding or a boho festival style tipi. You could dine under a vinery of real leaves and sumptuous grapes or devour a mouth-watering hog roast within the walls of a secret garden. You could even dance the night away under the stars…with your own silent disco.

4. Careys Manor, New Forest

Careys Manor Hotel is the only venue in the tranquil New Forest that holds an outdoor wedding licence. The hotel’s elegant, custom-built wedding pavilion harnesses the traditional romance of a walled garden with its serene design and sweet floral aromas. Up to 100 guests can be accommodated here – and they will also be able to use the award winning spa facilities.

5. Nymans, Sussex

In a peaceful country setting, Nymans is a National Trust property with a loggia that is licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies. A beautiful gothic building, with soaring arches and ivy clad walls, the loggia is set within a sunken garden that has striking floral displays. Intimate ceremonies for 30 guests can take place inside the loggia or, for a larger congregation, an unlimited number of additional guests can be seated on the lawns.

6. Brinkburn, Northumberland

Offering an unusual historic, tranquil and quirky experience, the estate is set in a secluded wooded ravine on the banks of the river Coquet in Northumberland, with a beautiful 12th century church and stables in the grounds. Outdoor ceremonies can be held here with the sound of the birds singing and the river running as a gorgeous soundtrack to your day.

7. Polpier, Cornwall

If you’re looking for an outdoor wedding venue with a stunning view, picturesque Polpier on the Cornish coast has a spacious front lawn that looks down on Mevagissey fishing village and harbour. With a feature gazebo that can be dressed with flowers and decorations, up to 100 guests can be accommodated at an outdoor ceremony in the self-contained gardens.

8. Cripps Barn, Gloucestershire

An old Cotswold stone barn has flag stone floors, an open fire place, a large south facing terrace with fire pits and a bonfire in the garden. Couples can get married either in the barn or outside in the woodland glade which is equipped with a microphone and speakers in the trees so guests can hear music and the couples’ vows. After the wedding, the barn is a perfect place to party – and there is free camping available in the field next door for any outdoor-loving guests.

9. Jollydays Glamping, Yorkshire

Although Jollydays isn’t licensed for a legal ceremony, it’s a great choice if you are a glamping fan: couples usually have a legal ceremony at the nearby village church, or at the registry office in York, and then have a humanist ceremony in the Jollydays woodland. There are three wedding packages to choose from; you could have a festival vibe, a posh vintage tea party or a romantic boho extravaganza.

Fairground weddings

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If wedding entertainment is high on your list of priorities when planning your big day, why not consider giving your guests a real thrill by booking a wedding venue with a funfair?

We’ve picked out five funfair wedding venues to inspire you if you want to treat your guests to something a little different on your wedding day. If you can’t find a wedding venue with a funfair near you, why not look into hiring funfair attractions to add something extra to your reception?

1. Marleybrook House

Kent wedding venue Marleybrook House, former home to legendary cabaret star Eartha Kitt, has its own Vintage Fayre! The venue will set it up for you – we recommend keeping it a secret until the day so you can see your guests’ faces when you arrive!

There are retro side stalls including an original 1940s High Striker to test strength and swing boats from 1890. Set up next to hay bales, apple crates and a vintage tractor, it will take you back in time.

2. Blists Hill Victoria Town

If you’re looking for a unique wedding venue in the Midlands, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shropshire are a good choice. This includes Blists Hill Victorian Town, which is a recreation of a working Victorian town complete with a funfair.

The funfair is set up opposite where most receptions take place and you and your guests can enjoy chair-o-planes, coconut shy’s, swing boats, and on certain days, a magnificent Victorian carousel featuring galloping horses. Imagine the wedding picture opportunities.

3. The Hop Farm

Home to The Hop Farm Festival, The Hop Farm also has a funfair which you can use at your wedding. It includes the amazing ‘giant jumping pillows’ to bounce away on, as well as an amazing vintage carousel, amongst other things.

The Kent wedding venue is popular for those who want a wedding with a fun, unique twist!

4. The Garden Room Syon Park

The Garden Room at Syon Park lends itself perfectly to wedding receptions with a fun twist.

This stunning wedding reception venue comes complete with adjacent outside space, set within acres of idyllic parkland. The gardens can be used for welcome drinks, giving your wedding day the wow factor from the very start. The gardens can also be used to host a fun fair to entertain your guests, complete with rides, side stalls and candy floss.

A light and airy reception room comes complete with contemporary furnishings and an understated colour scheme, enabling you to keep it traditional or create a personalised look for your special day.

5. Preston Court

Preston Court has a lot to offer when it comes to your wedding – there are large gardens with lakes, lawns and a magical island that boasts a regency wrought iron bridge – so you can marry outside in the garden or in front of a magnificent fairground organ, located in the barn.

There is a full scale and fully operational Victorian carousel, complete with galloping horses and chariots – lots of fun for your guests and amazing for pictures – and a Victorian showman’s wagon which is used as a dressing room on the day. The fairground organs can be played on the day, and there is a selection of fairground games available too.

The perfect wedding venue

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It’s one of the earliest— and most important — tasks a couple takes on, and for good reason. The site determines the date, ambience, and location of the whole affair. With so much pressure to make the right decision, how does a bride make up her mind? We asked brides on Facebook to share how they made their choice to shed a little light on this planning selection. Here, our favourite answers which may inspire you:

“We visited the ‘dream’ venue”, you know the one you fantasize about getting married at from being a little girl? And it was awful so my fiancé took it upon him to find us a better one and he did. Within a week, we’d visited and booked it — love at first sight.”

“We visited our venue on a holiday before we got engaged and we both said, ‘That’s the place we want to get married.’ We got engaged there and now we’re marrying there next September!”

“We picked an area where we had are first kiss and it held so many sentimental memories for us too, we just had to get married in a place that meant so much to us”

“I picked a place that was not only cost-efficient, but when I went to see it, I knew that it was unique and I had it have it. I love my venue and I absolutely can’t wait to get married there!” See more:

“We wanted ceremony and reception in the same location, so we saw a few wedding venues, but nothing said ‘us’ that was a romantic setting until we saw our venue. It’s perfect and I can’t wait to get married there. It’s my happy place, we both love it.”

“Our original venue cancelled on us and our new venue was the only one free and big enough! Luckily it is a much nicer venue!”

“We must’ve seen over 40 wedding venues. We choose Disney because we fell in love with it! And, well we got some pretty amazing pictures.”

“My grandparents’ garden where I had pretty much grown up. It had so many memories and sentimental reasons to have my wedding where I grew up and learned so much.”

“There was a vintage merry-go-round everyone could ride during the reception. Amazing fun!”

We hope that some of the brides have inspired your to find your perfect venue, just make it personal, after all this is a special day which you will want to remember for the right reasons!!

Perfect music for your wedding

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Book a function band for the evening

Not only does a band get the party started in style, they’re sure to fill your dance floor and ensure many a happy memory as the evening wears on. A band is able to learn a tune that has a sentimental attachment to the newlyweds or more than capable of rattling through the hits, so that  your wedding guests will keep rockin’ all night long.

Book a DJ to finish the evening

A DJ is a great choice, they are able to play virtually any song from the past 70 or 80 years, you’ll be able to seamlessly blend Gangnam Style with Crazy Frog, Agadoo and Ernie, The Fastest Milkman in the West (if you so desire). No matter the genre, our DJs are all hugely experienced and you can relax knowing that your party will still be going long after you head off to the hotel!

Book a harpist for the ceremony

There’s something beautiful about having a harpist play at your wedding, the sound of a harp emanating through your wedding venue is a truly gorgeous moment. The tinkling of the strings really is the perfect sound to accompany a walk down the aisle and when it comes to tradition, we don’t think there’s much better.

Book a string quartet for the drinks reception

When the vows have been spoken and guests have retired for a few drinks, a string quartet is a wonderful accompaniment to their surroundings. The bride and groom will be having their photos taken with the wedding photographer and such a gap shouldn’t be an awkward situation. With the soothing sounds of a string quartet, this is a lovely opportunity to friends old and new to chat to one another on this special day.

 

Background jazz with your wedding food

Many guests’ favourite moment of the day with food, drink and of course, the speeches! The bride and groom often walk from table to table during the lunch or dinner and we find that having some background music certainly enhances the atmosphere. Booking a jazz trio is a great choice which is very trendy at the moment.

 

Original places to get married in London

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You might be thinking that you and your bride or husband-to-be want something a little bit different from your wedding venue. Out with the church or marquee wedding and in with… Well, some inspiring and incredible London wedding venues that you never knew were available to you! Thespians, animal lovers and more will adore this quick feature on amazing places to get married in London!

London Zoo

Are you a fan of animals? If you’ve ever wanted to get married amongst reptiles,

mammals and various other members of the animal kingdom then getting married at London Zoo might be the thing for you! A unique venue in the heart of central London’s Regent’s Park, there’s nothing quite like getting married at a zoo and all profits from your celebration go directly to helping critically endangered animals.

Fortnum & Mason

Did you know that there are a number of private wedding venues you can book at Fortnum & Mason for a dinner and that you can actually celebrate your wedding within the world famous building? You can! From the tiny but exclusive Crypt to the luxurious splendour of the Boardroom (don’t go thinking about the Apprentice!), there really are a number of high end spaces to choose from for your wedding venue.

The Globe Theatre

Imagine walking down the aisle in a building beloved by tourists and theatregoers all around the world? Imagine the footsteps that have walked on the very spot where you say your vows, reciting various lines from Shakespeare, perhaps even berating him for a line change. Yes, you can get married in the Globe Theatre on London’s Southbank and for those that love theatre and the arts, we can’t think of a better location. Met your better half at drama school? This is the wedding venue for you!

The Gherkin

If you’re a fan of heights and iconic London architecture, then the Gherkin has to be a top choice for your wedding shortlist! The very top is completely off limits to the public so if you’re a person who’s a little put off by the hordes of people at the Sky Garden or The Shard, this is definitely the venue for you. With a stunning 360 degree viewing area, it’s less “I do!” and more “I view!”

 

Cosy up in these amazing Hotels

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Couples can cosy up in some of the UK’s most romantic spots. From Shakespeare’s birthplace, to the town which inspired a royal love story, Macdonald Hotels are the perfect place to spend time together for your wedding venue or just after the wedding for the perfect break.

Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa, Lake District

On the shores of Lake Windermere has unrivalled views over mature lawns to private jetties and moorings on the lake. The luxury four-star hotel proves a popular choice for romantic getaways and weekend breaks. The hotel is offering a proposal package for guests looking to pop the question. Couples will be able to stay in a suite where they will be greeted with a chilled bottle of Prosecco and chocolates in the room on arrival. The Macdonald team will also be on hand to surprise loved ones with an engagement ring hidden inside Champagne glasses, and beds will be strewn with rose petals as an extra romantic touch.

Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath

For couples seeking 5-star luxury, this Hotel offers a romantic getaway in the heart of historic Bath. With landscaped gardens, four poster beds, and a ‘bath butler’ this town which was home to Jane Austen, can create a weekend that even one of the world’s best known romantic fiction writers would be proud of.

Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa, North Berwick

Just half an hour from Edinburgh by train is the beautiful seaside town of North Berwick; renowned for its dramatic coastline as well as independent boutiques and ice cream vendors. This hotel is housed within a glorious 19th Century building; reflecting a time when Romanticism swept through the British art world. Guests can take a windswept walk along the beach or stay cosy indoors and watch the coastline from behind the windows of one of the hotels’ 83 individually styled, luxury rooms. For couples looking to be pampered, the award winning thermal spa boasts a heated indoor pool as well as an outdoor hydro pool.

 

Lighting up the Barn

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Having a barn wedding might be on of the most popular styles of rustic weddings right now but often times you have to take the barn wedding venue and transform it into a beautiful wedding location. One of the best ways to add some wedding glam to your barn wedding location is by adding some dramatic lighting to space.

The proper lighting can help to make a rustic barn feel more intimate, more wedding day ready and of course more fairy tail like. It is not always easy to light a space like a barn so many times it helps to bring in a wedding lighting professional who can help you achieve the look you are going for an help you actually hang the lights.

If you plan on going more the DIY lighting route than you might want to take some advice below and start to create your perfect barn wedding lighting.

It is pretty clear that one of the best and easiest ways to add lighting to a barn wedding space is by adding string lights.

If you have a special place in your heart for the rustic industrial style wedding then large industrial hanging lights create more of a warehouse look all the while adding fun between the modern look with the barn wedding location.

Magical is the best way to sum up a vintage style farm & barn wedding and so is the lighting. With just one chandelier hanging over the ceremony spot and the hundreds of tiny white lights with the addition of the white drapes makes for maybe the perfect barn wedding decor.

Another way to make your lighting amazing is to use large white paper lanterns, cheap and cheerful with dramatic look.

 

Booking your venue in advance

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January and February are typically the busiest times in the wedding industry. With romantic engagements taking place under fairy-lit Christmas Trees, in front for warm, cosy fireplaces, under the illuminated sky filled with fireworks on New Year’s Eve and on the most romantic day of the year in February, you can imagine how busy the best wedding venues get in the spring and summer when it comes to venue viewings and bookings.

After the festive season has come and gone, the first thing that engaged couples (just like you) will be planning to do, is book in to visit a load of wedding venues as soon as possible. Wedding venue viewings are done by appointment only, so to avoid missing availability, we would advise booking in to visit your dream wedding venues early – to guarantee you actually get a viewing, or better still, why not make your appointment to visit them before Christmas, where you may find availability is more flexible?

As mentioned earlier, most engaged couples will wait until the New Year before the start to seriously think about booking their wedding. But, as the rest of the UK starts to focus on the festive season, this could be an incredible opportunity for you to get moving with your wedding plans and potentially book an ideal wedding date before anyone else has a chance. If you plan on getting married during 2019  then there’s no time like the present to visit your shortlist of wedding venues and snap that date up before the New Year. January, February and March are typically known for being extremely busy for wedding venues in terms of taking bookings for the next few years…so to ensure availability, it’s best to view and book ahead of the New Year rush.

Once your wedding venue has been booked, the rest of your plans should fall perfectly into place. So, if you book your wedding date before the New Year, you’ll be able to start your year off with a fantastic focus! Perhaps start the year by sending out your Save the Date cards, or start enquiring about wedding suppliers; like good venues, they will get booked up early too!

 

Funfair themed Weddings

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We’ve picked out five funfair wedding venues to inspire you if you want to treat your guests to something a little different on your wedding day. If you can’t find a wedding venue with a funfair near you, why not look into hiring funfair attractions to add something extra to your reception?

  1. The Garden Room Syon Park

The Garden Room at Syon Park lends itself perfectly to wedding receptions with a fun twist.

This stunning wedding reception venue comes complete with adjacent outside space, set within acres of idyllic parkland. The gardens can be used for welcome drinks, giving your wedding day the wow factor from the very start. The gardens can also be used to host a fun fair to entertain your guests, complete with rides, side stalls and candy floss.

A light and airy reception room comes complete with contemporary furnishings and an understated colour scheme, enabling you to keep it traditional or create a personalised look for your special day.

  1. Preston Court

Preston Court has a lot to offer when it comes to your wedding – there are large gardens with lakes, lawns and a magical island that boasts a regency wrought iron bridge – so you can marry outside in the garden or in front of a magnificent fairground organ, located in the barn.

There is a full scale and fully operational Victorian carousel, complete with galloping horses and chariots – lots of fun for your guests and amazing for pictures – and a Victorian showman’s wagon which is used as a dressing room on the day. The fairground organs can be played on the day, and there is a selection of fairground games available too

  1. Marleybrook House

Kent wedding venue Marleybrook House, former home to legendary cabaret star Eartha Kitt, has its own Vintage Fayre! The venue will set it up for you – we recommend keeping it a secret until the day so you can see your guests’ faces when you arrive!

There are retro side stalls including an original 1940s High Striker to test strength and swing boats from 1890. Set up next to hay bales, apple crates and a vintage tractor, it will take you back in time.

  1. Blists Hill Victorian Town

When planning a wedding and you’re looking for a unique wedding venue in the Midlands, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shropshire are a good choice. This includes Blists Hill Victorian Town, which is a recreation of a working Victorian town complete with a funfair.

The funfair is set up opposite where most receptions take place and you and your guests can enjoy chair-o-planes, coconut shy, swing boats, and on certain days, a magnificent Victorian carousel featuring galloping horses. Imagine the wedding picture opportunities

  1. The Hop Farm

Home to The Hop Farm Festival, The Hop Farm also has a funfair which you can use at your wedding. It includes the amazing ‘giant jumping pillows’ to bounce away on, as well as an amazing vintage carousel, amongst other things.

The Kent wedding venue is popular for those who want a wedding with a fun, unique twist!

 

Beach wedding hair

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Are you planning a dreamy beach wedding? Once you’ve found the perfect beach wedding dress and booked an amazing seaside wedding venue, you need to start thinking about your hair.

What constitutes beachy wedding hair for you? Braids, texture with waves. A fresh unstructured playful look.

The best thing to do would be to have braids or twists in the hair, or have the hair pulled back fairly tightly. Always embrace the texture and using salt spray to add to it, perhaps have some braids around your face for some pretty detail and then it doesn’t matter so much if the rest of the hair gets a little frizzy as it adds to the look. You can also use a strong hairspray to seal the hair but it can look quite fixed so although it seals away moisture it may not fit for a relaxed look as much.

A loose chignon of some sort to keep the hair away from the face. A look with loose tendrils and texture would be ideal, nothing too fixed and neat. Then if it isn’t too structured the odd hair being blown about will add to the look and it will not look as though anything is out of place.

Hair accessories for a beach wedding would be a flower head crown– Or a few faux flowers dotted through the hair.

Beach weddings can be more relaxed than traditional ones, if its windy then embrace your long hair and let it blow over your face for a romantic look. A good wedding photographer should capture these moments to make you look like a beach gorgeous bride!!