A right royal
Top 10 tips on choosing your venue
1) Whether you hold your wedding reception in a stately home, hotel, village hall or your favourite pub, avoid any misunderstanding by confirming every detail in writing.
2) Wherever you choose, make sure there’s enough space for your guests in the roomitself and enough parking spaces outside for their cars.
3) Try to opt for a reception venuewhich is reasonably close to where you are holding the ceremony – no problem if you’re marrying at a licensed venue and holding wedding and reception under one roof.
4) If you’re planning a hotel reception, have a meal there before you make the booking, so you can check on the food and the service, as well as the atmosphere and the facilities.
5) Many hotels will offer a host of additional services included in the cost of the reception – froma red carpet welcome to fresh flowers on the tables, fromthe services of a toastmaster to the hire of a cake stand and knife, from complimentary wedding night accommodation for the bride and groomto special rates for guests who want to stay overnight. Some will even invite you back for a complementary celebration dinner on your first wedding anniversary. Check exactly what is offered and make sure you get a written list.
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6) Wherever you choose to hold your reception, find out duringwhat times the rooms – and bar facilities –will be available. If you’reusinga villagehall andyourown caterers, for instance, youwillneedaccess early inthe day to set up decorations, flowers and your cake and youmay need a drinks licence for your bar,which the committee will have to apply for on your behalf. Check alsowhether youhave tohire crockery, cutlery, glasses, tables and chairs.
7) Don’t feel hidebound by what you think a traditional wedding breakfast should consist of. Nowadays, anything goes frombangers and mash followed by jamroly-poly to pastawithwedding cake as dessert. Remember, though, you may have to cater for vegetarians or guests on special diets.
8) Spend time thinking about the room and table decorations and the lighting at your reception. Flowers should match the theme colours of the wedding and a little money spent on atmospheric lighting canmake an enormous difference. Favours for guests add colour and style and crackers and balloons always help create the atmosphere.
9) Many couples nowput a disposable camera on each table, so guests can record for you the parts of your reception that youmissed on the day.
10) If you’re having small children at yourwedding, find outwhether there’s a separate roomwhere they can be entertained and think of providing a mobile crèche so both you and their parents can relax and enjoy the day without having to worry about them.
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