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FIVE TYPES OF WEDDING VENUES

Choosing the perfect wedding venue

We’ve listed five of the most popular types to guide you through this exciting process.

You may find yourselves being a little overwhelmed at the start of your venue search. There is so much choice out there that it can be tough pin-pointing the exact style of venue for your special day. Choosing the right type of location is really important as the whole tone and setting of your day will be based on the style of wedding venue you choose. It will also be the backdrop to your wedding photography and a place for you to look back on with fond memories in the future.

Below, we’ve outlined five different types of wedding venues in order to help you decide what’s right for you before you start requesting brochures and heading out on your wedding venue visits. From exclusive use wedding venues to saying ‘I do’ on the beach, we’ve covered every style.

Exclusive use wedding venue

If you liked the sound of an exclusive use venue – a home from home, yours for the day – then we’d be more than happy to show you around any one of our venues at a time most convenient to you.

Simply request a brochure of the house of your choice and then contact the team.

Hotel venue

Getting married in a hotel can offer you a variety of choices when it comes to celebrating inside and out, as well as the option for your wedding guests to stay overnight. You won’t have any guaranteed privacy and there may well be another wedding taking place on the same day but in another part of the hotel. As with an exclusive use wedding venue, you may be offered a dedicated wedding planner and as most hotels have restaurants, there will more than likely be an in-house catering team to create and serve the food at your celebration. Getting married in a hotel will also provide you with everything in terms of linens, glasses, cutlery, set up, etc… and will always be somewhere to return to year after year to celebrate your anniversary.

Exclusive use wedding venue

If you can imagine getting married in a home-from-home style wedding venue, where you’re guaranteed not to bump into anyone other than your family, wedding guests, and the staff looking after you on the big day, then an exclusive use wedding venue could be what you’re looking for. The upside to choosing exclusive use is that you’ll generally be able to hire the venue for a duration for 24 hours. This will enable you to get ready for the big moment in the comfort of a luxurious home (if it offers accommodation). You’ll also be able to invite suppliers to the venue so that they can decorate around you. Enjoy every room of the venue – after all, it is your home for the day and night!

This type of venue may cost a little bit more than say a hotel or a blank canvas venue, due to the fact that you’ll have privacy guaranteed, but if your chosen venue has an in-house catering team and staff on hand to look after you throughout the day (like all four Harper wedding venues do), then you really won’t have to worry about a thing.

Exclusive use wedding venues may be limited with the overnight accommodation, but there will more than likely be a handful of local hotels or B&B’s nearby that the team at the venue can recommend.

If you liked the sound of an exclusive use venue – a home from home, yours for the day – then we’d be more than happy to show you around any one of our venues at a time most convenient to you.

Simply request a brochure of the venue(s) of your choice and then contact the team.

Blank canvas wedding venue

If you want to decorate your own space and hire everything for your wedding to make it completely unique then it might be worth investigating the blank canvas option. This could be anything from a marquee to put up in a garden at home or a nearby field. It could also mean hiring a ‘shell’ wedding venue, where you literally hire the room and you have to do the rest; sourcing tables and chairs to the linen, cutlery, catering team and a lot more. The plus side to hiring a blank canvas venue is that you get to create your day however you wish, without any restrictions or guidance. The downside is that you’ll need a lot of time on your hands, and potentially a lot of friends and family members to help you with pretty much everything.

Beach venue

We’re not necessarily talking about a destination wedding when we talk about getting married on the beach because there are tons of lovely beach wedding venues right here in the UK too! You could have a lot of fun with a beach wedding – decorating your aisle with a beach theme or celebrating your wedding overlooking the sea. If you’re lucky with the weather then a beach-style venue could be ideal. The outdoor space becomes your backdrop for photography and when it comes to choosing a menu with your catering team, there’s a multitude of fun dishes that you could serve to your wedding guests. The downside of booking a beach wedding venue is, of course, the risk of rain. But, most beach wedding locations should have the option to head under-cover should the heavens start to open.

Landmark venue

If you’re looking to make a statement on your wedding day then hiring a landmark venue in a city or abroad could be fun. Landmark venues may be difficult for all of your guests to travel to, and you may be restricted with little or no accommodation at the actual venue, but your guests would be impressed from the moment they receive their invitations and your photographer will, no doubt, take some awesome pictures of you both. If you like the idea, then we suggest that you go and visit a handful of landmark venues before setting your heart on anything specific – just to ensure that you’re happy with the location and prospect of transporting everything that you’ll need to throw your wonderful party.