Choosing your wedding venue is one of the biggest decisions you'll make when planning your nuptials, so let’s make sure that it’s perfect!
If you’re newly engaged, congratulations! And wow, we're sure you’ve got a million things going through your head at the moment, with the planning, researching and booking of your big day. Your dress, the flowers, music, cocktails, stationery… the list is endless! But there is one thing that you must choose before anything else, your Essex wedding venue.
Finding, and securing the location of your nuptials is key because it affects every other supplier you subsequently book.
When you do choose that perfect wedding venue in Essex, you’ll be able to actually plan your theme and colour palette because before that, you won’t know if your venue styling will dictate your overall look.
So, how do couples find and choose their dream wedding venue in Essex? Well, today we’re going to guide you through just how to do it, and hopefully inspire you to make that big decision.
How to Find the Perfect Essex Wedding Venue
How Many Guests Are You Going to Invite?
Your guest size is a major factor in where you can tie the knot. Your perfect wedding venue style/size will depend almost entirely on the number of guests you’re planning to invite.
If you’re considering a guest list of over 200 for example, your wedding venue options in Essex will be limited, and you will need to take your pick from large hotels, event spaces and marquees. For a wedding of 100 or less, you obviously have a lot more options. In fact, if you scale down to 50 or less, you may be able to celebrate in your favourite local restaurant, as is your want.
Know Your Budget
Before you book a visit, or even start browsing wedding venues in Essex. Decide, and stick to a solid wedding budget. Agreeing on these numbers early, and knowing where your hard-earned money is going to be spent, will help you no end in narrowing down your perfect wedding venue in Essex.
Imagine booking an incredible wedding venue, with all the bells and whistles, only to realise you’ve got no budget left for a cake or a dress! Disaster! So stick to your budget.
Is Your Perfect Wedding Venue Actually Available?
At the moment, wedding venue availability in Essex is at a premium, for obvious reasons. So checking if a venue is actually available on your desired date/s should be high on your priority list. Otherwise, you may find your dream wedding venue is booked for that perfect, sweet spot weekend in July you really want…! Ask early, and avoid heartbreak.
If you plan on getting married in 2022, you should also consider widening the date range that you would like to marry in. Because of all the delayed weddings, and re-booked venues, you may not get the week you really want. So consider looking at the month you want instead, and avoid being disappointed. Also, think about a weekday wedding. You could save yourself a fortune.
Always Keep Your Theme in Mind
If you’re the type of couple who knows exactly how you want your big day to look, don’t let that slide while looking for your dream Essex venue. If your perfect space has a boho, festival vibe, only look at locations that fit that theme. It sounds obvious, but so many couples choose a venue based purely on cost, location etc and think they can just twist the space to match their desired theme. That is an uphill battle, and one that ultimately ends up costing you more, and heaping more stress on your shoulders.
Can You See Yourself Celebrating There?
When visiting a wedding venue in Essex, try to think of it like a house viewing. Imagine yourself there, on the big day, surrounded by your friends and family. Where would the welcome sign go? Does the overall vibe of the space reflect your vision for the day? Can you imagine grandma dancing the night away on the dance floor there?
If it’s difficult to imagine yourself there, or you’re both struggling to picture where everything would go, don’t force it, its probably not right for you.