Choosing your Wedding Venue: A Hidden Checklist
What does your dream wedding venue look like? Is there a perfect archway to hold the ceremony under? A garden that would be ideal for a drinks reception? A feature wall that makes for a stunning backdrop? While the special details of any venue will be the ones that draw you towards making a booking, there are a whole host of less glamorous factors that you should take into consideration before committing to a venue for your big day. Here’s our guide…
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Parking
Whether you’re holding a city centre ceremony or remote country wedding, it’s worth considering how your guests will get to your chosen venue. Is there public transport provision? Or will guests be required to drive there? If so, will there adequate parking at or near your venue, how much does it cost and how long can guests stay? Similarly, it’s also important to consider parking considerations for your suppliers. Figure out the answers to these questions early so that your guests can have as stress-free an experience as possible when attending your wedding.
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Accessibility
How easy is it to manoeuvre around your venue? It’s worth doing a run through of the guest journey from parking at the venue, attending the ceremony, moving to the reception and using the venue’s facilities, so that you can gauge whether a guest with access requirements may struggle to enjoy themselves in your chosen venue. This will also allow you to discuss any steps a venue may need to take in order to make your guests as comfortable as possible.
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Toilets
Are there enough toilets for your number of guests? Where are they located in the building? Will you have exclusive use of them during your wedding day? Help guarantee your guests' comfort by ensuring that there is appropriate provision of toilets - plus, less time queuing means more time celebrating!
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Sound
What can you hear? Ideally, you will want your chosen venue to be peaceful and quiet – the last thing you want during your ceremony is to hear noise from another part of the building. This is particularly relevant if you don’t have exclusive use of the space, as you might not in a large hotel. Does your chosen venue have a speaker system for playing music as you walk down the aisle? If your event space is particularly large, it may be worth asking whether the venue has microphones you could use to help your guests hear the vows, particularly if public speaking and projecting your voice aren’t your strengths.
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Electricity
While more traditional venues are likely to have numerous outlets for entertainment, catering or lighting purposes; if you are choosing to hold your ceremony in an increasingly popular ‘blank space’ venue, such as a grand marquee, country barn or city warehouse, it’s worth checking out what access to electricity you’ll have and that there will be sufficient amperage for your requirements.
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Private Spaces
Is there a separate space available for you to take moments to yourself? Often you will want privacy just before the ceremony or being introduced at the reception, whether it’s to check your make-up or simply gather your thoughts. Ask if your venue is able to provide such a space.
If you'd like to find our more about getting married at The National Piping Centre, contact us on 0141 353 5551 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.