Blog post by Ciara from WeddingDates.ie
Once a couple gets engaged, inevitably the first job to be done is to choose the wedding venue! Now, as the months of planning go on, you will begin to get very in tune with what’s hot in weddings and get a clearer picture as to what you want your big day to be like. But with one of the biggest decisions one of the first things you have to do, it can be a daunting experience!
Of primary importance is the type of venue you want to get married in. This will end up factoring into most other decisions you make regarding the wedding. The type of venue may help dictate the style and the pace of the day as well as some of the necessary and not-so-necessary suppliers you need to have.
Do you want a relaxed country retreat or a funky urban location? Are photographs important to you? If so, make sure your venue has nice grounds, or there is somewhere nearby to get your photos taken. Think about universities, national parks, castles or other monuments that might make a striking backdrop. If you are a real foodie, then a restaurant could be an option for your wedding as the emphasis would clearly be on the food in a dedicated place like that.
Do you want a private-party feel where you and your guests can run amok for the day/night?! Then a private hire place is what you want. There are more and more stately homes and castles around Ireland that can be hired privately and even some smaller traditional hotels require you to book out the place exclusively. Just consider that you may have to take a minimum number of bedrooms in a place like that too.
You can do a ton of research up-front using the web to find out guest capacity, menus and terms and conditions of various places. Discussion forums are a great way to get info from other brides.
When thinking seriously about a venue, make an appointment to meet someone in the place. You could waste a Saturday just walking into venues and the appropriate person might not be available at the time to talk to you. All hotels or wedding venues will be happy to give you a tour and discuss your requirements. Don’t worry, they won’t be pressurising you for a deposit that day! Nearly as important as the venue itself is the people who are going to be taking care of you on the day itself (and indeed in the run-up preparations!) so make sure you have met the staff and get a good vibe from them.
In these recessionary times, make sure you negotiate on price. Many places do fantastic discounts on Sunday or midweek weddings – or even weekend weddings during the off-peak months. Not everyone needs to have a Saturday in July wedding. After all. Many guests get invited to so many weddings that something in November or January to look forward to might be just the ticket!
Once the negotiations have been done, make sure you get a written quote from your venue, so that there are no surprises later on.
Of course you can always search for your perfect wedding venue by venue type, county, price or guest capacity on
www.weddingdates.ie!
Ciara Crossan is the founder of weddingdates.ie, a unique website that allows engaged couples to select their chosen wedding date and the county in Ireland where they want to get married, and get back an interactive listing of wedding venues with civil ceremony or reception availability on that date. You can also follow Ciara on Twitter at twitter.com/weddingdates