You’ve got your Pinterest board all ready and you know what you want your wedding photos to look like. But now it’s time to find a venue. How do you know which one to choose? I’ve had the opportunity to photograph a variety of different wedding venues and, while all incredibly beautiful in their own way, there are a lot of differences between them! So I’ve made a little list of things to think about, from a wedding photographers point of view, that might help you decide.
1. The lighting / the vibe
If your Pinterest board is very bright and summery, and you want your wedding day to be bright and airy, natural light will be your best friend! Look for a venue with large windows and high ceilings to let in lots of sunlight. If you’d like a more romantic evening vibe, a candlelit, indoor space will work well for you. Personal anecdote incoming – we wanted to get married in Spain but didn’t want to ask 200 people to fly all that way, so instead we booked Arta in Glasgow’s Merchant City – it’s very dark and lit only by candles, and is Spanish themed, so gives us that romantic Spanish plaza vibe without the trip.
2. The outdoor ceremony
On that destination wedding theme, maybe you’re going as far as to have an outdoor ceremony and/or reception – how exciting! There are some incredible outdoor venues in Scotland and the UK and I’m wishing you (right now!) the best of luck with the weather. But here in Scotland, it’s always a good idea to have a back up. When looking at outdoor venues, make sure to view their indoor spaces too and make sure you love them just as much. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be stressed about the rain – instead you just want to be buzzing to celebrate anywhere in your gorgeous venue!
3. The layout
This is one I feel is very important and often overlooked. Although they say the venue will hold up to 300 people, will it hold them all in one space? I have seen venues split the wedding breakfast into two separate rooms and have to live stream the speeches to the guests in the other room. I’ve also seen some incredibly beautiful ballrooms where guests are seated behind large (albeit beautiful) pillars and features. I would make sure to ask venues what a seating plan might look like for your numbers, and make sure you’re happy with the placement.
4. Lastly, have an idea of a rough budget you’re comfortable spending before enquiring with any venues. This is hard to do when you have no idea how much things may cost, but a wee tip from personal experience – the venue, food and drinks will be around one half to one third of the cost of your entire wedding. Knowing a rough budget saves you from disappointment and gives you the freedom to simply remain super excited about the whole planning process!
These are just a few tips I’ve found helpful when planning my own wedding, and when helping other couples with their ideas. But the most important thing to remember is that you are getting MARRIED to the absolute love of your life! So I hope these tips help with your planning, but also remember how special this is – we all have a vision of what our wedding day will look like, but the most important thing is your marriage to one another and the people around you.
Much love,
Heather