Ideal Venues for Weddings

Choosing a venue for weddings is a really difficult task, since the whole of the day will depend on the stately home, castle or hotel you choose.

Think carefully when looking around local hotels reception venue and other venue providers you consider during your planning. A wedding reception venue like a hotel is no longer just a venue for a reception after your ceremony. The emergence of civil licenses means that your reception venue is also likely to be the place you choose to marry. Opt for a venue which can provide a dedicated planner. Hotels and other venues tend to have a dedicated co-ordinator, a single point of contact to discuss your wedding reception venue requirements. Make your chosen venue or hotel your first point of contact once you have a date in mind, then plan the rest of your day around that hotel or venue’s availability. You can find wedding reception venues and hotels all over the UK with UKbride’s venue, hotel and wedding reception search facility on the venues page of our Suppliers section.

Whenever you choose a venue such as a hotel for your wedding reception, use UKbride's table planning software free to all members to plan your venue reception tables. Your wedding reception venue depends on creating tables plans for your venue quickly and easily — the process is automated easily with our package.

The biggest decision when it comes to your wedding reception venue relates to food. Wedding venue providers are likely to have reception packages to suit any size of venue, commensurate with the size of the venue itself. Most of the time, a venue with have several food packages, from which you can pick limited options.

Venue decoration is also a part of your wedding reception venue remit. It's possible most wedding reception venue providers will have limited provision for decoration of your venue. However, using a dedicated venue decoration supplier will result in better decoration and more choice — expect to pay around £500 to have your wedding reception venue decorated.

Hotels and Other Venues

Wedding receptions in hotels are more convenient than other venues since catering and other arrangements tend to be included in your venue reception package.

However, when marrying in a hotel rather than other reception venues, extras, such as drinks and decorations, may incur an extra charge — check what’s included in your hotel’s package, and if you’re choosing to marry in other types of venues such as stately homes, consider the cost of using external caterers and other reception suppliers to run your venue into a full wedding reception. Double check your wedding reception venue is fully civil licensed too so you can have your ceremony as well as your wedding reception at the venue.

A hotel wedding reception venue will offer food packages. Remember that if your wedding reception is to be held in another sort of venue — for instance, a marquee venue or home wedding reception venue — provision will have to be made for outside catering in the venue, venue decorations, and perhaps hire of furniture and a bar.

On the subject of wedding reception venue drinks, remember to factor in table wine and champagne or Pimms for your wedding reception guests. Hotels often have drinks packages, but marquee wedding receptions may require a separate provider. Those providing wedding reception drinks at your venue will also be able to provide glass hire at your venue too.

Entertainment at your wedding reception venue should come courtesy of a disco or bar. Shop around for a providers other than those your venue or hotel suggests and choose one which will make your wedding reception venue come alive with your favoured music rather than the usual wedding reception venue playlist.

Finding Wedding Reception Venues and Hotels

Finding venues like hotels is made much easier thanks to UKbride’s searchable directory of suppliers.

With over 35,000 suppliers, search for wedding reception venues and hotels in your area quickly and easily. UKbride allows you to find local hotels, stately homes and other civil licensed venues. Hotels make great venues for receptions, with 1,000s of hotels making suitable venues at your fingertips. Venues on UKbride include country house hotels, large hotels and smaller venues for intimate receptions. Good receptions rely on your hotel being able to provide your wedding reception guests with good food, entertainment and over night accommodation. Each wedding reception venue is different, but all should make the bride and groom feel like their wedding reception at the venue is extra special, and bespoke, rather being than an off-the peg wedding reception at any run of the mill hotel reception venue. Unusual venues for your wedding receptions can also be found using UKbride’s wedding reception venue and hotel finder.

A great idea for finding a venue for the perfect wedding reception is to look at local hotels. Hotels offer dedicated wedding packages and most reception venue providers have dedicated wedding co-ordinators.

Hotels also have different characters according to the style of your wedding reception — a country house hotel will offer a different reception venue to that of a hotel in the city or a contemporary hotel. A small hotel will offer a more intimate wedding whilst a large hotel may have a spa in which to relax after your special day. Assess your hotel according to the provision of reception provision, hotel accommodation, dining in the hotel's restaurant and the hotel's attention to planning your big day! Choose a hotel, too, with good grounds. Hotels which look great outside or have nice gardens are best for photographs. A hotel or venue with  neatly manicured ground for your guests will also allow them to enjoy the sunshine, champagne and canapés in surroundings whilst other parts of the hotel are used for your photographs.

Your hotel should also provide a bridal suite — most hotel venues offer this as part of their wedding packages. Check your hotel has a Civil Ceremony License too — a hotel with a license can legally 'marry' couples as well as serving as a wedding reception venue. Finally, check your chosen hotel offers the usual reception facilities your guests would expect from a hotel including parking and hotel accommodation with concessionary rates for wedding guests who want to stay at the hotel.

A hotel reception arguably offers lots of convenience. A marquee also necessitates land on which to site your venue, whereas a hotel doesn't, and suppliers for elements of your wedding a hotel already has. If, however, a marquee wedding appeals, your hotel may have its own marquee hire arrangements for offering a hotel based marquee wedding. A hotel offering a marquee wedding offers the best of both worlds; hotel convenience with marquee versatility!