DO YOU KNOW YOUR WEDDING VENUE?
And by this I mean..
I cannot stress enough of how well you should know your event venues. The only visit to the venue should NOT be the one when you are booking the venue or on the hour before the event starts to ensure everything is in place. Many trips should take place from your initial booking to the event day as there is so much to think about.
I have it seen it one to many times where a client has booked the venue say perhaps in the summer for a winter wedding and as such this completely changes the vibes the venue will give. For starters, lighting which plays a major part of the day, with the days being shorter and generally darker than your summer days, how is the lighting in the venue? Is it an old, listed building with stained windows such as your local town hall which are beautiful buildings and will always be just a little bit more special for me as I had my wedding day held in one but the lighting is never the best in these places. I got married at the start of September and so the days were still long and you would still expect sunshine however, as British weather is ever so unpredictable, it was grey and raining all day. This did not affect the photography that took place as I managed to have a short session outside on the steps of the town hall but I was more interested in using the internal spaces that I had already checked out as potential areas to get pictures in. I had my bridal portraits taken in one of the grand dining rooms, couple portraits in another room and on the main staircase. I was also lucky to be able to use the mayor’s room for some pictures.
Does the venue compliment the theme you have planned for your day? My theme was to keep it as minimal as possible and to let the interior speak for itself, candle lit (hence the limited lighting added to the ambience) and romantic which is primarily why I booked Rochdale Town Hall as it gave me exactly what I wanted with the décor I had in place so the time of year didn’t make a difference to me. In most venues open flames can be restricted to certain areas so again it is always wise to know exactly what you can and can’t have as this may tip the odds to perhaps looking elsewhere.
Multiple trips allow you to scope the venue properly as perhaps there is a particular area where you want you want family pictures to be taken in and another for your bridal portraits. Is the venue access all areas or are certain areas restricted? It also allows you to be on the same page as the venue manager, as the event draws closer plans are likely to change. Changes are needed whether that be seating arrangements as rsvp’s start to come through to running through a timeline for the day and finalising vendors that will be present. This will only happen by having multiple meetings rather than just having the first official one and then liaising by email/phone. I find it is always better to primarily have these face to face, as not only does it make you familiar and more at ease with the venue/event manager but it allows you to see whether you are able to bounce ideas and work with them rather than against which is obviously very important.
Your wedding day is one of the most memorable day’s you will ever have and one you will always hold onto very dearly, it’s certainly one which you would want to look back on with fond memories of.
With that being said, it goes without saying to know your venue inside and out, quite literally. Visit the venue on many occasions as the venue manager shouldn’t have an issue with this and again if they do this should raise red flags. Scope the place out, assess the lighting morning, afternoon and evening, discuss everything with the event manager, raise any concerns so you can problem solve together and above all keep that communication going. If you are going to spend thousands on this and countless hours mood boarding this day then surely this should not be skimped on. This is where all that planning comes to life and the day can present itself just how you visualised.
Knowing all of the above will also allow you to inform your photographer/videographer of any lighting issues, potential areas you would like your pictures and any venue restrictions so that you are all on the same page. This should hopefully allow for no surprises and amazing pictures and/or video as each of you are well prepared and equipped for the day.
This is YOUR day, a day of your union to be celebrated, memories to be captured and a day you want to enjoy.
So, I shall finish this blog post as I started it and ask the question; do you know your wedding venue?
