Now that Christmas festivities are well behind us, the wedding planning season really kicks into gear this month with several wedding fayres in Essex.

If you’re in the early stages of planning your wedding, then probably the first thing you’ll want to do is set your all important wedding date to tell all your friends and family.
Realistically you can’t set a fixed wedding date until you have a confirmed booking with your wedding venue or church. If you’re planning a church wedding in Essex, then you’ll also need to confirm a wedding reception venue has availability for the same date.

It’s becoming more and more popular for brides and grooms in Essex to get married and have their reception at the same venue. There are lots of wedding venues in Essex that offer a civil marriage, and then have the facilities for a meal for the guests followed by an evening reception.
This idea not only saves travelling from one venue to another, but means that costs can be saved as well.

When you’re planning your wedding and looking at wedding venues in Essex, you’ll need to consider the following points before making the final decision :

Availability of wedding venue – If you have a date that is not flexible, this has to be your first question to the wedding venue.

Size of venue and how many guests can be held – Have a good idea of how many daytime guests and evening guests you will be inviting to your wedding, don’t choose a wedding venue that is too large or too small.

Facilities at the wedding venue – Is there a bar, on site catering available, dance floor area, outdoor area for photographs, somewhere to be if the weather isn’t so nice, do they have a house DJ ? Several questions to ask, find out what the wedding venue offers, and whether you must use certain facilities as part of the hire.

Timetable of wedding venue – If you’re planning a midday wedding ceremony, you want to ensure the start and finish times of the wedding venue hire.

Costs – Different wedding venues in Essex will have different costs and packages available for you, often dependant on the day of the week, and month of the year. When they quote a price, ensure you know exactly what you are receiving for that price.

These are just a few questions to start considering when discussing your wedding day with potential wedding venues. Often the most popular wedding venues in Essex are booked a long time in advance, but many of them offer late booking deals if they have dates available, and off-season (winter) weddings should always be a cheaper option when booking.

Remember, wedding planning is the most exciting part of getting married, the actual ceremony is exciting but can be nervous for some brides (and of course grooms) – so ensure you enjoy every moment of planning your wedding in Essex.

We are lucky to have some of the very best wedding venues in Essex, so try and visit as many as you can, read their testimonials and decide which wedding venue is best for you.

Happy Wedding Planning !