It's January, if you were proposed to over the festive and New year period chances are you're starting your wedding planning this month. One of the key milestones in planning your wedding is finding your venue and booking a date with them.
But how do you go about finding that venue when there are just so many venues and things to think about?
First have a think about what you want your wedding day to look like. Have you got your heart set on a outdoor tipi wedding surrounded by woodland? An Enchanted Castle? A grand stately home or something more rustic like an old barn?
What do you want it to feel like for you and your guests? Relaxed and informal? Like a get together with friends? do you want all the formalities or do you want everyone to feel wild and free?
Once you have a rough vision in your head and maybe down on paper have a think about what your venue must have and write a list.
For instance do you want your guests to be able to stop over? do you want somewhere close to home to avoid guests having to travel? Are you dreaming of a three day wedding weekend without other hotel guests? how many guests must the venue be able to cater? Do you want to be able to DIY your decor or are you planning to book a professional dream team to make your wedding stand proud?
Once you've written your list its time to start the hunt.
If you're a Bride to be in the North East of England you are blessed with being in such a beautiful part of the British Isles. Couples flock from all over the world to marry in our region, not just because of the our beautiful countryside, views and coastline. But also because of the wildly romantic heritage of our ancestors.
Because of that rugged romantic history Northumberland has the largest amount of Castles of any county in England. There are over 70 Castles in Northumberland alone! But that's just Castles, if you consider all of the manor houses, country hotels, luxury boutiques and then the out of the box licenced venues there's a hell of an amount of choice here!
Then there's Durham and Yorkshire too. Both with absolutely stunning scenery and historical importance. If you're dreaming of a picturesque venue set in the countryside choice is really on your side in this part of the world.
Instagram is a great place to start looking, the use of hashtags makes it really easy to find what you are looking for fast. For example if you want your venue to be in Northumberland try searching in #northumerlandweddingvenue to start seeing beautiful images of venues that fit your search area. Then you can narrow it down even more by having a look through individual photos to find exactly what you're looking for.
I'd recommend making a short list of your favourites, having a good look through their websites for information and then making a few bookings to go and view them!
Good luck and enjoy the process! If you're still stuck for ideas I have a free guide here on my website, just head to the freebies page where you can pick up your copy of "10 of the best Elegant Bohemian Venues in the North East".
It's geared to help if you're stuck with ideas but you're dreaming of a relaxed day in naturally inspired surroundings. Each of the venues lend themselves perfectly to beautifully arranged fresh flower displays for that fresh relaxed vibe.
Make sure to stay tuned to my blog for more helpful hints and tips.
I'll be writing another soon all about the questions you should definitely be asking your venue before going ahead and booking.