A guide to village hall weddings in Essex
You’re thinking about having your wedding in a village hall in Essex but you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed with finding the right place and all the planning. I’m an Essex based wedding photographer and I’ve photographed plenty of weddings in village halls or similar settings over the years.
I absolutely love village halls for weddings because not only are they more affordable than a “wedding venue” but they also offer a lot of scope for you to make them your own and they are often in lovely, pretty locations. However, they do require a lot more planning than an official venue would.
Bearing that in mind, if you feel like that they are right for you and your day then read on!
Finding your Essex village hall
Here’s a few of the village halls local to me in Essex that would make great wedding reception venues!
Licenced for 140 guests. Room for a marquee. Parking, a super modern kitchen and lovely interior space.
Up to 90. Room for a marquee to directly attach to the main hall. Direct access to the playing field. Parking.
Seats 100. Beamed hall with in house catering. They offer a lot of decor options – some of which are terrible – ha ha! But I’m sure you could use your own suppliers for decor instead.
A pretty village hall within walking distance of a church. In the heart of Epping Forest and backing onto lovely countryside.
Planning your village hall wedding
Like I mentioned before, a village hall wedding requires a lot more logistics than your typical venue will. The main thing is there will be no on-site wedding planner or co-ordinator. I would say for a village hall wedding booking a planner or co-ordinator for the day will worth their weight in gold!! The last thing you want to be thinking about on your wedding day is how to manage guests or direct suppliers to the right place! Village hall weddings can sometimes get a little disorganised so either keep the day super simple or get someone in to oversee it all and keep things on track. As a photographer, I find I’ll often do a lot of logistics if needed, like organising confetti or letting the DJ know when to start the music, or letting the caterers know if timings are running behind. So do talk to your suppliers about that if you don’t want to get a co-ordinator in.
Decorating the hall
Village halls differ wildly in how they look. Some are super pretty from the off and others need a lot more decoration. For some cost-effective options then creating hand made bunting or a loads of tea lights and fairy lights and paper lanterns can make a huge difference. Alternatively some great flower arrangements will transform a space. Including a centrepiece like a flower arch or stricking backdrop will really help make it look more ‘weddingy’ If this all feels too much then I recommend Rock The Day and Starry Eyed Weddings to transform your space. I also have a large list of suppliers I know and recommend wholeheartedly that I send to my couples when they book with me.
I hope that’s been a bit of a help in planning your village hall wedding! Please get in touch if you’re looking for a photographer who can also help you plan your wedding! Someone with experience in these sorts of DIY weddings is always a help!