Alternatives to wedding venues

Not every couple needs to get married in a ‘proper’ wedding venue. I know a lot of people think if you’re having a wedding you need to find a ‘venue’ but honestly there’s so many other options out there. Some couples just really don’t suit that traditional venue vibe, sometimes you just don’t have the budget for a wedding venue and sometimes you are just having a smaller wedding and want something that fits you a bit better, whatever the reason fear not because there’s lots of other options.

Here are some of my favourite ideas

The Pub

Not much beats a pub wedding and lots of pubs will host a wedding even if they don’t advertise it. And of course it comes with the added bonus of already having most things you need in terms of food and drink.

A favourite ‘place’

Lots of places have space to host groups of people and many of them can be really quirky and personal to you. They might not be set up for weddings but if you ask and are prepared to organise the logistics these can be great options. I’ve photographed weddings in a Sailing Club, a library, a museum, art gallery… you get the idea. You’re more likely to get a yes if you have a personal connection or they already have the ability to host gatherings of people.

A restaurant

Much like the pub you can just pick a favourite restuarant, this is one of smaller weddings really but some will let you book the whole place and may have function rooms too

The Village Hall

A classic venue alternative, village halls are often a real win for your budget and can be in really beautiful settings.

Hire a fancy house

If you just want to get all your friends together in a fancy house then you could just hire a house for the weekend and use that as a backdrop for an informal wedding. This works especially well for quirky properties.

At home

Not much gets more personal than having a wedding at your family home. And it doesn’t even need to be a big grand marquee, even just the back garden or a small gathering indoors can work really well.

At the end of the day not much beats a wedding that feels super personal. And sometimes skipping the wedding venue can be the best option. I really believe wedding’s shouldn’t adhere to some made up rules, they should reflect the two of you and what you want your celebration to be. And to be honest that could be anything!!