3 things to consider when booking your wedding & venue

Guys, I’ll be straight, this post is purely my three tips to consider when booking your wedding. Ultimately, the decision is yours and if your gut is disagreeing with me on anything, go with your gut! These are just my learnings and experiences when shooting through different times of the year and across vastly different venue types.

Also worth noting, budget will influence a lot of your choices, only you know what you are willing to sacrifice and what you’re not!

Without further ado, here’s my list of things to think about when booking that special day:

The time of year

This is something that surprisingly doesn’t cross some couples minds but I believe it is really, really important to think about.

There is no right time of year across the board but there absolutely is the right time of year for you as an individual or a couple. No one can control the weather, especially in Britain, so no matter when you book, it’s important to remember, there are no guarantees.

Summer offers earlier and later natural light. This means there’s more time to get outdoor photos and if natural is your thing, then this is something to bear in mind. You’re also more likely to get sunset shots too, if that’s your thing. Think BBQ, late night drinking under the sunset, shoes off and dancing bear foot into the night!

Winter weddings are great if you want that Christmas or Nordic vibe. You can get that magic and sparkle in the Winter that you can’t get any other time of year. However, with far fewer light hours in the day, you will get lots of night time photos, where additional light sources are required. For some people, that’s exactly what they want, for others, they prefer the natural approach. Think sparkly, crisp days, Christmas, log fires, keeping warm inside.

Spring brings that new life feeling, wild flowers start to appear and the days start to get longer. It gives a great balance of longer light, whilst still allowing the sun to go down a little earlier for nice cosy evenings. You can also match flowers and table decoration really well this time of year. Think fresh, new cut grass smell, bright colours, greens, blues and purples.

Autumn though similar to Spring in terms of how long the days are, Autumn doesn’t bring new flowers, it brings gorgeous golden oranges and yellows. Think, logs on the fire, marshmallows melting, pumpkins and lovely warm décor.

Venue Type

As above, there really is no right or wrong, it’s what’s right for you.

There are so many different types of venue, from farms, barns, outdoor gazebos to mansions, castles, churches and halls! They all have their appeal. My advice is to look at the type of photography you like and see if there’s a pattern to the type of photos your picking and the venue. Sometimes people have an idea of the photos they like but pick a venue that doesn’t quite sit with that idea. If you want photos of you walking through a field with golden straw sticking out of the ground, then make sure that the venue has that.

When you walk around viewing venues, I would really encourage you to think about the photography, if the output is something you specifically have in mind.

Separate ceremony and reception venues

Depending on the time of year and what you want from your day, ask yourself if having an all in one wedding is better for you or are you dead set on different places? Things to consider are, travelling between venues, that time is then lost from the day, which to some will be absolutely fine but to others could be something they haven’t considered. Do you want photos of the groom getting ready AND the bride? If they’re in separate locations, how far apart are they? The photographer, if working alone would have to travel between them.

If you get married at a church and have the reception elsewhere, think about the photos between the two places, especially in winter, this leaves less time to get any outdoor natural light shots.

So, that brings an end to my things I think you should consider when booking your wedding. It’s going to be one of the biggest days of your life, so give it the attention it deserves.

If you want any help on any of the above, please get in touch and I’ll happily have a zoom call, meet up or just a simple e-mail to go through your questions!

Pete