As peak season for getting hitched inches closer, if you run a wedding venue now could be a good time (perhaps the calm before the storm) to reassess your location and how you could enhance it. After all, it’s a sector that’s increasingly competitive given shifting attitudes to marriage, the rising cost of living and the increasing number of places where couples can legally tie the knot.
So your venue needs to stand out to secure bookings. Here’s how you could do that:
1.) Offer as much flexibility as possible
Standard Saturday weddings still happen, but more couples are keen to do things differently. So if you can offer options including midweek occasions, intimate micro weddings or celebrations stretching over a whole weekend, a varied menu of packages is likely to go down well.
Think too about how to keep children amused so couples and guests can relax and feel happier about bringing them. It’s true that some decide not to invite kids to avoid potential interruptions and distractions. However, not all guests may like this strategy, and it could lead to some declined invitations.
But if, as a venue, you make yourself child-friendly, you give customers the option to include kids. Think about how to keep the little ones occupied, whether that’s with a specialist entertainer or something like an inflatable assault course. This will keep younger guests engaged and excited, and once you’ve made the initial investment, you’ve got it for keeps.
2.) Versatile accommodation
Is the accommodation you offer as, well, accommodating as it can be? That includes, for example, offering a room for the night before the nuptials to the bride and her party as part of the deal? Can you put up the couple’s guests? Offer a honeymoon suite? Convert a field for glamping? Or provide a lovely, light space where the bride and her bridesmaids can get ready on the morning of the big day?
All of the above can be serious deal-breakers.
3.) Style Sets the Scene for the Whole Day
The overall look and feel of your venue naturally influences how guests arrive and experience the day. When a venue has a relaxed, elegant outdoor setting, guests tend to gravitate toward lighter, more celebratory outfits, with many choosing styles that feel appropriate for the occasion without overshadowing the bride. Flowing, comfortable options such as a floaty wedding guest dress often complement this type of setting particularly well. Helping couples communicate the venue’s vibe through their invitations , dress guidance, and styling cues can elevate the entire atmosphere, making the day feel more cohesive and visually memorable.
4.) The great outdoors
Open-air ceremonies are hugely popular these days, and this only seems to have increased in the aftermath of Covid. So if couples can’t currently be legally wed outdoors at your premises, think about whether you could change this. And if you have some outside space you’re not using to its full potential, you could be missing a trick. You don’t even need a permanent outdoor structure for an open-air wedding these days.
Of course, not every location can offer the chance to get hitched al fresco, and not everywhere has the scenery or drama of, say, an outdoor wedding venue in Cornwall, which can sell itself on the strength of its beautiful coastal setting alone. But you can still attract bookings with open-air ceremonies, wherever you are.
When you’re showing couples round, have your outside areas set up with quality furnishings such as teak outdoor furniture to give an idea of how this space could look.
Not only is teak functional as well as stunningly elegant and smart-looking, it can last for decades in all weathers, so can stay outside thanks to its durability and natural water resistance. Its natural oils provide a barrier against the elements, and it only requires minimal maintenance.
Finally, because it only needs replacing very rarely, and can be recycled, reused and repurposed, teak outdoor furniture is also an environmentally friendly option – you can also source it responsibly, increasing its sustainability.