To be upset about my wedding venue?

[IfIDontKnowAndYouDontKnow]

Name changed
Basically have a tiny budget. We were going to cut our guest list but we don't want to. We love everyone on it.
Have been offered The British Legion as a venue for free. Best man works evenings there.
We have decided to take it so we can afford to give everyone a nice time. Its bloody ugly inside. Has lovely big field though/n pretty outside etc.
I know I chose this, and I am not wanting to save up for few years as I just want to marry dp and have all our friends and family there. And would be stupid to not accept such a generous offer.
Just venting I guess... and wondering what to do about the fading carpet, chipped paint, arcade machine...

Flowers and cheapo paper decorations and tealights and balloons - just fill it with stuff, and obviously people, and no one will notice the ugliness. It'll be fine, honest - no-one really cares about venues, as long as they're having fun.

Which would you prefer - compromise on which people you have there or compromise on the venue?

Venues can be tarted up, guests can't be faked :)

Maybe you could buy lots of plain fabric and drape it around the room? If you bought wholesale then it might only cost £1 or £2 a metre, and you could drape it round the whole room for £100 (assuming it's a fairly small room!) The arcade machine can be switched off and hidden behind something.

And if you buy everyone lots of booze with your tiny budget, they won't even notice the decor!

Get yourself on Pinterest. You'll get loads of great ideas and tart up that room like there's no tomorrow!

Congratulations OP!

I had my wedding reception in a fairly ugly community centre. I honestly don't remember anything about how the room looked that day. I was just thrilled to see so many people I loved having a fantastic time.

When you look back on your wedding day, you honestly won't remember the decor. You'll remember the people and the fun.

Take the venue and stare looking in Pinterest for budget inspirTion.

You could FILL the play with tea lights and white fairly lights, lots and lots of fresh flowers and it will be stunning.

Make sure the loos are absolutely pristinely clean, put in a nice basket of hand soaps, hand moisturisers, some little bits for ladies to freshen up with and lots of fresh flowers and scented candles.

Decided to take this on account of
A)ITS FREE!
B) Very cheap drink
C) The out door space

We want to look after our guests and I hope that we can make them comfortable..
Have sourced a very good pub circuit band for around £300. Have about £800 max for food and don't want a buffet.. Maybe barbeque/ hog? Large 1 pan paella caterer? Don't know.
I'm not sure I have £100 for drapes, it's a good idea though

You can make anywhere look lovely with nice lighting. It doesn't have to be fancy just carefully positioned and thought about.

The chipped paint and faded carpet is ok. Can you turn off the arcade machine? Are the loos ok?

I would take the free venue and love it for its free'ness.

Hope you have a wonderful wedding

Get a screen t hide the machine etc . Agree with using softer lighting and fairy lights, gauzy/voile fabric draped, tablecloths and colour coordinated napkins and flowers.

Cross posts with some of you(very slow typing)
Thank you.. I think just the whole thing upsets me.. I have between £1500 - £2000 to spend on our entire wedding and the church is just shy of £500. I just want guests to have a good time and feel I cant successfully do this on my budget.
Being a whinger I know

Those that care about the decor don't deserve to be there anyway! It's you day that you want to share with them. Not the bloody room!

Good decision!

Cheap drinks really seal the deal.

Your food suggestions sound perfect.

I am not sure about drapes, I would save the money for candles, table centrepieces and other stuff

What you need to do, is send out a few save the date cards to people you don't want at your wedding, then when they confirm they are free, tell them they are to be your unpaid decorating help for the day.

That'll sort it for you

Pinterest is good for cheap decorating ideas. Big thing at the moment seems to be helium balloons with chiffon draped around them and long strips of fabric cut to look like fringing strung back and forth to make screens.

I think that mostly we will be outside.. its on a cricket pitch. So loads of space.. Not sure we could do sit down meal.. and we are planning on a afternoon wedding(about 3pm) with food about 6ish. Possibly not a sit down, due to lay out etc

The BEST wedding I have been to have been the low key affairs. I love casual, friendly fun wedding. I don't like anything pompous and some weddings are too fussy for my liking.

Cheap drinks and tasty not posh food are important but the rest of it not so much.

Am off to nose at pinterest...

If you cannot afford drapes how about making bunting? You could do it out of coloured paper if you needed to and get lots hung inside and outside - it would all continue through then?

Start collecting glass jars now - if you put a tea light in them
(About £3 for 50 from ikea) they make great candle holders - you can tie ribbon round the top if you want to jazz them up?

If it's outside how about a BBQ?

Table decor is where you need to focus, even if you won't be having a formal, sit down affair.

I've been to a million weddings and some of the best have been in Legion type places. As long as there's enough food and enough seating, Bob's your uncle.

Cheaper venue & more guests every time (I didn't practice what I preach tho'! Married at a beautiful hotel in Cyprus with 25 guests!)

BUT. The best weddings I've been to we're about the people there & keeping them well fed & watered. Defo decorate & get friends to pitch in tarting place up. Don't worry about inviting every cousin & random workmates. Just good friends & close family. So much better than some overpriced venue where the food isn't even any cop.

My best friend got married in a registry office, we all crammed in, it was boiling and sixties style carpet. Afterwards we went to a farmhouse barn where all of her many friends were given a delicious BBQ and we decorated with pics of the couple as babies & fairy lights, white table cloths plus bought a cheap carpet to cover the floor. She catered all the booze as well. Her friend & her aunt both did a cake. It wasn't glam, the venue still looked fine. It was great fun.

Another memorable wedding was in a scout tent in a blustery field near the south coast. The night before was a mare for decorating the tent but the food was lush & it was all somehow lovely.

I'd just try & decorate your hall as best you can & focus on who is there.

Something like this for the fringing.

Or this and this

Or fish and chips? Talk to the chip shop about a job lot? You could try and get some personalised paper to wrap them in?

Or these paper pin wheel things look nice and would probably not break the bank.

look into what you can beg, borrow or hire.

Legion may have table clothes etc your local WI might.

We have loads of garden centres who grow stuff on for pub hanging baskets and tubs and I know school have borrowed plants for table decorations.

Wedding DD was bridesmaid at grow pots of gerbras herself.

Keep your eyes open around Xmas, new year and Valentines all sort of stuff appears in pound shops and in sales.

sadly, though very effective you're talking towards a £100 to make much of a splash with helium balloons (I did the church hall as a wedding present for a DF and couldn't get the price down).

Or there's this one, which is balloons pinned to the wall with tissue paper streamers hanging from them. It's quite an effective but cheap and easy way to cover a big space of wall.