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...

Could you rig up a folding screen to disguise the arcade machine? Cover it in fun photos of the two of you?

My friend did a gorgeous shabby chic type wedding on a real budget, she saved jam jars, tied odd bits of ribbon, lace etc and added a few cheap flowers. A couple of those on each table and some fairy lights dotted around would make all the difference.

I second PA.

I net that it is warm and dry and there are enough seats and tables!

When's your wedding? You can do amazing things with bolts of fabric from the charity shop for pennies and get lots of flowers and plants for free.

Actually if I were you, I'd ask your guests to contribute flowers. People (unless they're crashing snobs and then I hope wouldn't be your friends) love to feel they're part of a wedding. So you could decide on some kind of theme and ask your friends and family to bring blue and pink flowers (for example). Then you could decorate the BL venue with fab flowers

That plan sounds ace. Can I come?

Dress would only cost you the postage, but would be about a size 12. I'll try to find pics so you can decide if you'd be interested.

We had a hog roast - arranged through a local butcher, not someone who advertised themselves for weddings - for less than £500 for 120 people. (DH and I are arguing over exactly how much! He thinks £100. I think he is deluded)

If you're anywhere near Birmingham you can also save money on rings (Jewelry Quarter), fabric for table clothes / bunting (rag market) and flowers (flower market)

My favourite wedding reception ever had a massive table of Breads and Cheeses for the buffet. It was just the ticket for soaking up the alcohol, and with dishes of pickles and chutneys, totally hit the spot!
Enjoy it, the people are what makes your wedding, not the paintwork or food!

It's only a matter of opinion, but I don't think it matters that much what it looks like inside. And if you get some good photographs outside I think it will be fine. Serve nice food. Most guests would rather have that than a fancy interior and not much to eat.

I had these people (link below) for my evening food, and people still talk about how amazing it was to have unlimited chips, burgers etc... I know it wasn't the main meal at mine so not everyone eating it (but some people were gannets) but it was £300 for evening food for 150 people... so very reasonable. They just rocked up and set up outside the venue. And Adrian was lovely.

www.fieldkitchen.co.uk/

I would also recommend crepe paper streamers, if you get loads and loads you can amass lengths to hide anything, cover the ceilings etc.

Also pom poms made if tissue paper - Pinterest is covered in them - if you can find cheap tissue paper in bulk or on sale they are easy to make and look fabulous grouped together.

We had our wedding reception at a Freemasons locally. It wasn't a pretty place either.

I paid for seat covers, table clothes, balloons and flowers for the table. So true, I dressed up a turd

Also, we had wine on the tables and paid corkage, and got out guests drunk :)

Our friends got married in a British Legion and it was a spectacular day with the most delicious wedding breakfast I have ever eaten. If my DH and I had wanted a big wedding I would DEFINITELY have chosen to have the party part there!

Thank you to all of you for the lovely advice and offers. I do love MN

TO answer some questions;

IwishIwasmoreorganised and SirChenjin I live in the South East and getting married in Surrey. Thank you and I will let either of you know if I find the dress near you.

Tillyscoutsmum and
ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged What a beautiful offer from you both. However I just wouldn't feel right accepting it. They are your special dresses from your big days. I really appreciate your kindness though

KeatsiePie and Gadgettherobot Will check them links out now.

UniS Good idea re the teens. Is 19 too old do you think? (DBs mates)

Lavenderhoney Dis your dsis not attend your wedding on account of the venue?

dis=did.

The best wedding celebration I went to was in a pub, they hired a band, food on the bar and the groom sang Tom Jones - best ever, it was so much fun and everyone had a great time. Go for it, tart it up but get the booze flowing and everyone will have a great time.

Congratulations.

I think it's bloody refreshing to have someone who is more bothered about getting married and being surrounded by people you love more than all the trappings that's some people feel they must have.

Hope you have an amazing day

19 sounds perfect - they will have a great time

Re Food, YY to the chippy van. The best wedding I went to arranged for the local chippy van to come to the venues, guests could choose from a menu (pie, fish, sausage etc) and then the hosts paid the bill. It went down a storm.

They hired plates and cutlery (look online, it is a lot cheaper than you would think) and dressed the tables beautifully. It was great.

They also hired a marquee liner for the room so the rather sad and dated village hall looked like a luxury marquee (although I am not sure how much that cost).

Flowers, go to Dunhelm, they sell ready made posies for £5! I bought them for my bridesmaids and they looks fabulous. I bought some more silk flowers from there and made a wrist corsage each for me and my MOH. My head dress I made from an ivory hair clip, and some french netting (the merry widow style stuff) from ebay, cost less than £10.

Dress, where are you? My local hospice charity shop has started a vintage/bridal department with some gorgeous dresses for under £100. Some are a bit dated but some are genuine vintage and look stunning, makes me want to get married again :o

Bogeyface We are south east England.
Loving all the British Legion/ village hall wedding type stories

When I say fish and chip delivery, I meant get the local to drop it off. Maybe put an 'order form' type note in the invitations and do it that way. ie Sausage/ cod/ veggie option.. They have children's meals too.
Is this ok do you think? Or should I get quotes for a van?

A van might be a better deal and it's a bit more fun - but if not, F&C delivery would be fine too :)

Afternoon tea at the church sounds lovely. Costco do great platters of sandwiches/cakes etc at a good price. Someone you know will have a card!

Flowers - find your local flower market and buy them yourself, put them in jars - just as pretty!

I'd put something on the invites along the lines of what someone else said above about not bringing presents, just enough cash to buy F&C & drinks.

Take up the offers here - people wouldn't offer you dresses etc if they weren't happy for you to have them!!

I love weddings like this - lots of fun and none of the boring crap!

I love the fish and chips option, make sure you talk it over with then first though, dint just phone out of the blue for 100 fish and chips.

A bbq would also be amazing.

The paper pin wheels up thread look gorgeous and paper pom poms would be lovely. Also paper lampshades or lanterns would be pretty.

Check that you are allowed candles before you buy any, we weren't allowed at our venue.

Your wedding is going to be fab and your marriage even better because its clear that's whats important to you. Not the wedding but the marriage. So many people lose sight of that.

We had a hog roast and there was plenty for seconds and thirds, they did salads, rice dish things, sides etc. plenty of rolls and they did me the most amazing crackling and stuffing batch. We found ours through a local butchers and the meat was amazing.
We had a thnk you note from a guest with a footnote that it was the first wedding he had been to where he didn't have to stop for food on the way home.

Oxfam Bridal is online!

Have added a couple of pics to my profile.

One has the headpiece I made and the corsages I made on it and the other is my BMs with their dunhelm posies (I think they look real!) and their £30 Debenhams dresses. With shoes and tights their outfits came to less than £50 each and my pageboys 3 piece suit came from the local market for £15 including shirt and tie!