AIBU to ask for your help in finding a wedding venue?!

[ConkerGame]

DP and I are struggling to find a venue for our wedding next Sept/Oct. So many places are booked up already! Can the MN hive mind help us in our quest?!

We live in London so don’t want anything crazy far away to avoid people having to travel too far but also wouldn’t want central London. Ideally it would be in Surrey/Berkshire/Middlesex/Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire/Wiltshire/Somerset as these should be the easiest counties for our guests to travel to (none live east).

We are inviting 150 guests, are looking to have a sit down meal followed by dancing and want somewhere that at least immediate family and the bridal party could stay on site/very nearby.

We would also prefer a church wedding but don’t want to cart everyone for miles so ideally a pretty church would be nearby.

Our budget is £25k all in so I think venue hire, food and daytime drinks budget is around £17k. We are also only interested in a Saturday wedding (this seems to be the thing that is causing us difficulty atm but too many people would be annoyed if we put it on a week day!)

In terms of vibe, we are hoping for somewhere pretty but not too “grand”, although tbh my searching so far suggests that our budget removes us from most grand venues anyway. We would be happy with a marquee as long as the venue sorted food, drinks etc and we could stay onsite - we wouldn’t be up for just hiring a field and then having to find all suppliers separately.

Can anyone help?! Thanks very much in advance!

@SomewhereInbetween1 yes we are worried about that but hopeful that the clever women of MN can find us a well kept secret!

www.oldluxtersbarn.co.uk/Weddings My daughter got married here. The onsite farmhouse provides accommodation for 8 and there's a separate pool house for bride snd groom. The Vicar of Dibley village (can't think of the name just now) is close by so could possibly provide the church. They do pack 'em in though so we weren't made to feel our wedding was special - just one of many

@Weedsnseeds1 I didn’t realise those were all separate places! thanks very much - will look them all up!

@daisypond we had already found Notley abbey and love it there but unfortunately it’s about £5k over our budget! Thanks so much though!

@MidCenturyVintageWoman thanks for your honesty, that’s interesting and I bet lots of people feel like that.

ConkerGame generally about 10% of your overall budget.

@Infamy thank you, looks lush!

Always risky to ask on MN about weddings esp on AIBU, no one here got married for more than £100 with only 2 witnesses

How do you feel about hotels?

Great fosters is a lovely hotel and their wedding venue bit is lovely and the grounds are really pretty and lots of room for guests to stay

This looks gorgeous but sadly no prices on the website, which makes me think it may not be within budget!

www.wasing-weddings.co.uk/

You need to have a link to the parish to get married - you can’t just choose a pretty church. If you don’t live the parish you can attend church but most vicars would expect you to attend for a year or so....

Ramster Hall
Loseley Park
Gate Street Barn
Bury Court Barn
Charterhouse School

Nice churches that serve those:
St Peter & St Paul in Clandon
St Nicholas in Compton

I think if your parents live or you have previously lived in the parish that is also ok....

We got married at Caswell House in oxfordshire. Rooms on site (about 10) and lots of hotels in nearby Whitney. The team there were fab at organising everything and made sure it all ran smoothly on the day.

London venues that don’t feel too LONDON:
Kenwood House in Hampstead
The Dickens Inn, St Katherine’s Dock
Eltham Palace in Greenwich

www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/legal-requirements/

You need a connection to the church you get married in - details here

Hurley House Hotel
Dansfield House

Both Bucks near Marlow

Painshill Park in Cobham, Surrey. Weddings are held in a permanent marquee in a walled garden within a beautiful park. I’ve heard it now has a wedding license too. It’s stunning but not too ’grand’.

@Pinkiii thank you, Great Fosters looks lovely!

Try Micklefield Hall in Hertfordshire. Near Rickmansworth.

It's absolutely stunning. The setting and views are extraordinary.

Thanks @CopperTrolley I’ve just downloaded the e-brochure and unfortunately it is out of budget

We got married in a castle and hired a medieval banqueting hall and mobile caterers who provided Insalata Caprisi or veg soup for starters roast beef/chicken and veggie option for main, with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and loads of veg. choice of three deserts and cheese and crackers with coffee and cake. Reception location held 125 but by booking each part separately it cost about half the price of package deals. It was 14 years ago but the whole wedding with my dress, veil, tiara, shoes, underwear, hairdresser and makeup for me and bridesmaids, tails suit hire for groom, best man, two ushers and a page boy, three bridesmaid's dresses and shoes, flowers for castle, bouquet for me and buttonholes, corsages and flowers for reception, 24 bottles of champagne for toast and 2 bottle of good wine for each table of 8 + extras, goody bags for guests, photographer, horse drawn carriage, 2 coaches to take guests from castle to banqueting hall, gifts for bridesmaids, best man and page boy and evening reception food for guests and glass of wine/fruit juice, wedding night in castle hotel and breakfast for bride and groom only cost £14k in total. How on earth can prices have gone up so much? 25k seems an enormous amount to spend on a wedding. Would it be cheaper if you did what we did and organise church, reception location and caterers separately? We are in Midlands so maybe it is that prices in the South are just so much higher. My family and some friends had to travel from Devon.

Thanks @FenellaMaxwell - lots to look up there!

Thanks @caringcarer yes it might well be cheaper booking things separately. We’ll have to look into that if we don’t find anything in a package (we’re trying to take the easy route first!)

Thanks @MrsJamieFraser2 - looks lovely!

Thanks @Blueroses99 looks great! they don’t offer too much info on their website but I will get in touch with them for more details!