Church halls - the MN chicken of wedding venues?

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

Obviously lockdown has limited the number of weddings, and therefore the number of wedding threads, this year, but one topic that comes up again and again is the topic of evening-only invites. I’m not trying to start another debate on whether they’re a good or bad thing - let’s face it, it’s been well covered as a discussion point. But one answer that comes up time and again from the anti-evening faction is ‘Cut your cloth accordingly - if you can’t afford a fancy venue, what’s wrong with the church hall?’

Apart from the fact that more and more people aren’t getting married in church, where are these vast, aircraft hangar type church halls that can fit every man and his dog for a sit-down meal? I went past one earlier (which got me thinking on this topic) and it was no more than a hut. Similarly, where I grew up there was a local hall people used to hire for teenage parties. You could probably get 100 teens in with a few folding chairs to sit between rounds of the Saturday Night dance and the Macarena, but for a meal with proper tables? Maximum 50 - 60 I reckon.

So what I’m wondering is, why do so many MNers suggest a church hall as the perfect way to get space on a budget? The cheap bit is obvious - but where does the space come in? Brides saying their dream venue only holds 50 for the day reception are told they’re being precious and should hire the church hall to double their numbers. Which church hall?

I can only conclude that church halls are the venue equivalent of the magical MN chicken. Just as an MN chicken will feed a family of six for a week, rather than the two meals at most a normal one would, I think the MN church hall is made of a special elastic and expands to the size of Wembley Stadium if need be. What other explanation can there be?

One of the best weddings I ever attended was a barn dance in a village hall . I can’t even remember what the hall looked like but we had a fabulous evening. One big advantage is being able to buy your own booze if they are not licensed . It saves so much money and you can be more generous.

@ChocOrange1 it was exactly the wedding we wanted, I’m not flashy or like being centre of attention plus we couldn’t afford the fancy wedding. We got married in church and had the reception in the hall everything shopped around for, all our guests there day and night, ceilidh disco, hot and cold buffet and a bar and people still talk about now 4 years later. Added bonus was that everything except the catering was paid off before hand as well!

@User629202

YANBU. I also suspect those recommending church halls are imagining picturesque, wooden floored and high beamed barns appended to cute stone churches, requiring nothing more than a few strings of fairy lights and a chalk board with calligraphy on it to transform into the DIY wedding of dreams. Most church halls I’m familiar with have in fact been squeaky lino-floored creations with weird wires kicking about, migraine inducing strip lighting, tiny windows and the all pervading aroma of thirty years’ worth of over-steeped tea.

Sorry I had to comment because I loved your description.... Why is this so accurate 😂 perfect.

The way I read it, church hall is short hand for "cheap and cheerful wedding" which is what some people want, and what some people can afford but don't want

I couldn't disagree more!

I mean, it does lend itself to that, if that's what you want.

And some are very run down or basic so don't lend themselves to posh events.

But others do.

It's a like saying because a Premier Inn isn't suitable for a wedding, no hotel would be unless you like cheap and cheerful. Which is obviously ridiculous because not all hotels are the same,

Just like hired halls and barns.

Our village hall had space for 150. We have a scout hut, working men’s club and cricket club available to hire for smaller events.

We had our wedding in the town hall. It was cheap and you could walk it from the church in less than 5 minutes. It isn’t breathtakingly beautiful but it is a very old building with its original features, wood floors and large windows.

Just checked and it’s now £30 an hour for the biggest room which will seat 140 at tables. We had our own caterers and didn’t have to pay corkage so ran an at-cost bar from a booze-cruise with free soft drinks. The result was £1 for a gin and tonic (10 years ago).