Can't decide between two venues

[confusedmummy123]

Churnet valley heritage railway. Local to us or Gretna green but its not local.
We love both locations so ita hard to choose. I love that Gretna we could make a little break of it as 2 nights stay is included and the hotel and where we get married is all there. We would have a photographer too.
Although on the other hand we are both geeks and love trains so heritage railway would be a good choice. Although it's harder logistically. Finding a hotel near by, wedding cars, getting people there , organising a photographer.
When we first spoke hypothetical about getting married after a few months of dating we both agreed how lovely Gretna would be. If we went for Gretna we would have a "do" where we live 2 weeks after. We both love the idea of an intimate ceremony. Help. Has anyone got married in the above settings? Pros and cons?
We have a week to decide as both venues are provisionally holding a place until then.
Talked about it all weekend and we no closer to making a decision.

How does your budget fit into it? Sounds like the railway option would be more expensive in total with everything added in as you listed. If you're on a budget, that will tot up very quickly. Both options sound lovely and meaningful to the pair of you.

I would write down a pros and cons list for each and do a rough price estimation for both, all things added in. Otherwise, flip a coin? See whether you feel a flash of disappointment at whichever outcome you get.

No advice with which venue to choose but if you go with the railway please pay with a credit card. I had issues with Churnet Valley last year with getting a refund when they had to cancel everything for Christmas due to the regional lockdowns. In the end I did a claim through Paypal. Those waiting did get refunds in the end but the railway did make it very clear that they had issues with cash flow and that they had to wait for a government grant to come through before they could issue refunds. Which is fine but their communication was atrocious.

You mention getting people there. Does that mean that you are having some guests? How do the logistics and expenses factor in for them with each location?

Can you have a small ceremony at Gretna and then your ‘do’ two weeks later at churnet valley? Not sure if that’s practical at all!

Definitely the railway. Especially if you love trains.