Booked the venue

Well we've booked the venue! 5th March 2011 at the first hotel we saw at the weekend. We have gone for a package deal of 50 guests to the service with four course wedding breakfast, and 80 guests for the evening reception with buffet for £2700.
We have compared this price to many other venues in the area and it's good value for money. We tried cutting guests down and doing a price per head, but this gut our one course from the breakfast and wine with the meal and only saved us a few hundred pounds. We would have had to be very selective in who we invited so we are both pleased to have done the package. We just have to work very hard to afford it now.

Booking the wedding.

We went to visit two venues yesterday. The first was our first ever visit to a venue so we didn't know what to expect. I understand the events managers are there to sell their products, but I felt a little railroaded at certain times to agree to packages (which we didn't). Happily I stood my ground and only chose what I wanted for pricing purposes.
The hotel was lovely inside and the rooms well presented. We had some good choice of rooms and the lady was nice about trying to make the cost work for us when she realised we weren't to be moved.
My only concern was parking, as it is limited at the hotel, but there seemed to be plenty of unrestricted on road parking so that was fine. They also have spa facilities available which is something I was looking for. They only had a couple of dates available for next March though.

Our second visit couldn't have been more different. The place was tired, run down, though their website made it look stunning. There were dogs running around which gave a musty dog smell, and this put me off instantly. The rooms were all up flights of stairs and that wouldn't have suited my eldery father. The chairs were also mis matched and I couldn't understand how anyone could sell this as a wedding venue.
The events manager on the other hand was lovely and couldn't have been more helpful.

There really was no decision to be made between the two. I have had another look around in the area, but nothing really suits our budget like the first hotel, so we have agreed and emailed the first hotel to see if the date is still available.

I'm so nervous, excited and loads of other emotions all rolling around right now. The overall cost is coming in higher than I would have wanted, but I also want my day to remember, so will have to get budgetting and ebaying everything in sight so be able to afford it.

Viewing the venues

I have just arranged to view two venues this weekend. I think we will book at one or the other, and I do think I know which one I want, but want to have a look at both first just to be sure.

I am going to do my best to haggle and get what I want without feeling pressured into having extras for extra cost that we don't want. I am not so good at this so will be relying on OH to take this part.

I am quite excited now and feel as though things are starting to happen.

If anyone thinks of any questions I should be asking please leave me a comment.

Insurance

I hadn't really thought about wedding insurance until yesterday. I wasn't sure I was going to bother, but when we read that one of the hotels that were on our list to visit had had a fire, we started to re think. What if that happened the week before our wedding? Where would that leave us?

Something to ponder on.

How to pay for the wedding

Over the last year it's been easy for both me and OH to put off our wedding because of other fnancial constraints. Yet again this month, money has been an issue just as we were thinking of booking a venue.

I very nearly put the wedding back again, until I realised what was important to me. One of the biggest parts of my wedding is to have my Dad there to walk me down the aisle (and to see him in a suit). He is 81 this year so I know realistically if I put this wedding back too much then he may not be able to walk me down the aisle or enjoy the day properly himself.

I thought of putting the deposit on a credit card and then saving up for the rest, but then I had a great idea of getting a 0% card. This is perfect for us as we found a 12 month 0% on purchases, so realistically the deposit can be placed on the card and then paid off, with everything else coming from savings and every day budget.

Roll on next weekend when we are starting to look at some venues.

My plans

I have been thinking a lot about what I want my wedding to be, and I have come up with some ideas that hopefully I can look back on as I'm planning to see if my ideas change.

• My colours are going to be teal green, silver and cream
• My dress will be cream with a teal green sash or something similar, maybe swarzoski crystals sewn into the base of the dress.
• The bridesmaids will also have cream dresses with a splash of teal green in there somewhere.
• I want a tiara instead of a veil.
• I think we may have something different instead of an evening buffet, maybe sweets and chocolate fountain.
• The cake is going to be cupcakes with a small cake at the top for us to cut. Everyone will then get a small cupcake.
• I want to be at the hotel from the night before my wedding, chilling out and making use of swimming and spa. This will save on transport and give me some pampering.

Setting the Date

You're engaged! You may already have a date in mind for your wedding, but if you're like me and you're not sure then before you can book the venue you're going to need an idea of when to get married.

Christmas? This would set a lovely scene, with plenty of design scope with glittery snowflakes etc, but venues may be booked well in advance for functions, and the price may be at a premium if the venue is in demand from other people wanting to have their corporate Christmas parties.

Summer? The scope for great weather is higher here, however you're not guaranteed blazing hot sunshine especially in England. Summer is a popular time for weddings so you may be competing against other prospective couples. Organisation may be the key.

Spring? Some venues may have a discount for spring months as they are not traditionally popular for weddings, so flexibility may be better here. You can have some great weather in March and April.

Autumn? Think of the beautiful colours falling from the trees. This would make beautiful pictures for your day. The weather may be colder in the Autumn but again you can't guarantee the weather at all.

I think I am going for a March wedding, purely because we have birthdays in May, June and July, and these months are hectic and expensive.
March is a very non descript month for us, and could be nice to look forward to it after the dip of January and cold weather.
Either March or December, but I am worried about the implications of Christmas and how it may interfere with my wedding plans.