Your wedding day is so special, and no one plans on doing it more than once. So make sure that you make it perfect for you. There is no need to get into debt over your wedding day, nor do you have to conform to conventions and traditions you don’t like. If you don’t want a white dress and three hundred guests – then don’t have that! It’s your day and you should be completely happy and comfortable.

The biggest part of the planning is often the venue – you might be having a religious ceremony beforehand, or you might have everything in one place. Either way, where you eat and dance and toast the night away is going to require more planning and probably a bigger budget – so make sure you get the right place! Here are some things to consider when choosing a venue…

The size

How many guests are you having? Do you need space for a band or a DJ? Is enough space outside for guests to mingle? The size of the venue is the first thing you need to think about – too small and it will be cramped and overheated, too big and the space will feel half empty. Take into account the size of your dress weaving between tables – if you’re going to be going full ball gown you may need a wider walkway.

The rooms available

If you’re doubling up your ceremony and reception venue then see what the different rooms are like for the two halves of the event. You will also need to look at any rooms that are included in the wedding package if you’re looking at an inn, hotel, like The Grand Hotel, or renting something like a manor or stately home.

The honeymoon suite is often a given, but there are sometimes extra rooms included for the bridal party getting ready and for close family members. Out of the package, there might also be a discount your guests can get on rooms.

  Your Guide to How to Choose a Wedding Venue

The check-in/out times

Are you planning on being at the venue the night before, or are you checking in on the day? And what time do you need to clear out the day after? As the bride and groom, you might not have to do any clearing up – you can easily make your family do it – but you do need to know by what time you need to have everything out of there.

The menu

Good food is so important to a good night. Plus, you need to know any dietary requirement changes the caterers are able to make. Your venue might not have resident caterers – and that’s something you need to know straight away seeing as that will be an extra cost you need to budget for if you’re going to choose that particular venue. And on top of all that – you need to actually like your wedding menu.

The post What To Look For On Your First Venue Visit appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

We fell in love instantly with our venue, and it was a no-brainer for us to book it straight away. But we did plenty of research before we laid down the deposit. I’ve put together a post that is a combination of all my research, funnelled into one useful post.

Making the Decision

Choosing a venue for your wedding depends on your own personal tastes; whether you want historic charm, impressive scale, luxury, simplicity, outdoors, indoors, rural or urban. It can be difficult to find a shortlist of venues with the perfect blend of features by yourself, and so many other aspects to plan, no one can blame you for feeling daunted.

If you’re feeling snowed under, there are expert planners like One Events on hand to help. Planners know weddings and will cater for your every wedding whim, presenting you with the best choices in one place. With a planner, you’re in charge of the decision-making.

Your budget

Budgeting for your wedding needs a lot of organisation, so, apologies to the spreadsheet-phobic, but creating a breakdown of costs in a spreadsheet is highly advised so you can see what you’re spending, and make it easier to compare venues. You’ll need to consider the following about the venue, as well as their fees:

• Capacity, Catering & Drinking – make sure you can comfortably accommodate all your guests.
• Dates of Availability – peak times of the year may be busy so, to ensure you get your desired date, planning the venue way in advance is the way to go.
• Location & Parking – Location can be everything – think about how easy or difficult getting to the venue will be for guests. Local transport links are always handy for those coming from further afield.
• Entertainment – think about bands, DJs, performers and entertainment equipment like photo booths.
• Decoration – flowers, fabrics, lighting, seating, favours, and dancefloor accessories can all be used to make your wedding beautiful and entirely your own.

How to Remember the Day

You’ll want to get beautiful photographs that capture all the memories, so you’ll need a good-looking venue that suits your tastes. If you’ve chosen a photographer, play to their strengths and talk with them about your ideas. Do your research; something like Booth Boy open photo booth hire might be more fitting if you’re going for a fun and quirky venue. 

A Final Thought: Having A Clear Vision

You can transform the ambience of the most basic venues into just about anything with the right decoration and entertainment. Having a clear vision for the feel and atmosphere of the place can make the whole process easier.

The post Your Guide To How To Choose a Wedding Venue appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

Since 2012 Dewsall Court’s celebrated Dinner Party series has continually sold out, growing from its local low- key origins to becoming a foodie hot ticket. Dewsall Court’s dinner parties combine elegance and luxury with a relaxed, country house atmosphere. Despite typically being an exclusive use venue, Dewsall becomes an ‘open house’ for its dinner parties; so anyone is welcome to experience Dewsall’s charm and explore the stunning grounds. There is even the option to stay overnight in one of Dewsall’s 10 bedrooms (obviously we took up this option).

We arrived before the sun went down, which was perfect because we could experience the breathtaking grounds before exploring the property. As we approached the house, we followed a road dressed in torch flames that led up to the car park. We peeked into a door and found a warm kitchen, complete with a large Aga, a kitchen island and a dining area in front of a fire. Convinced we had accidentally stepped into a private kitchen, we swiftly went to the front of the property where we were greeted by members of staff.

The reception room was gigantic (just as the kitchen was), with three large sofas around a large open fire, multiple reading nooks and a grand wood carved staircase. The staff of the home took our bags and showed us to our four poster bed ensuite room (our isn’t pictures below – boo!). The room was delicately decorated with luxurious bedding and furnishings. Everything you needed was available without needing to ask.

Unbelievably, the bathroom was actually bigger than my lounge at home. Decorated with Farrow and Ball paint (oh, you can tell!) the bathroom oozed sophistication. The fixtures were in-keeping with the style of the home but with a modern twist – complete with a double shower, a deep bath tub and every amenity that you’d need.

I’ve been lucky enough to stay in some luxury hotels such as the Raddison, the Hilton and even the Luxor in Las Vegas; but nothing compared to the bath in at Dewsall Court. I may only be 5ft 1, but you can see from the picture just how deep this bath really is. It has a seat built in and there is easily enough room for two people!

Obviously, I sent some snaps to my friends and they asked does it actually stay warm by the time it fills? Good question! I can honestly say, it absolutely DOES! I had a two hour bath and it stayed warm the entire time, so warm I even ended up opening the window above the tub. What made it even better? It fills up from the ceiling!

Absolutely love how deep this bath is at Dewsall court. One of the most relaxing places I’ve ever had the pleasure to stay! #travel #luxury #travels #travelpics

A photo posted by Sam Charles (@samcharleseuk) on Oct 21, 2016 at 11:45am PDT

We threw on our best outfits and headed downstairs for a mocktail before dinner party with Celebrity Masterchef judge Romy Gill MBE. Romy grew up in India; but her style of Indian cooking differs from that in most Indian restaurants in the UK; she specialises in using rapeseed oil to avoid the use of unnatural food colouring. When Romy moved to the UK she began hosting dinner parties for friends and running cookery classes: this led to her own opening Romy’s Kitchen in 2013. Romy was the first ever female Indian chef-proprietor in the UK and has been a judge on Celebrity Masterchef this year – oh la la! We were in for a real treat.. 

The party was held in an orangery-style conservatory, which was outstandingly beautiful. We got comfortable on a table before our first course came out; Samosas cooked with baby spinach, paneer, potatoes, chilli & spices, served with spicy chick pea salad and tamarind chutney. I’m not usually one for spicy food but this was too tasty to turn down. The combination of flavours worked really well together and the starter went down a treat.

We were then served spicy mackerel marinated in tandoor mix, ginger, garlic and kashmiri chilli and cooked under the grill, served with raw papaya salad. I’m a huge fan of mackerel, and I even catch my own in the summer – so I’m pretty fussy when it comes to serving fish. Romy certainly didn’t disappoint, the marinate was gorgeous and the raw papaya salad complimented it beautifully.

For main we were presented with aanardana gosht, lamb cooked in onions, ginger, garlic,chilli, spices and pomegranate, served with jeera rice and dal. The meat was incredibly succulent and there full of flavour. Sometimes when you go for a four course meal the portion are quite small, but I can assure you, this isn’t the case at Dewsall Court – there was plenty to go around, so nobody was left hungry.

If that wasn’t enough, the dinner was rounded off with rose petal ice- cream served with cardamom brownie. This was a hit with everybody on the table we were seated at. Hands down, the best ice- cream I’ve ever tasted! We spoke about how we’d try and make our own at home, but I don’t have any high hopes..

We retired to the lounge where we drank tea and let our food go down whilst snuggled up on the big squishy sofas by the fire.  The atmosphere so relaxed, we felt completely comfortable just like we were at home.

In the morning we made our way back to the conservatory, which had a completely different feel to it in comparison to the night before. The misty fields and perfectly kept gardens really sets the tone of the property, and the dining area with spanning glass overlooking the gardens really brings the outdoors in. The household is against plastics, the home & garden plastic alternatives they use really show their ingenuity and willingness to adapt.

Looking across the gardens, we enjoyed a full-english breakfast cooked by the staff at Dewsall Court. We were spoilt with a huge range of berries, cereals and croissant, too. Once we’d refuelled we explored the rest of the house before heading outside to take some snaps of the gorgeous gardens.

Overall, we had a luxurious stay.The staff were absolutely incredible and we felt very well cared for during our stay; the family were all very friendly and seemed like lovely people who cared about us and the house. We loved the furniture, and you can tell a lot of thought has gone into furnishing the home.

It’s hard to narrow it down the best part of our stay; but the initial approach to the house leaves a great impression, the food was incredible, and the enormous bath in the four poster room was certainly a talking point!

We completely fell in love with Dewsall Court, so much so that we inquired about prices for an exclusive stay there. Perhaps in the future it’s somewhere we will be able to visit again for a special occasion, such as New Years, Christmas or hey.. maybe a wedding.

If you’re looking for an intimate experience with family and friends in comfort and luxury, this is the place to go. We left our heart in Dewsall Court; go experience it for yourself.. I dare you!

Tickets cost £57 per head and £155 for dinner, bed and breakfast.

The post Why You’ll Fall In Love With Dewsall Court, Just Like I Did!: The Perfect Wedding Venue appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.