Tuesday 27 January 2009

A Few Favourites

We’ve been lucky enough to have worked at some great venues over the years.

Not just on weddings and not just doing photos. We’ve been involved with videos, pre-wedding shoots, corporate events, team building exercises and much more.

Here are a few of our favourite venues:-



Hatfield House http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/
Ross and I did a pre-wedding shoot here late last year. We all had a fun day, especially the bride-to-be when we got her on the swings. Ross was even brave enough to climb up on top of a climbing frame and get a beautiful shot of the couple.













The Fennes http://www.fennes.co.uk/
On 1st September 2008, we had the privilege of photographing their first ever outside ceremony for a lovely couple called Julie & David (see post below). We also did their Pre-Wedding Shoot here.








This registry office is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Ross and I had the pleasure of photographing at this venue last year.


(see gallery)


Woodhall Manor http://www.woodhallmanor.co.uk/
The ceremony room at this venue is very dark and it can get very hot as the tiny windows don’t open (I think it used to be a squash court). However, if the weather is nice, this venue does have somewhere outside for your ceremony, has some lovely grounds and the actual house is lovely inside with some great locations for couple shots.




Tips for choosing your Venue

Choosing the right venue for your special day is about a lot more than just how pretty the gardens are. There’s a lot to think about as you look around and ooh and ahh. Here are a few things tips to help you:-

Size Matters!
When choosing your venue think about the size of your wedding.

Are you having a small wedding? Ross and I only had about 30 guests, so a venue like Gosfield Hall or Downhall may not necessarily have been suitable.

Somewhere like Maidens Barn might have been more suitable, as it is more for small weddings. It has a nice lawn out front surrounded by flowers and fields, just enough for small groups shots. This is just one of many smaller venues. If you go on the internet I am sure you will find many more.


However, if you are having a larger wedding then maybe somewhere like Gosfield Hall or Quendon Hall would be ideal. They have large beautiful grounds and are also very stunning inside. Ross took some stunning pictures of one of our brides in the bridal suite at Gosfield Hall. As you can see it is very spacious and beautifully decorated.


The Fennes is also a lovely venue for larger weddings. It has plenty of grounds and you can have your ceremony outside!
On 1st September 2008, we had the privilege of photographing their first ever outside ceremony for a lovely couple called Julie & David.



When to view
Most venues look great in the height of summer on a beautiful sunny day. But if you’re intending to get married in November, go and see the venue IN NOVEMBER. It will feel completely different, colder and the light will be totally different.
Most couples should be looking to book their venue at least a year in advance anyway, so visiting at a similar time of year shouldn’t be a problem.


Rain – well it is England!
We all hope that our special day is going to be bright and sunny. But, just for a moment and boring as we know it is, stop and think realistically for a second.

We live in one of the wettest countries on the planet and the last few years … well they have been just awful, haven’t they?

Whatever venue you choose, you should consider contingency plans for the typical English summer. Look around and ask what they do if it rains.
Do they have somewhere big enough for you and your guests to go if it’s raining? A lot of venues need you outside while they convert the dining room for the evening disco. Where do they put you if it’s pouring?

Importantly from our point of view, is there somewhere to do your photos indoors? Somewhere spacious and pretty is the most ideal, but that’s not always possible. However, as long as there is somewhere to go, your photographer should do their best to work in the surroundings they’re given.
Just remember, if your photographer has to work inside, they may not have the same freedom as if you were outside. Restrictions on space and where you may be allowed to go inside the building will be a factor, but also lighting.
Many photographers, including us, prefer to work with natural light as it produces a more pleasing look than flash (some disagree). But if the inside of your venue is already dark and dingy, then a dark, overcast sky outside is going to do nothing to improve matters!
However, all Professional Photographers will carry some kind of lighting system with them just in case they have to shoot indoors (if they don’t – stay away from them), but remember that the final images may not look as nice as ones taken with natural light.


Do your research
Before you commit to a venue, make sure to check out the following:-

Does the venue have a good track record for what they offer?
Go to online wedding forums. Others may have used your choice of venue and may have comments. Talk to friends and family. They may know someone that used your venue, or used it themselves.

Have they done many weddings?
Just ask. They shouldn’t have a problem telling you.

Will there be another event going on at the same time as your wedding?
Sounds silly, but check. Some venues will hold more than one event. This can cause restrictions on where you can go, timings of things and in some cases, availability of staff.
There are also other problems that may happen. We did a venue a few years back where one wedding had a free bar and the other didn’t. People from the other wedding took advantage of this. Now I wouldn’t have liked to pay that bar bill, would you!?
We’ve also seen wedding videos with couples, when suddenly they say “who’s that”? Turns out guests from the other functions had been filmed. Obviously their videographer wasn’t to know, but it can be a bit of a problem.

Does the venue offer discounted rooms for guests at your wedding?
Some venues will have some kind of discount available for any of your guests that want to stay over. But make sure you ask because if you don’t ask they may not offer it …. unless it’s stated in your wedding package details.

Does the price they have quoted you include everything you want?
Most importantly make sure the price includes VAT. I don’t know any venue in UK that isn’t VAT registered, so when they give you a price ask if it includes VAT or is PLUS VAT.

Catering
Can you bring your own caterers in? Many venues offer great packages, but dictate that you use a specific caterer. This can really push prices up (usually because the prices are higher than normal to include the hotel kick back).

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Braintree, Essex, United Kingdom