In today’s blog, I wanted to deep dive into what to look for when choosing a wedding venue – and share some of my favourites that I’ve been to! I’ve been lucky enough to visit lots of venues in and around Berkshire throughout my career so far and wanted to share my tips on what to keep your eyes peeled for (from the eyes of a makeup artist of course).
Space
This first one may seem obvious, but it is so important to consider if there will be a good amount of space for your bridal party. Remember on your wedding day you will have all of your bridal party, plus any photographers, videographers and hair & makeup artists in the space with you – it can get cramped very quickly! Try to visualise where you would want your hair and makeup artists to set up to help you consider the size of the space. Hair stylists will want to be near a plug socket and makeup artists always love to set up in natural light by the window!
One venue that has an incredible getting ready space is the Elvetham Hotel in Hook. I worked here last August and was blown away by the huge bridal suite! My bride Jess got married here and even with her six person bridal party, photographer, two hairstylists and me, there was still a huge amount of room. They also have a beautiful corner with several large windows, so I am slightly biased as it is the dream set up for me!
Time of Arrival
One thing to always double check with your venue is what time you can enter the venue on the day (if you’re not staying the night before). Brides are often surprised how early hair and makeup can start – my earliest start times have been 6am! It’s always good to check if they have restrictions on entry times so your hair and makeup team can formulate the correct schedule. For venues that have later entry times, I often go to my brides homes beforehand to begin makeups, before then travelling over to the venue later in the morning.
Natural Light
Whenever I visit a new venue, the first thing I always look for is natural light. Lots of bright, natural lighting is the dream for makeup artists as it ensures we can clearly see exactly what we are doing – and so we don’t paint you the wrong colour! When visiting venues, keep an eye out for how bright the rooms are. Your MUA and photographer will thank you!
Accessing the Venue
Some venues may have locked gates you need to go through in order to get to the bridal prep rooms. One example of this is the beautiful wedding venue Wasing Park, which have a cottage on site for brides to get ready in. To get to it however, you need a code to enter the property. Make sure to send these entry codes over to your hair and makeup artists to ensure they aren’t delayed! Wasing Park is another one of my favourite venues and one I can highly recommend – their teams organisation is amazing!
A Few of My Favourite Venues…
As mentioned, I absolutely love visiting Wasing Park and the Elvetham Hotel, but I thought I’d also mention a few more that I always enjoy revisiting.
Lillibrooke Manor
Lillibrooke Manor is a very popular venue over in Maidenhead which I have worked at many times since I became a bridal makeup artist. Not only is it a beautiful venue to get married at, it also has a newly refurbished getting ready room which is every hair and makeup artists ideal space! I have worked in big teams at Lillibrooke and have never felt cramped. I love it!
Stokes Farm Barn
Another venue that I love visiting is Stokes Farm Barn in Wokingham. Similar to Lillibrooke, Stokes Farm also have a newly renovated bridal prep room which is spacious, light and beautifully decorated – and it faces their field of sheep so you can watch the animals whilst getting glam! A little heads up to all my future brides getting married here, I will stand and watch the sheep at any possible opportunity!
Choosing a wedding venue is a very tough decision, especially with so many stunning locations in and around Berkshire. I hope this blog post has helped you narrow down your search and that you enjoyed reading more about my favourites!
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