Back to School – Wedding Venue Search Tips & Planning Advice

Written by Emma Hla
I read an article the other day about how, even as adults, we still get that September induced ‘back-to-school’ vibe. New pencil cases aside, I know that for me September always holds a few exciting things… our belated summer holiday, my birthday and the beginnings of autumn (yum).

For you it might be the start of something even more exciting – the prospect of planning a wedding!

Over August we always see a little increase of visitors to these pages as a result of a few cheeky summer engagements! Whether it happened in your hazy sun-filled back garden with a bottle of Prosecco, or somewhere romantic with a to-die-for backdrop, you all have one thing in common… the venue hunt.

If you’re new to these pages I’d love to just tell you a little about this platform you’ve discovered and how we might be able to help.

First things first

The Venue is without doubt one of the first things you consider. It’s also probably one of the hardest elements to nail down. However the venue search can only begin once you’ve confirmed and agreed your budget.

So far, planning isn’t sounding very fun is it. Where are all the flowers and frills and endless cake tasting sessions? This all comes later my friends, so for now let’s tackle the budget and the venue.

You’ll find these articles and pages helpful:

This is just a little taster of the features you’ll find in the archives. So my best advice is grab a coffee and explore these pages, think of it as Wedding Planning homework!

#unlockyourweddingvenue

This platform is ultimately a venue directory.

Our venue finder has been designed with both of you in mind – slick and easy to use you’ll be able to discover over 550+ venues across the UK, each one handpicked for these pages.

You can search for your wedding venue using eight simple style categories – Bohemian Beats, Rustic Romance, Modern Vintage, Classic Elegance, City Chic, Coastal Cool, Delicious Destination and The Luxe Edit. Peruse these style categories to find inspiration, or simply use the region, venue type and capacity filters to get to the nitty gritty. Either way, you will find venues that will suit you, the stylish, discerning couple.

We have a shortlist function where you can save your favourite locations for future reference. From here you can contact the venues with a group message, email your list to your partner or family for their vital opinions or print details to take on your road trips!

Click into our Last Viewed function to see the last few venues you’ve had a nosey at, just in case you forgot to shortlist you can still find the one you spotted quickly and easily!

Our wedding venues are all handpicked by yours truly, so we know we are recommending only the best. Each venue must have something unique, beautiful and that little something extra to offer, whether that’s gorgeous grounds, a fabulous in-house team or stories steeped in history.

The Annual

We’ve taken everything we do on this platform and wrapped it up into a perfect magazine-book-hybrid. The Annual is jam-packed with beautiful inspiration and helpful topics, guiding you through every step of the planning process.

From tackling the budget, working out timelines, dealing with family issues and those all-important questions to ask, this really is a one-stop-shop for all your planning needs. There’s also a hefty does of pretty with styled editorials and real weddings.

You can download the magazine for FREE with this discount code to use on Issuu.

Inspiration

We have a blog (you’ve of course found it because you’re reading this!) and over on this part of the website we’ll post features up to 3 times a week. Focusing on venues, planning tips, supplier love and some real wedding inspiration, we want to give you a little boost of pretty and practical along the way.

We’ve also teamed up with two incredible partners to give you expert advice from the field, let me introduce our team.

Founder & Curator

Before we wish you all the luck in the world with the venue hunt, here’s a little about me.

My name is Emma Hla and I founded Coco Wedding Venues back in 2013. To put it bluntly, my own venue search sucked. When it came to the reality of searching for a venue it hit me that the world of weddings wasn’t necessarily geared towards what I had in mind. I had to wade through a lot of venues that didn’t feel like ‘us’ and it really took the joy out of this first step. So, I wanted to create something that could inspire couples from the word go.

I really do hope we get to do this for you…

Credits

Photography Hannah Duffy Photography

Hair & Makeup The Hair & Makeup Atelier

Velvet Notebook Elmo Paperstories

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