All-Inclusive vs. Dry Hire: What to Expect From Your Wedding Venue

Yes, it’s about logistics, but it’s also about defining the kind of planning experience you want and how much control (or help) you’d like in the lead-up to your big day. Both approaches have their pros and cons, and today, I’m going to demystify them for you. Let’s break it down, category by category, so you can decide which option works best for your wedding vision, your planning schedule… and your sanity!

Folks, let’s just say it how it is: all-inclusive venues are the ultimate in ease. By choosing this option, you’re basically signing up for a carefully curated experience managed by a well-oiled wedding machine, where much of the planning and logistics are handled for you.

Typically, an all-inclusive venue offers:

All-inclusive arrangements are particularly popular with high-end, high-ticket venues such as castles, stately homes, and luxury hotels. These settings often come with a level of grandeur and sophistication that can be hard to replicate in a DIY setup. With the venue team managing logistics, coordinating suppliers, and ensuring everything runs like clockwork on the day, they can provide a truly seamless experience.

While undeniably convenient, the all-inclusive option does have its limitations. Many venues work exclusively with preferred suppliers—caterers (often their own in-house team), florists, and/or photographers—which can leave your options feeling a little more curated than custom.

Additionally, the cost can be significantly higher than that of a dry-hire venue. However, for couples who value a polished, professional service, have limited time (or patience!) for endless decision-making, and want their wedding day handled by experienced experts, it’s worth every penny.

Now, let’s flip the coin and talk about dry-hire venues, which are essentially a blank canvas. As you might imagine, this is where things can get really creative—occasionally messy, maybe stressful—but oh-so you. Venues such as barns, warehouses, woodland clearings, and industrial spaces typically offer the freedom to bring in your own suppliers, design the space as you envision it, and transform it into the wedding of your Pinterest dreams!

Dry hire really is as straightforward as it sounds: you’re hiring the venue space itself without the extras. Therefore, the venue provides the backdrop, and you create the rest.

This might mean:

Flexibility is the name of the game here. Want to bring in your favourite street food truck? Done. Dreaming of fairy lights strung across every beam? Go for it. Fancy dancing barefoot in a meadow until sunrise? Nothing’s stopping you. Dry hire venues are the ultimate playground for couples who want to go BIG on creativity and inject every inch of their personality into their day, all while having full control over their wedding budget.

That said, this amount of freedom does come with plenty of responsibility. You’ll need to manage suppliers, coordinate setup and breakdown, and—brace yourself—factor in additional costs that might not be immediately obvious. That dreamy barn might look like a bargain until you realise you need to rent toilets, a generator, and enough crockery and cutlery for 100 guests.

However, if you have a clear vision for your day and want complete creative control, dry hire is the ideal choice. AND if you love the idea of a more laid-back, DIY vibe, well, it’s a no-brainer!

The choice between all-inclusive and dry hire comes down to your priorities, personality, and, let’s be honest, how much mental bandwidth you’re willing to dedicate to wedding planning. If you want a seamless, stress-free experience and love the idea of walking into a beautifully curated event, all-inclusive is likely your jam. 

On the other hand, if you’re the kind of couple who loves being hands-on, thrives on details, and has a crystal clear vision of your dream day, dry hire could be the perfect fit. And let’s not forget about hybrid options—some venues offer packages that provide key elements like catering or a wedding coordinator, but you still have the freedom to bring your personal style to other aspects of the day.

Whichever option you choose, the key is finding a venue that perfectly aligns with your vision, suits your budget, and matches the kind of planning experience you want. If you’re still sitting on the fence, why not visit a mix of both types of venues? Sometimes, standing in the space is all it takes to know if it’s the one.