Why visit a wedding venue open day?
A venue open day can be the perfect starting point to find out more about your wedding day in a calm and relaxed setting. They offer a brilliant chance to get ahead with planning and can make for a lovely day out with your partner, family and friends. In anticipation of our next wedding open day taking place on Sunday 14th May at The Walled Garden, read on to find out the top three reasons why you should consider visiting a wedding venue’s open day…
1. So that you can visualise your venue
Perhaps the most important reason why you should consider attending is to allow you to see the venue and garden full of life, busy with people and decorated as if a wedding is about to take place. This isn’t usually the case on a standard venue show-round. Often, the venue is partially dressed by suppliers with furnishings, flowers, music, and candles that allow you to imagine what your wedding day might look like. Compared to photos, films or your Instagram feed, you can truly see the scale of a venue or how the light might hit a room in a certain way when visiting on an open day.
Usually, the venue sales team will also be present, just as with a show round. Hannah, our Wedding Sales Manager, will be at the venue to go through all the finer details about your potential wedding venue in a relaxed and stress-free setting. You can even prepare some questions to ask her on the day.
There is also the bonus that on a venue open day you are not limited by time, so you can spend as long as you like wandering around the venue and garden, sampling canapés, sipping cocktails or sparkling wine and partaking in a lawn game or two for as long as you wish!
2. So you can meet a venue’s preferred suppliers
It’s no secret that wedding venues tend to know the best in the business, so attending a venue open day is a brilliant opportunity to meet a small selection of trusted and reputable suppliers all under one roof. From florists to caterers, videographers to tent suppliers and make-up artists, often these suppliers will also know the venue inside and out and can offer a different perspective on what you can do to make the most of the space available, as well as tell you all about why they love the venue so much!
Many wedding venues have a list of preferred and mandatory suppliers. Here at The Walled Garden, we are proud to work with a selection of carefully chosen catering partners in addition to our in-house catering team, The Yellow Kitchen. The Yellow Kitchen take their inspiration from the wider Estate and its produce to create their menus. Suppliers will usually bring samples with them to for you try so you can even taste what your wedding day might be like, with cocktails, savoury canapés, freshly made ice cream, or a slice or two of wedding cake. Chatting with our suppliers at The Walled Garden can be a lovely way to spend a Sunday!
It’s also a great opportunity to discover local accommodation options available should your guests be travelling to the area for the main event. There are plenty of options to choose from on the Estate including Treehouses, B&B accommodation, Holiday Cottages and the Cowdray Collection Cottages, all located within a ten-minute’s drive of The Walled Garden.
3. Gain inspiration for your wedding day
Finally, a wedding venue’s open day can help you to gather inspiration for your day, from the latest trends in décor as well as fun and quirky options for your reception drinks, and choose suppliers who suit you and your values most as a couple. It’s also a great chance to scope out a spot in the garden for the all-important confetti moment (we love the path by the main entrance in the garden!) or to think about how if your dream dress complements and works with the venue. Be sure to take plenty of photos and videos of the venue to refer to later, or to send on to loved ones.
Remember that open days aren’t just for couples visiting a venue for the first time! If you are returning to a venue why not pack your measuring tape just in case, as you may need to check the measurements of spaces such as windowsills or surface areas for decorations. Also, take the opportunity to confirm anything additional you may need with the venue coordinators. Finally, make sure to take away with you any information including flyers, brochures and goody bags.
Our next wedding venue open day at The Walled Garden will take place on Sunday 14th May from 12pm – 4pm. We would love to see you there! RSVP on the event page here.
Can’t wait to attend the open day? Email Hannah, our Wedding Sales Manager at walledgarden@cowdray.co.uk to find out more and arrange a show-round.
Cover Photo: Scott Howard Weddings
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