When it comes to planning your day, where you get married is possibly the biggest decision you’ll have to make. Compared to a generation ago the choice is vast. Here are ten top tips to consider as you start to put your wedding plans in place.

 1 - Religious ceremony or non-religious ceremony?

This is the one to address first. If you have, and practice, a faith you’ll need to consider what that means when it comes to your getting married. If you, your partner, and your families want to have a religious ceremony, as part of your faith, then you must commit to it. No one can lead you us on this one. It’s absolutely your decision. Decide from the outset and commit to what you believe in.

2 - Wedding venue location

If you’re not committed to a religious ceremony, which very often dictates where you marriage takes place, you’re about to see for yourselves just how vast the choice of wedding venues has become. First off, think about where is best for you. That means considering factors like how accessible it is for family and friends and what the roads and transport links are like. Think too about what facilities are available in the immediate area. Are there hotels, trendy yurts, Air B&B accommodation nearby if your guests need them? As to the venue itself where can you both stay? What’s the bridal suit like? Is there somewhere suitable for you both to get ready? Where can you stay the night before? What time can you access the venue from if there is a wedding the day before?

3 - Budgeting for your wedding venue

It sounds obvious, to get the budget right, but the venue is the first building block in constructing your big day. Make sure from the very start that the place you choose is affordable, and then work outwards from there adding all the other aspects of your wedding.

Budgeting for a wedding is usually never a simple task! Its generally fraught with stress as the idea of booking various wedding suppliers (that’s after you’ve chosen who you want and who is available of course!) can be a bit mind boggling! Who have I booked again? How much have we paid? How much is owed? When do we pay? How much have we spent overall? What’s the wedding photographers number? I cant find the florists email address…yep, you know!

At Race Wedding Videography we are all about helping couples with their wedding planning. We didn’t start Race Wedding Videography as a business just to make money we are here to make a difference. That’s why we have created an absolutely FREE wedding Budget calculator template for you to download. Its your to keep forever, no catches just a little gift from us that should help take the stress out of your wedding planning. When we looked online at what wedding budget calculators out there, there were some paid for apps, a couple of budgeting tools but we thought we could create something better and free that we could just give away.

Our wedding budget calculator template isn’t necessarily a list of everything you must have, but more so a list of things you might want to have on your wedding day. As we at Race Wedding Videography are all about you planning the wedding you want that is individual to you both not necessarily about planning the wedding everyone thinks you should have! Be bold, be you, be unique - do whatever the hell you want…

Good thing is you can use this free tool as a bit of a to do list too. It will help you at the early stages of wedding planning. It will help you estimate how much each wedding supplier will cost dependant on your needs. It shows and calculates the difference between your estimates vs the actuals, automatically calculating the totals at the bottom - this will help you not go over budget! (maybe). We’ve done all the hard work you just need to input the figures and detail! Your free wedding budget calculator also enables you to make bespoke notes, you can quickly see what deposits you have paid, what balancing payments are due and you can use this as a bit of a wedding supplier address book too.

4 - Timing - booking your wedding venue and ceremony in advance

This is a short and sharp reminder. Book way ahead. The timings for your day are a separate agenda. But when it comes to booking your venue think as far ahead as you can. So much has changed. Venues have bookings for postponed weddings meaning their schedules can be even more advance booked than normal.

5 - What’s included in the wedding venue price and what isn’t?

It’s vital that you get this sorted out. It’s not about venues being in any way misleading. The size, scope and facilities of wedding venues vary enormously. Your dream castle may be spectacular but it doesn’t offer full catering. Alternatively your village hall might just have a deal with a nearby Michelin starred chef who can provide amazing food.  Are the premises licensed? Can you provide your beers, wines and spirits? If you can, is there a (sometimes quite hefty) corkage charge for doing so? Can they provide music? To make sure you’re clear about what’s in and what’s not, sit down with the venue’s management and simply get them to list out what they provide. Then list out what you want. Then you’ll know what you need to arrange separately. Remember you can use our FREE wedding budget calculator to help with things like this too.

6 - Wedding catering - does it cater for what you need?

This is really a next stage on from point 5. If you like the venue and they provide catering make sure that what they offer is in line with your plans for your day. For example, if you’d envisaged a sit down meal with a traditional  top table, and they work on the basis of an all you can eat buffet, it’s not going to work. Think  too about vegetarian and vegan options being available, as well as any constraints or necessities associated with faiths and religions. 

7 - What about the weather on your wedding day?

They always say that the weather is the one thing you can’t control. That’s true, but you can work around it. So, make sure that your location of choice has the facilities and flexibility to change plans if the weather changes. If your dream day involved guests mingling in the gardens before and after your wedding meal, you need to know that rules and logistics don’t prevent them swiftly moving indoors if the heavens open.

8 - Make it your wedding and make it your choice

We all know that, no matter how happy a time it is,  emotions can run high in the run up to the day. Families have ideas on how it should be. As if that’s not enough the sheer choice of options is sometimes confusing for even the most organised of couples. Then there is the barrage of magazines, websites and expert planners, all of them offering you even more choice and even more to think about. The main thing, the by far and away most important thing, is that you do your own thing. When it comes to your venue, make sure it’s your choice.

9 - Finding a wedding venue that suits your wedding theme?

A wedding with a theme can be a lot of fun. It can also be a very elegant day. (Which is not to say that it won’t be fun as well). Whatever you choose to do with a theme make sure your venue is going to be suitable for it. Many venues now work on the basis that your day will evolve and they’re as ready to provide music and dancing in the evening as they are calmness and serenity as you make your vows. Even so, if cocktails and karaoke are your ideal evening, some hallowed cloisters might not be for you. You’ll know what’s right.

10 - This is where we come in! Does your venue make for great wedding videography?

Yes, this is very much our bit of the day and, may we say, an increasingly important one. A wedding video of your wedding day is the perfect keepsake. Blending artistic awareness with cutting-edge technology we can capture your wedding just how you want to remember it. But, the background, and the setting, does make a difference. The spot where you actually tie the knot might be perfect but it’s only one place in a whole day. Think about where you will be, how you’ll be seen and what views there are & the best places for great wedding videography and wedding photography!

With the latest cameras and drones to provide aerial views, as well as insightful, sensitive cinematography and direction, Race Wedding Videography captures the unique atmosphere of your special day. We have one simple package which includes all-day wedding videography - so we won't miss a thing! You will receive a full wedding film (20 minutes+) which includes the ceremony, a highlights trailer (2 minutes), a highlights trailer just for Instagram and the speeches in full. We even offer drone videography as standard in all our wedding videos!

Race Wedding Videography covers all of Norfolk & Suffolk. To us a wedding isn’t just another video shoot, it is about capturing people’s emotions and their individual stories. If you have any questions or would like to book and say 'I do' to Race Wedding Videography - get in touch, we are here to help, whatever your decision.

Check out some wedding highlights trailers below featuring some great wedding venues!