Wedding venue - meal etc

catsy_2

Well I've started looking online at venues, even though OH hasn't officially popped the question, we have a ring and I'm sure it'll be any day now. Also I'd like a May/June wedding next year so thought I'd better start looking. Anyway looking online a lot of the packages aren't really what I want. The sort of thing I want would be a late wedding (sometime between 3-4 maybe) then photos etc, meal about 6 ish then a band for an hour or two with maybe some saus/bacon baps at about 10pm. Now with the meal I'd like some sort of buffet/BBQ/hog roast. Not the evening reception style buffet, more substantial than that, but not as posh (and expensive!!) as the formal wedding breakfast. Has anyone done anything like this? I presume venues are open to other formats than the ones they lay out in their online brochures?

All advice/help greatly received

Sammy85_2

Im having the traditional wedding breakfast and evening buffet (pie & peas). I had wanted hog roast originally, but my venue is in the town centre, so cant really do that.

I'd call the venues and ask directly, some are open to doing what you want on your day (within reason of course!). If they are unbudgeable then i wouldnt go there anyway.

floss2

You will probably be better looking at venues which come without catering, such as village halls or barns, as others may not allow other catering such as a hog roast.

catsy_2

So are venues not likely to want to change the format? Some offer a BBQ or hogroast but with the evening reception, we don't want a seperate evening do as having everyone to the whole thing (about 60-80 ppl).

Horace

catsy wrote: »

So are venues not likely to want to change the format? Some offer a BBQ or hogroast but with the evening reception, we don't want a seperate evening do as having everyone to the whole thing (about 60-80 ppl).

Some venues may not want to change especially if they are members of chains and have set packages..all you can do is ask.

As others have suggested try looking at smaller venues with different catering arrangements.

binkyboo_2

catsy wrote: »

Well I've started looking online at venues, even though OH hasn't officially popped the question, we have a ring and I'm sure it'll be any day now. Also I'd like a May/June wedding next year so thought I'd better start looking. Anyway looking online a lot of the packages aren't really what I want. The sort of thing I want would be a late wedding (sometime between 3-4 maybe) then photos etc, meal about 6 ish then a band for an hour or two with maybe some saus/bacon baps at about 10pm. Now with the meal I'd like some sort of buffet/BBQ/hog roast. Not the evening reception style buffet, more substantial than that, but not as posh (and expensive!!) as the formal wedding breakfast. Has anyone done anything like this? I presume venues are open to other formats than the ones they lay out in their online brochures?

All advice/help greatly received

I am having a ceremony and reception all at one hotel, ceremony at 3.30, followed by drinks and canapes while we have some photos done 3 course meal at around 5.30 sit down starter, carvery buffet main and a sit down dessert. Then around 8pm we will have a dj and then bacon sarnies around 10pm so very similar to what you seem to be wanting.

I basically went to the hotel and told them exactly what i wanted and asked them to quote for it, which they were happy to do. I think the price for this is very competitive compared to the hotels package offer as we are having mainly the same things we have just tweaked things slightly to be more money saving for us.

so i suggest you put together a running order for how you would like the day to go and then initially email some venues to see if they can accommodate you, the ones that can you can then go and see to go through things in more detail.

catsy_2

wow thanks bink, thats almost exactly what i want!! I think that's a really good idea, and I will do that in the next week or so.... thank u so much!!

iamana1ias

binkyboo wrote: »

I am having a ceremony and reception all at one hotel, ceremony at 3.30, followed by drinks and canapes while we have some photos done 3 course meal at around 5.30 sit down starter, carvery buffet main and a sit down dessert. Then around 8pm we will have a dj and then bacon sarnies around 10pm so very similar to what you seem to be wanting.

Your vegetarian guests will be thrilled _pale_

morwenna

binkyboo wrote: »

I am having a ceremony and reception all at one hotel, ceremony at 3.30, followed by drinks and canapes while we have some photos done 3 course meal at around 5.30 sit down starter, carvery buffet main and a sit down dessert. Then around 8pm we will have a dj and then bacon sarnies around 10pm so very similar to what you seem to be wanting.

We are doing similar, except the buffet has veggie options and we are doing chip barms later

binkyboo_2

iamana1ias wrote: »

Your vegetarian guests will be thrilled _pale_

Obviously there will be vegetarian options too! I just don't know if we have any yet as i haven't sent out invitations or anything like that. I was just trying to give the op a general idea of how our day is similar to what she wants.

joolesw1972

Try less traditional venues - ours is a golf club, we're having a 3.30pm ceremony, speeches and toast straight afterwards (we wanted them out of the way!!!) then move in to the other room where the bar is, we'll do photos and mingle, then about 6pm we're having a sit down buffet, a mix of hot and cold, disco starts about 7.30pm then we're having our cheese from the cheese cake for supper about 9.30pm with fruit cake, olives, grapes and chutneys! All for £20 a head for adults and £12 children, which I don't think is bad.
Ask them to quote for what you want - if they won't, then they're not the right venue for you.