****2016 Brides**** 326 brides (and 3 grooms!) so far!

We've been to look at venues today!! ?

It was our first wedding day out, and we've been to two wedding fairs at potential venues, neither of which blew me away. We then stopped in at one of our key contenders on the way home in the hopes they'd have someone to show us around and they did!

It was lovely, definitely my fave of the day, but I'm still going to keep looking as its still very early days and I was concerned by the lack of provision for the great British weather! They had lovely grounds but very limited indoor space other than the reception room, which isn't great for photos.

In other news, after discussions with my mum and H2B we've decided to push the wedding back to September 2016. I'll be in the 3rd year of my 4 year open university degree with exams in June, so should be spending spring revising, not running round on wedding errands! This way I'll have all summer for finishing touches, along with my mum who'll be off work as its summer holidays (she works at a primary school) so she can help me too if needed.

10th September is a Saturday and will be our 4 year anniversary so we're going to head for that date instead, and hopefully the weather may be a bit better! It's a bit disappointing as I was looking forward to being nearly under the 2 year mark and now I've got another 6 months to wait, but I'm sure it will fly round all the same! Another 6 months of saving too, which means we can loosen the purse strings ever so slightly and enjoy our lives a bit more in the build up, instead of watching every penny.

Who else has had a wedding planning weekend?

I'm off to look at my first venue this afternoon!! I know it's early and prices will change but I've seen the difference between last year and this so hopefully I can estimate the increase for booking next year. Does anyone have any hints and tips for what to ask???

Thanks guys!!

Louise, I've changed your date for you This means you now have a potential date twin! You're right, the extra six months will fly by I'm sure, especially if you have exams to keep you occupied. Glad to see you seem to be enjoying the venue hunt

futuremrspoucher - For me, we have agreed with the venue that booking and paying the deposit this year will mean that we pay this years prices, so that's really good. It's worth asking if venues will do anything like that, if only for peace of mind. We discounted one of the first venues we visited because they said there was no way they could give me an idea of what the prices would be in 2016... helpful.

One of the other things that we've considered quite important is asking if you get access to set up the day before. For the wedding I'm bridesmaid for in August, there is no option to set up before so members of the wedding party are having to set everything up (including chair covers) on the morning of the wedding. Luckily the wedding isn't until 2:30 but if you were having an earlier wedding it's something I would definitely recommend asking about.

As for me, a quick thank you for the reassurance about the ceremony timing. I'm much more calm about it now, I think it was just the initial shock! So we now have a ceremony booked!! 12 noon on Saturday 16th July, 2016

Thanks laurafish. If it was up to me I would definitely be paying the deposit this year to secure prices but my partner is a bit more sensible when it comes to money. He doesn't want me to start paying deposits for things and then not be able to afford it nearer the time (which I do have to agree is quite sensible all be it frustrating!!)

I didn't think about asking if you could get access the day before! If we choose this venue we'd pay for exclusive use as its only £650 more than just hiring the room and it means my dads family will have somewhere to stay.

Thanks a lot!!

Hi

Another newbie here .... Engaged on 25/12/13 and looking to get married on 19/03/16...

X

Welcome and congratulations have you got much of an idea of what you want yet?

Thanks for the welcome

Have got a lot of ideas and we have our heart set on a venue it's just trying to get the figures to work

Hi

I'm a newbie on this ours is the 9th July 2016 reason being met at T in the Park, camped near eachother started talking realised lived in same town and never knew eachother!! Then from there started dating been together for a few years now. Got engaged last October so shows you could meet your better half anywhere. Xx

Congratulations and welcome, lovely story! You have a date twin already Have you organised much yet?

We are now at 20 brides!

Thanks

We've booked our venue and videographer so far. I see others were in two minds about booking things this early as I am too. Our video guy had a great offer going at the time thats why we've booked him the now.

I would love the black sparkling floor for our dancefloor so been trying to find a good deal but its hard when it comes to sizes!? Xx

Got to say, i'm loving all the date twins happening already ? nad it's good to know i'm not the only one organised in booking things.

We went to look at venues last week and we have fallen in love with one!! other half walked out of the venue we are going to book and said " I wish we could get married sooner" Its just magical. a small very old chapel amongst lakes and trees. going up the drive to the chapel you don't even know its there just looks like a house. you have to go through a gate and an archway of trees. we are going to book it in a couple of weeks as she only has about 4 weddings a year.

got an appointment with a photographer on Wednesday too. He has to be booked up two years in advance. so works well with us.

I'm so excited. how is all your planning going ladies?

Oh yay I have a date twin!

We went and paid the deposits for the mens suits on Saturday

We need 6, they are only charging us for 5 and 20% off for early booking!! Super saving!!

Yay another March bride! Welcome to all of the other new people since I last wrote on this thread! x

Hello fellow march 2016 bride

Hello!

Another 2016 B2B! 27/08/2016 for us! Only provisionally booked but hoping to confirm Saturday once we've been back with my parents! I'm so excited now! We'd seen so many venues but this one blew us away & I knew it was 'the one'!

Cant my wait to plan with you all! We were hoping for August bank holiday 2015 but the venue was fully booked for summer 2015! I had no idea places get booked up so far in advance! X

Excited to see I have a date twin .x

Is it bad that I'm starting to get envious of those who have a date twin? I want one!

Madness, I am booking well in to late 2016 early 2017, got my first Feb 2017 booking in this morning, what is wrong wth people.?

That's me now booked and paid deposits on the venue, band and photographer. Going back to the dress shop on 13th march for a second time and hoping to put down a deposit on the dress I'm really enjoying this wedding planning experience and thankfully haven't had any rude suppliers yet! How is everyone else doing? I was quite confused about who to get to marry us. My uncle is a minister also so we really have that sorted also. Xx

Please add me to 16/7/16. Thank you.

LiverpoolB2B - have added you now. Welcome!

IGBMN - you have a month twin now, if that counts?!

Susanne - so organised! We'll all be bored come 2016!

Shelly70 - added you now, welcome We are now date quadruplets!!

As for me, we are going to show OH's parents the venue next weekend, and also to go for a meal at the hotel we think we are staying at the night of the wedding (no accommodation at reception venue). Once we've done that I'll be getting more detail from the caterers and hopefully get that all booked. Not sure what to do after that!

Hi Laurafish

Thanks for changing that for me! Oh yeah that must be it... I think it signs in via Facebook automatically on my phone :p

Lm1985 - hello from your date twin

I'm feeling a bit stressed about this whole wedding malarky! I know its daft and I know I have 2 and a half years to plan, but the venue hunt is really starting to get me down.

We're not even looking for much (I dont think!) for our budget. I just want somewhere I can have some nice photos (indoors and outdoors - weather permitting!) Sit 80 guests down for breakfast without feeling like they've been hidden in a cupboard, and invite another 50-60 or so for the evening. I've been to see 3 so far, one I actively disliked, one was ok, and one I'd go to if I found nowhere else but I wasn't that keen on various aspects of it, certainly didn't blow me away!

It doesn't help that H2B keeps contradicting himself, we agreed on a church approx 10 mins up the road from us, as his grandfather (who he was very close to) is buried there. I was happy with this and set ourselves a 30 minute radius for reception venues. Cue first show round and he pipes up that he'd look further away and have the ceremony in the same place, if the venue took our breath away. So I go home, and expand my search. I came across somewhere that looked beautiful, only 40 mins up the road so showed him. All hell breaks loose because apparently its way too far away as his parents will have to bring his nan back to the nursing home and its too far for them to drive to bring her home and come back for the rest of the evening (although the previous venues 10 mins closer were acceptable?) and starts going on about how important the church is to him (although I only looked elsewhere as he told me he was happy with that?)

Sorry, rant over just needed to get it off my chest! I shall return to trawling the internet looking for venues...

Epppp...4 of us now with the same date ?

i'm just getting too excited already te he he

Sorry to hear you're stressed out so early on Louise. I totally know the feeling, finding a venue has been such hassle. We (like you by the sounds of it) are in an area where there really isn't much nearby so have in the end gone for a reception venue that's an hour from the church. I'm far from happy with that but it's a lovely venue and there just isn't anything closer that we could agree on.

Can you try suggesting that your OH does a bit of research into finding a venue himself? It was actually my OH who found ours rather than me. If nothing else it might show him why it might be necessary to look a little further than 30 minutes away.

Hope you feel better about it all soon!

Jen - I know, crazy! I wasn't expecting that so far in advance! Do you think it being a 'symmetrical' (if that's the right word) has something to do with it? That's not why we picked it which is why it didn't cross my mind to begin with but I'm thinking it must be so popular for a reason.

So we've actually booked but changed our dates! We're now getting married on 03/06/2016!

We changed the dates as alot of my friends don't work the standard mon-fri 9-5 & have already noted they might struggle to get bank holidays off even with notice! So we've gone with Friday the 3rd of June, as its half the price of the saturday venue hire, and its in half term so covers off the teachers and the kids that will be coming

I feel a lot less stressed now, I've cancelled the other appointments I had booked for other venues, as I dont want to start confusing myself. We knew as soon as we'd seen Eve's Hall it was for us & after a lot of back and forth we finally agreed on a date that suits us a bit more. Fingers crossed for a sunny day, Im pinning all my hopes on an outdoor wedding but the indoor option is beautiful as well which Im happy with

Im useless with attaching Pictures, but I hope this works! I only took one of the front of the venue and no where else, hopefully I'll remember to get some more pictures on Sunday when we go to pay the deposit with the parents!

Looking forward to planning with you all over the next 'few' months

I want a date twin!

Oh & if anyone wants to see my 'Will you be my bridesmaid?' thread with flashes it's here https://www.hitched.co.uk/chat/forums/t/427360.aspx

xx

Thank you! I've calmed down, and funnily enough about 10 minutes after I posted that rant I've stumbled across somewhere that looks perfect, just need to show OH when he gets in later and try and fix a time to look round, but I think it may be what I'm looking for!

Maybe the venue gods took pity on me! ?

Glad you've calmed down Hun! Sometimes getting it out on paper or in words helps relieve some tension! Fingers crossed your venue is found soon! X

Hi twin date Louise

It is a very stressful time. We have managed to book the Church which is 10 mins down the road from us. I am glad we have managed to get this as H2B's mother is a patron there and it is giving her something back. I think having the church your H2B's grandad is buried is lovely and so what if they have to drop is nan that little bit further to get her home. I am very sure it would mean something to her also to be there with her husband and grandson. I am having the 10 September as my wedding day as this will be my late nan's birthday who passed away last year as she was like a mum to me. My sister is not happy about this but I really could not care as it is a special day for me and for us and grandad is happy. So really hope you can sort things and keep everyone happy also.

H2B's mother would like us to have certain things i.e. proper wedding cake not cupcakes, horse and carriage - not our own cars. My H2B is very into his motorsport so we have nice cars and are happy to use those to save money.

We are looking at a venue saturday which I am really exctied about and within our budget. It has been very hard though to decide what to have and where as we do not want people travelling to far from the church as we have a 3pm wedding.

Have your H2B parents suggested anything to help you with regards to venues or church? x x

Congrats on finding a venue LiverpoolB2B and on securing a date - and even better you just knocked off close to 3 months off your wait! The venue looks lovely I've changed you on the list too.

Great luck Louise, I bet you're feeling so much better now!

Good luck for Saturday lm1985, hope it goes well

I am currently waiting for a response from the caterers with a few questions I have - once we can secure them then that's the main things done. No matter what, there will be a ceremony, a meal and a disco (my dad is a DJ)! Yay