Head or Heart

I went with heart. Our venue is too small to accomodate all of our family and in completely the wrong location (near us but near NOBODY else). Oh well, I love it!

Oooh thats a tough one, can you tell us the reasons behind both? Maybe a flash!? x

I'd always go with my heart but that's just me.

I'm always a 'head' girl but I don't always see that as a good thing in me? Maybe give us a reason and a flash? x

Heart - Ringwood Hall

Pros:

Great exterior, reception rooms and gardens

Cons:

Expensive for guests to stay in and a fair distance from other hotels (so no nearby cheaper options)

Head - Hilton Sheffield

Pros:

Lots of cheaper hotels nearby for guests

Places on Quayside for photos

Nicer wedding co-ordinator

Lots of hilton points

Cons:

Near the town centre

"generic" hotel

Heart for me - budget allowing ?

Ringwood Hall has been the source of your excitement over the last week or so. Even though it's expensive for guests to stay in, with some notice people will stay there. Our hotel rooms are quite costly too but most of our guests are staying there! You'll have to ask the wedding co-ordinator to hold some of the rooms for your guests though as rooms in these types of hotels can get booked up really really quickly!

I know there are a lot of pluses with the second choice but Ringwood Hall is the one you fell for in the first place so I think you should go for that or you may spend your entire time wedding-planning regretting not going for it.

Both are pretty awesome to be honest.

I love the gardens in the first, but having pics by the Quay would push it for me and oH as we live in the West Midlands and so the novelty of that would swing us,

With Ringwood - when you say it's from from hotel, how far? My hotels are 6 miles from the reception venue and the taxi will cost something like £3 each as it will be a huge group mini-bus, plus, it's your wedding, people will travel if you ask them to.

I would defo say heart...this is your special day and if it was me I would probably be wishing I had gone for my heart if i went for my head. If that makes sense.

PS I've been to Ringwood and it is lovely ?

Both are within budget and around about the same price

I know I'm just getting flustered and confused - bah why did I agree to this ? ? ?

About the same sort of distance, but people are likely to be staying at different hotels, and some of my relatives don't drive so it would mean a taxi from the station to their hotel, another taxi to the wedding and another 2 taxi's back the other way, whereas at the Hilton there are other cheaper hotels (an Ibis, a ParkInn, A Holiday Inn Express and a Premier Inn all within a 5 min walk)

Heart heart heart! x

Gooooooooooooooooo with your heart! You're not in love with the 2nd choice. You'll pine for your first choice if you don't go for it. People will travel! You may even be able to sort out a discount on accomodation for wedding guests if booked in advance. Thats what we did with our hotel.. we managed a 15% discount on all rooms booked before April this year and they held about 20 rooms for us but we're only having 45 guests at our wedding.

Ringwood then....definitely! You Fell in love with it, so go for it, and maybe do a rock the frock shoot on the quayside?

I say heart too. Ringwood hall is lovely and has very pretty grounds. There are hotels and accomodation in Chesterfield and taxis are not that expensive. Or if you are really worried you could organise a mini bus to pick them up and drop them off at the end of the night. I don't think this would be too expensive - they could even all chip in for it as it would probably work out cheeper than individual taxis.

I originally come from Brimington so I know ringwood. there are a couple of travel inn type places on the way to chesterfield The lock keeper https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/derbyshire/chesterfield/chesterfield-north.html it is actually only 3 miles so taxi shouldn't be bad and it isn't far to the train station. Also the station hotel and a travelodge at whittington moor about same distance and .5 mile from the 1st. if your guests get organised they may get a good deal.

Got a text from the OH just now with the just the world "Heart" in it (we've been having the same debate all day) so f**k it - going to book on Saturday once I've confirmed that a registrar is available

Id love the look of the heart choice! People dont have to stay if they cant afford it! Or just give them enough notice to save up!! x

I chose head....then cancelled and chose heart! DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT

I was just coming on to ask what Mr Tray thought, I'm glad he's on the 'heart' page with you

I can see why the decision is hard, the cons you've listed for both venues aren't really major things and the venues are quite different. But on the bright side, youhave the choice of two stunning places to hold your wedding

You'll feel great when you have it booked!

I am glad Mr T (lololol) has agreed. I would always say heart! It's your one day - why compromise? If it is the same-ish budget then go for your first love. We chose heart over head and it put us about 3k ove rbudget but we just agreed we wanted it so much we would save even harder and know we were getting a place we totally loved.

I'm not marrying him - he'll have more bling on than me and thats just not allowed!

Strangely, you've listed more pros for the head option...? Is the heart option just the "impressive" factor?

Haha but think of the giant sparkler of an engagement ring he would have got you!

It was partly the "wow" factor, my OH loves it and when I walked around the gardens I could imagine my photo's being taken there

I live about 5 mins from Ringwood and there's quite a few cheaper holiday inn/premier inn type hotels nearby. They'd have to get taxis but they wouldn't be too much and people could share. And the train station is close as well. It's your wedding I'm sure they won't mind. A cheaper hotel and taxi cost would come to less than them staying at Ringwood. Go for it!

Being nosey, where are you getting married?

I would go with your heart it looks lovely. What is the problem with the co-ordinator is she not very friendly as you said friendlier co-ordinator was a pro with your other venue choice.

Hopefully she will be better if and when you book

The one at Hilton just seemed a bit "warmer" and well...not as jaded

I think you'll regret it if you don't go for heart. I took a lot of time taking guests into consideration and found that they all found something to moan about anyway! Do what you want, it's your day!! x

You know my oppinion on this, as I am slightly biased as we are having our reception here next year. It's good to hear from other people about cheaper hotel options as this was also one of my concerns.

I have been on a few supplier visits last week, and they have all said that the staff at Ringwood are very professional and know what they are doing as they have been doing it for a long time.

Let us know what you do decide xx