Viewing a private country home wedding venue? What to consider and top tips on what to ask.

Published on The English Wedding Blog

https://english-wedding.com/2017/11/essentials-need-know-hiring-private-home-wedding-venue

Many years ago the Country House was a private family home, a grand space created for the owner to host, entertain and generally enjoy the wealth the family had accumulated – fast forward to the 21st Century and we are a mixed bag of private residences, wedding venues, hotels and even some totally carved up into flats.

Like many others we opened our doors to weddings and events.  Our pretty large homes were designed to host these grand events and you can almost hear the ghosts of parties past reminiscing in the wings as the house comes back to life.   As my husband, Guy, often says, “the house was made for this” and we absolutely love being a part of such a special day… When I’ve misplaced Guy, which happens frequently, he’s usually pouring guests a pint of his home brewed Ale, or discussing the history of the house with an interested guest.

But what should you, the bride, be considering when viewing these beautiful properties for your own potential wedding day, what questions should you have in mind to make sure you have exactly the day you dream of in your perfect venue?! 
Well having hosted more weddings than we can count, here’s my top 10 tips for when considering your chosen country house homes:

1. What kind of access is available – remembering there might be three generations living in the house is flexible access ok?  Can you come in before to decorate and dress the house before and who exactly will be there to meet you?
2. Who provides the catering?  I’ve found that often catering in private homes are through preferred suppliers as we home owners would much rather have caterers we know looking after our guests, not least because a poor meal reflects badly on us all and our overall service.
3. Can you stay in the house and if so who is on hand to help in the case of any problems? Are there any rules for overnight stays that you need to be conscious of.
4. If you can’t stay overnight which can often be the case when we still live in our homes, then what are the accommodation options and when can you return to collect your belongings?  As much as I have a fab rapport with our couples I’m sure they don’t want to see me in my onesie on the Sunday morning!

 

1. Any pets?! Do they join in the fun, or can they be shut away?  We have two cats who love a wedding, Blossom is frequently found in a photobooth with inebriated guests and Ratcliffe, who’s black, loves to hide curled up on a dark chair, but if you want us to we can shut them out for the day.  Duke our huge, overfriendly and ever so handsome Irish Wolfhound is always kept away unless specifically requested by our couple!
2. Those gorgeous antiques you can see dotted around, do you need to be worried about them getting broken?! Chances are the family have put the valuable items well out of the way, but always best to ask and double check.
3. Following on from this, how family friendly is the home?  Some may have more precious antiquities and family possessions than others, and if you have boisterous young children this might not mix well.  If that’s the case ask the venue how you can entertain the little people, thus relieving stress for yourself or their parents – try a children’s tent from someone like JoJo bell tents (www.jojobelltents.co.uk) for the ultimate in children distraction!
4. If you are viewing a home where the family live in then do ask how the day to day logistics work – let’s be honest no one wants a Waitrose delivery van in the bride arrival shots!!
5. Can you decorate as you would like? For example, can any of the family pictures be moved and replaced with your own, can you add decorations around the rooms you are using.  This has plus points if it’s a no, as it means less work for you decorating, but it does mean less flexibility.  Some venues, us included, really don’t mind, let us know and we take the pictures away for you to pop up your own.
6. Finally find out about the home you are looking at, how many events do they do, how involved are the family and how do they feel about the weddings?! We love hosting at our home and we only hold 20 a year, so we’re often seen handing out drinks, meeting and greeting and generally taking a hands-on approach to making sure every single one of your guests is having the best time possible.
7.  And finally, not strictly wedding related… ask the questions you are dying to ask! The best ones I’ve had yet are, do you dress for dinner, are you related to the Royal Family, and where do you watch X-Factor! I shan’t give away the answers as I wouldn’t want to ruin the intrigue!

For finding your perfect private home to host your wedding day in style then do try visiting www.hha.org.uk .  You’ll find lots of houses, some like us, some smaller, lots bigger; and many with amazing histories and timeless backdrops to frame your perfect day, not to mention welcoming families looking forward to being a part of your wedding journey.