Venue

The venue decides more than any other booking, because it fixes three things at once: how many people fit, how the day runs and what the rest will cost. That is why the first question is not which one you like but how many guests you expect — a number that has to be roughly settled beforehand, or you view rooms that were never an option.

The second point is the conditions you cannot see on a viewing. Is there a curfew? Must catering come through the house? Who clears up the next morning? Is a wet-weather plan included or a second hire fee? Those answers separate two offers more than the headline price does.

And then there are the journeys. Between ceremony, photographs and reception lie transfers, and each takes longer than planned once eighty people are moving. A venue that carries two of those three parts saves more than it often costs. This section works through the types and sets out, for each, the questions that should be answered before you sign.