Why are wedding venues so expensive? Every venue I’ve looked at seems to double in price the second I mention it’s a wedding. I know weddings take a lot of work, but I’m struggling to understand what I’m actually paying for. Is there really that much happening behind the scenes, or is it just the wedding tax?

The additional costs are for the additional work that comes with the pressure of it being what most people will call “the best days of your life”. When you have that pressure on your shoulders, you want to do the absolute best, so it means so many more hours of planning, prep and staffing than say, a birthday party! However, I am passionate that wedding venues should be doing everything they can to make weddings affordable to everyone, especially in the cost-of-living crisis.

At Arnos Vale we have done this by introducing different packages that mean you can have a smaller wedding day at a much cheaper rate, but still get to have a magical wedding experience. Another massive cost is catering. We’ve made this a bit more affordable by giving people a choice of five different caterers who all have affordable options so there’s no pressure to pay for a three-course meal if you don’t want one.

How can we tell if a venue is genuinely good value? We’ve looked at a lot of different places and all the packages are making our heads spin! Some include everything from tables to coordinators, while others seem to charge extra for every chair, fork and extension lead. I thought we’d found a venue within budget, but then the extras started appearing and suddenly it was thousands more. How do I compare them properly without getting completely lost?

Do NOT be afraid to ask all your questions about costs and what’s included during your viewing, and definitely before you book. A good venue will ensure that you know all the additional costs upfront and should explain all of this to you in your viewing. If you come away with hundreds of questions, that’s not a great sign and in my opinion, it’s a bit of a red flag. Transparency is essential. It’s a huge investment so people should know exactly what they are getting in to!

Can I negotiate with a wedding venue or is that completely frowned upon? We found a venue we love but it’s just outside our budget, is it acceptable to ask whether there’s any flexibility? Or am I risking annoying them before we’ve even booked?

I think there is absolutely no harm in trying. There should be ways that prices can go down by changing things such as moving to midweek date. A good venue wouldn’t be upset with this! Ultimately, they want your booking, so they will do what they can to get you in.

Every venue keeps showing me the same Pinterest wedding examples. We don’t want chair covers, blossom trees or beige anything. How can I tell whether a venue genuinely embraces creative weddings rather than just saying they do to get the booking? How do I know if they’ll actually get our vision and be excited to help us execute it?

It may be that certain venues get the same style of weddings very frequently, but they should be able to show you some variety! I think if their social media or suggestions all look very similar plain, then that might be a big sign that that’s just want they do so they’re not the venue for you.

However, it’s not just about the venue. A lot of the creativity will come from other suppliers you work with – florist, photographer, cake maker etc so if you have your heart set on a place, as long as they will give you creative freedom, you could certainly still make it work.

About the Author

Sophie is the Weddings and Events Manager at Arnos Vale Cemetery (pictured) in Bristol. Arnos Vale is a totally unique venue, designed in 1839 as a Victorian Garden Cemetery and now existing as also a charity, heritage site, site of special conservation interest and a wedding venue!