You’ve Chosen Your Wedding Venue – What Happens Next? My Advice for Planning a Day That Feels Like You
You’ve chosen your venue, you’ve secured your date and suddenly it all feels very real.
This is one of my favourite stages of the wedding planning journey because it’s when couples can begin moving beyond the big decisions and start thinking about what they actually want their wedding day to look and feel like.
And my first piece of advice is always the same: don’t feel that you have to plan everything at once.
After working with so many couples over the years at The Metropole Hotel, I know how quickly wedding planning can become a very long list of decisions. Flowers, music, menus, invitations, photographs, dresses, suits, table plans, accommodation – there can be a lot to think about.
But some decisions need to be made much earlier than others.
So, if you’ve booked your venue and are wondering what comes next, here are some of the things I recommend focusing on.
1. Decide on your priorities as a couple
Before you get caught up in trends, Pinterest boards and other people’s opinions, sit down together and decide what really matters to both of you.
For some couples, food is hugely important. For others, it’s live music and a brilliant atmosphere. You might want beautiful photographs, plenty of time with your guests or a really relaxed day where nobody feels rushed.
Choose three or four things that matter most to you and keep coming back to them throughout the planning process.
You will probably receive lots of well-intentioned advice along the way, but ultimately this is your wedding.
The most memorable weddings are very often the ones where you can see the couple’s personality throughout the day.
2. Work out your budget – and leave some breathing room
Wedding budgets don’t have to take the enjoyment out of planning. In fact, having a realistic budget from the beginning can make the whole process much easier.
Start with your overall figure and then identify where you are happy to spend a little more and where you are comfortable keeping things simple.
I always recommend leaving some room for the unexpected too. Small additions can accumulate as the wedding gets closer, and having a little flexibility means those decisions don’t become stressful.
And remember that more expensive doesn’t automatically mean more memorable.
Guests remember how a wedding made them feel. They remember a wonderful meal, a great atmosphere, thoughtful touches and being surrounded by people they love.
3. Start thinking about the flow of your day
One of the things couples sometimes underestimate is just how important the flow of the wedding day is.
Think about the day from your guests’ perspective.
Where will they go after the ceremony? How long will they be waiting before the meal? When will photographs take place? Will people have somewhere comfortable to sit and enjoy a drink? When will the music begin?
A beautifully planned wedding should feel effortless to your guests, even though there has been plenty of planning happening behind the scenes.
This is one of the advantages of holding different elements of your wedding in one venue. At The Metropole, couples can create a celebration where the ceremony, drinks reception, photographs, wedding meal and evening celebrations flow naturally from one part of the hotel to another.
It means less travelling, fewer logistics and more time actually enjoying the day.
4. Don’t forget about your guests
Of course your wedding day is about the two of you, but creating a wonderful experience for your guests makes the celebration even more special.
Think about the people who will be joining you.
Are elderly relatives travelling? Are families bringing children? Are guests coming from elsewhere in Ireland or overseas? Will people need accommodation? Is the venue easy to reach?
A city-centre wedding can make many of these practicalities much easier.
At The Metropole Hotel, we’re right in the heart of Cork City, which means guests can arrive into the city and have everything close by. It also gives couples the opportunity to make more than one day of their celebration, particularly when friends and family are travelling to Cork for the occasion.
5. Give yourselves time in the schedule
This is a big one.
Try not to plan your wedding day so tightly that you spend the whole day watching the clock.
Something will nearly always take a little longer than expected – photographs, getting ready, travelling from the ceremony or simply stopping to speak to someone you haven’t seen in years.
Build breathing space into your timeline.
You want time to walk into your reception and actually take it in. You want to enjoy that glass of Champagne. You want to look around the room and see all of your favourite people together.
Those are the moments you remember.
6. Think about your photographs when planning the day
You don’t need to have every photograph planned months in advance, but it is worth thinking about photography when considering your schedule and venue.
Ask where photographs can be taken if the weather is beautiful – and where they can be taken if it rains.
At The Metropole, the character of the hotel lends itself beautifully to wedding photography. There is something about the combination of historic architecture, elegant interiors and a Cork City setting that gives photographs a wonderfully timeless quality.
That sense of history is very special to us.
The Metropole has been part of Cork for 129 years, and generations of families have celebrated weddings and important milestones here. There is a lovely feeling in knowing that you are adding your own chapter to that story.
7. Choose a style that you will still love in years to come
Wedding trends can be great for inspiration, but you don’t have to follow every one of them.
Think about what genuinely appeals to you.
There is a reason timeless elegance never really goes out of style. Beautiful surroundings, gorgeous flowers, candlelight, wonderful food and a room filled with the people you love will look every bit as special when you look back at your photographs in 20 or 30 years.
Use trends where they feel right for you, but don’t be afraid to keep other elements classic.
8. Use the experience of your wedding team
You do not have to become a wedding expert just because you’re getting married!
Ask questions and use the experience of the people around you.
An experienced wedding team has seen hundreds of celebrations. We know what tends to work well, where couples sometimes put unnecessary pressure on themselves and which small details can make a surprisingly big difference.
That doesn’t mean telling you how your wedding should look. Quite the opposite.
Our job is to listen to what you want and then help you find the best way to make it happen.
9. Don’t leave everything until the final few weeks
There are certain details that can absolutely wait, but try to get the major elements organised early.
Once you have your venue secured, I would start looking at the suppliers who can only accommodate one wedding per day – your photographer, videographer, band or entertainment, hair stylist and make up artist for example.
Then you can gradually work through the other elements.
Breaking your planning into stages makes everything feel much more manageable.
And keep a checklist. It sounds simple, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as ticking something off!
10. Remember that you’re allowed to enjoy this part too
This is probably the piece of advice I give most often.
Wedding planning is not simply a list of jobs to complete before the big day. It is part of the experience.
Celebrate booking your venue. Make an occasion of choosing your menu. Enjoy bringing your family or bridal party along to see the room. Take photographs along the way.
There will be busy moments, but there should also be plenty of lovely ones.
At The Metropole Hotel, we’ve been welcoming couples and their families through our doors for generations. Every wedding is different, but that excitement never changes.
There is something incredibly special about watching a couple walk into the hotel at the beginning of their planning journey and then seeing them return on their wedding day, when all of those conversations, decisions and little details finally come together.
My biggest advice?
Plan carefully, ask for help when you need it and then, when the day arrives, let everyone else take care of you.
You’ve done the planning.
Now it’s time to enjoy your wedding.
Coming next…
In my next blog, I’ll look at one of the biggest questions couples have when planning their reception: how do you create a wedding that your guests will genuinely remember?
From the drinks reception and menu to entertainment, personal touches and those little surprises that make people smile, I’ll share some of my favourite ways to create an unforgettable guest experience.
Ready to start planning your perfect wedding? Check out our Wedding Page and enquire today – we’d love to help bring your vision to life.
