S&F Wedding - The venue

Gate Street Barn

After the proposal we were focused on setting the date and finding our dream venue. We both wanted to get married down south, near Guildford, rather than Scotland (where Fraser is from) or Hull (where I'm from) as we knew it would be difficult to select suppliers and organise everything from afar. We also loved the idea of getting married in the area we now call home and having all our friends and family see what a beautiful part of the country we live in. 

Before Fraser even proposed I'd done a few secret searches of wedding venues in and around Guildford (who doesn't?) and stumbled across Gate Street Barn (GSB). Just from the images on their website I got a feeling that this venue was a major contender. I've never told him about my secret searches; I just made it look like I found it when I was looking, legitimately, at venues. No doubt, I'm busted now!

It turned out though that Fraser also loved the look of the venue and was up for visiting it sooner rather than later. So we booked a viewing with the lovely ladies at Gate Street.

I should say, at this point, there were so many positives about GSB including:

• The beautiful setting; 
• It's licensed to hold civil ceremonies, which meant the whole day in one place; 
• A beautiful interior which could be decorated to our liking/theme; 
• No corkage charge; 
• A huge supplier list; 
• A bridal suite to get ready in in the morning; 
• A 15 minute drive from our house; 
• Endless positive reviews and comments from couples and guests alike

Photo: VLA Photography

What wasn't to love? We donned our best poker faces and greeted Jane, the owner, at the office, who was beyond lovely. Positive sign no. 1. Beautiful bridal suite. Positive sign no. 2. Amazing, amazing barn with beautiful high beams, beautiful chairs, beautiful floor, twinkling fairy lights, sensational chandeliers... ❤️ Positive sign no.3. A separate area called The Pheasantry housing the bar and where guests gather when they're turning the barn area around, filled with hanging hops - perfect for all our beer loving friends. Positive sign no.4. The grounds and the huge fire pit, which would be great for our autumn wedding. Positive sign no.5.

By this point, I was doing pretty well with my poker face. Fraser, on the other hand, was squealing with excitement... we were sold! What I particularly liked was that Jane was not pushy at all - she clearly stated their booking policy and left it at that. The team don't really need to give it the hard sell as it's such a beautiful venue - it does all the talking itself.

Still beautiful in the rain

 

23.11.14

We didn't visit any other venues. Our hearts were set on GSB. A few days later we confirmed our booking and ticked 'venue' firmly off our list. 23.11.14. The countdown had begun...  

Some words of advice when choosing your wedding venue:

• When you visit your venue imagine it's your big day there and then. It really does help you think about how the day might run and what you and your guests will experience.
• Ask lots of questions! Go with a list. Main things at this point are terms and conditions, cancellation policies, payment terms, understanding if there's any hidden extras and what is/is not permitted.
• Search the Internet for wedding photographs at your venue - I did this a lot and got a really good feel for how people had decorated the venue, good locations for photographs, different suppliers and what they could offer. Search wedding blogs too to get a good idea of others' personal experiences of getting married at the venue.
• Know your budget - that way, if you fall in love with a venue that is outside of your budget, you should be prepared to make sacrifices elsewhere. The venue is a deal breaker, I think.
• Be prepared to negotiate (not for everyone; but if you don't ask, you don't get). I left that to my husband as he's pretty good at that sort of thing... 
• Go with your heart - you'll know what's right for you both. Any niggling doubts are a sign - deal with them. Don't settle for less than you're worth. It's YOUR big day!