So you’ve decided to plan a dry hire wedding in London. You have your heart set on a fantastic warehouse venue, or maybe an incredible Victorian railway arch with beautiful exposed brickwork - it’s your ideal wedding venue - but where do you start on party planning in these blank canvas spaces? A dry hire wedding is your perfect opportunity to create a unique celebration that tells your story. You get to personalise every aspect of the event, from the cutlery to the glassware, the drinks list to the menu, the lighting to the decor. This is your chance to throw a wedding party that is as individual as you are. But how do you start planning? Where do you find everything you need for your dream celebration? And how do you manage your budget without letting things spiral out of control?

The average 2020 UK wedding costs around £30,000 - that’s not to be sniffed at! Whatever your budget, it will be an enormous amount to spend on one day. Making a clear plan for where the money is going as early as you can will help you to keep control and reduce stress.

Speak to a wedding planner as early in the process as you can

It’s crazy how many couples run away with themselves in the heat of a proposal, committing to suppliers (most commonly bands at this stage) before taking an over view of the whole event. An experienced planner will talk you through every aspect of your celebration step by step, pointing out hidden costs along the way and being realistic about prices. It makes sense to get the boring stuff done first (I know it’s hardly romantic!). Having a clear picture of costs such as waste collection, equipment transport and staffing early in the process will ensure that you are not over stretching yourselves on that 9 piece funk & soul band. Find a wedding planner with proven experience in your style of venue and set up a call to discuss your requirements, your budget and whether the two really match. If you are planning a dry hire London wedding contact The Wedding Arrangers today to set up your free consultation.

What are your wedding party priorities?

Another key tip for wedding planning is to set a list of priorities for your big day. You’ll be wanting to feed your guests, that’s a given, but what are the other major costs to think about?

• Wedding food - think about the style of meal you’d like, whether you want family style feasting or a plated wedding breakfast with formal service. Maybe you’d prefer a buffet or a street food style set up for a casual wedding experience? Different venues will be suitable for different set ups (buffets can take up a lot of room if you’re already at the venue’s seating capacity for instance). Agreeing on your style of dining will help shape the budget in the early stages.

• Your wedding bar - are you considering a free bar all night or possibly a cash bar? Maybe a combination of the two - with wine on the tables and a welcome drink provided but a pay bar later in the evening? Speak to your planner about how these may work in your venue and how they will work financially for you.

• Light & sound production and wedding entertainment will form another large chunk of your dry hire wedding budget. Getting the lighting right at your venue will go a long way to creating the right atmosphere through the day and of course choosing the right band, DJ or playlist is part of achieving the same goal. Talk to a planner about realistic costs for production and consider how much of your budget you can commit to entertainment once you have a clear idea of the essentials.

• Choosing a venue - many couples are unclear about the costs of producing a dry hire wedding and commit way too big a percentage of their budget to venue hire. Viewing venues and getting a feel for what you’d like to achieve is an obvious first step of the planning process, but if you are unclear on costs you’d be wise to speak to an experienced wedding organiser before putting down a huge deposit.

• Another two aspects of your event that will form a major part of your budget will be your florist and your photographer. Every couple has different priorities in these areas, some opting for simple wild flowers in jam jars with a photographer on site only to cover the essentials, others choosing architectural floral installations and a team of photographers and videographers covering the whole event. Once again, a good planner will talk to you in detail about how much budget you are happy to allocate to these as well as your personal style and make appropriate suggestions.

• Staffing and event management are of course essential. At The Wedding Arrangers we prefer to work with one crew of staff under our management rather than separate teams from separate suppliers. This will help keep costs down and ensure a smooth event. Make sure you have a conversation with your chosen planner with regard to how they propose to staff the event and what the cost implications are.

• The boring stuff. Most blank canvas venues require that you bring in everything you need on the day and remove everything following the event on the night so transport costs need to be counted. Some even require that you remove all waste and do not supply bin space. Then there are the little things which are easy to forget - ice, drinks garnishes, janitorial, equipment cleaning etc. Make sure your wedding planner is giving you a clear picture of these costs from the outset.

Once we have these essentials in place you’ll have an over view of your budget and you’ll be in a position to work out if you can afford those added luxuries. You may be considering a photo booth, a magician or even a fire breather but you’d be advised to cost out your essentials before committing your cash.

Choosing a wedding planner

Firstly, don’t be afraid of wedding planners! We’re a lovely bunch and we’re here to help. If you’re considering a dry hire wedding and you don’t have experience of running events then you’ll find the help of a planner or a good coordinator will be invaluable.

Your venue may recommend an experienced planner or you may wish to find your own. When choosing a wedding organiser be sure to check that they have plenty of relevant experience in your style of venue. Check testimonials and any case studies they may have - try to get a feel for their priorities, are they in line with yours? And lastly, make sure they are clear about budgets from the outset. You’re trusting your planner with the most important day of your lives and probably the most expensive party you’ll ever throw. Don’t leave it to chance.

Get in touch with The Wedding Arrangers today to discuss your London wedding.

Food, music, booze

At The Wedding Arrangers we believe that all the best parties are built from three key pillars - food, music & booze. We love exploring the best London has to offer in all of these and hope that you do too.

We’re looking forward to getting back out to restaurants again after lock down. I personally have my first lunch out booked at Barrafina (no queuing!) and am looking forward to dropping by one of my favourite local food pubs, The Duke of Richmond soon. Keep your eye on London Eater for up to date restaurant news.

We’ve also been missing gigs and dancefloors over the last few months… Louie Vega’s fantastic Lockdown Sessions on Worldwide FM have provided some kitchen disco action though and are well worth checking out.

And we were over the moon to see so many pubs, restaurants and bars offering home deliveries on drinks and food too - we particularly enjoyed this cheeky tipple from Brewdog. I’m saying nothing………..