Launching an Outdoor Wedding Venue: What you need to know
The growing popularity of outdoor weddings in recent years is prompting a huge number of UK landowners to consider launching an outdoor wedding venue of their own. It’s an exciting journey to go on – but certainly not a straightforward one. Prospective business owners often have many questions about the practicalities of running an outdoor venue, and there’s a lot of prep work that needs to be done before launching a wedding business. So if this is an option you’re considering for your outdoor space, here’s a few tips and tricks you need to know before getting started.
Please note that this article relates mostly to launching an outdoor wedding venue in England and Wales, although much of the advice will also be applicable elsewhere.
Can anyone launch an outdoor wedding venue?
In short – yes! If you own a large enough space that you think would work well for outdoor weddings, there is nothing to stop you opening it up for this purpose. However, not everyone can obtain a civil ceremony license, so it may be that your venue would only be suitable for non-legally binding ceremonies and celebrations.
But that is by no means a deal-breaker. A huge number of couples now choose to go down this route so that they can choose from a wider range of beautiful outdoor wedding venues – not just the licensed ones. They simply complete the legal paperwork at the register office beforehand, then hold a more personalised ceremony at their chosen venue led by a celebrant, or even by a friend or family member.
What’s more, the Law Commission review currently in progress is recommending a huge shift in the current buildings-based licensing laws of England and Wales. So legally binding weddings could soon be permitted at a much wider variety of venues. Watch this space!
Applying for a civil ceremony license
Having said that, there’s no doubt that having a ceremony license does make venues more attractive to those wanting to be legally married during their ceremony. So if you would prefer to hold legally binding weddings at your venue, you have the option to apply for a civil ceremony license from your local council.
Before beginning that process, you must ensure that your venue has a suitable structure in place in which to hold the wedding ceremony. This could be an indoor ceremony room, or for outdoor weddings it could take the form of a gazebo, summer house, or perhaps something more unusual. But importantly, it must be a ‘fixed and permanent structure’ that is large enough for the couple, their two witnesses and two registrars to fit inside. The guests would be free to look on from the outdoor seating area, but the couple would be obliged to stand within that structure for the duration of the ceremony. (Marquees, tipis, etc. cannot be licensed because they are not considered to be permanent structures.)
There are also many other aspects that the council would need to assess when considering your venue for a license, largely relating to health & safety. The venue would also need to be considered ‘seemly and dignified’ in order to be granted a civil ceremony licence.
You can read more about the Approval of premises process in England and Wales on the gov.uk website.
What other licenses are required?
The additional licenses required to run a wedding venue will vary depending on the type of venue you operate and the quantity of events you plan to hold each year. For example:
If you’re not already licensed to hold events at your venue, you will need to apply for either a Premises License or a Temporary Events Notice (TEN) in order to carry out licensable activities, such as selling alcohol, serving food and providing entertainment. The type of license you go for will depend on the number of events you plan to hold each year.
You will need to apply for planning permission if you want to erect a permanent structure in your outdoor space. Marquees can be erected without planning permission, but only for a maximum of 28 days per year (including setup and take-down time), so that would considerably limit the number of times you’d be able to use this type of structure.
Anyone thinking of launching a wedding venue should contact their local council in the first instance to talk through exactly which types of license would be required.
What type of insurance do wedding venues need?
We are not claiming to be experts on this subject, but it is essential for all prospective wedding venues to research insurance options carefully. So much goes on during a couple’s wedding day and many different suppliers are involved in making the day come together – which inevitably means more scope for something going wrong.
According to Park Insurance, these are the five types of insurance cover you are likely to need as a wedding venue:
Public liability insurance
Employer’s liability insurance
Premises cover
Cancellation cover
Specialist equipment cover.
Of course there may be extra liabilities you need to consider depending on the type of venue you manage, so it’s important to find insurance cover that’s tailor made for you. Using an insurance broker to help work this out could be the safest option.
Health & safety considerations when launching an outdoor venue
Health & safety may be a bit of a bore, but if you’re running a wedding venue then it’s absolutely crucial to make sure all visitors are kept safe. A full health & safety audit will be necessary in the early stages, and this should also be carried out periodically to assess for any new hazards that may arise. We highly recommend asking an external health & safety consultant to help you with this.
Outdoor wedding venues are often dual-purpose venues, such as working farms or campsites, so if that’s the case then it’s important to make sure these business are kept separate (both from a health & safety and an insurance point of view). Farm machinery and weddings don’t mix!
Of course you’ll need to do your utmost to ensure that your venue is safe and that the scope for anything going wrong is extremely small. But it’s also important to have a watertight contract in place with couples to cover you in the unlikely event of a mishap. Employing a solicitor to help you draw this up would be advisable. Yes this will add to the already mounting setup costs, but it could save you thousands in the long run! Be sure to also check the insurance credentials of all external suppliers brought in for weddings and events.
Are outdoor wedding venues cost effective?
There’s no doubt the wedding industry is a lucrative business, with the average cost of a UK wedding estimated to be a whopping £27,000. A good proportion of this spend often goes on the venue, so if you manage to drum up enough business then your turnover could be pretty high. However, outdoor wedding venues come in many different shapes and sizes – from luxurious country estates to small woodland clearings – and as a result, the fees venues are able to charge vary greatly. When writing your business plan it’s important to research some comparable outdoor venues in your area and try to ascertain a fair fee structure.
It’s also important to remember that even if you do hold a large number of weddings every year, high turnover doesn’t necessarily translate to a good profit margin. You will need to carefully calculate all the overheads when considering whether you can make the business commercially viable. Staff costs can be one of the biggest overheads for a wedding business, so think about whether you’ve got the time and energy to muck in and run the wedding business yourselves or whether you’ll need to employ staff to run this side of things for you. Also, do your research into the demand for outdoor wedding venues in your area and decide how many weddings you can realistically hold each year in order to cover your costs and make a profit.
The costs of running an outdoor wedding venue can quickly spiral, so it’s essential to put together a well researched and robust business plan when considering your options.
What’s your venue style?
Outdoor wedding venues take many forms – woodlands, farmlands, gardens, fields, beaches… you name it. And the type of land you have will have a huge bearing on the style of wedding you’re able to offer.
For example, a campsite with wide open fields could be perfect for festival-style weddings where couples are able to hire the venue for a whole weekend, camp out and erect a marquee or tipi in the grounds. A small, secluded woodland could be perfect for more intimate, romantic and rustic weddings, while a farm could lend itself very well to animal lovers wanting a relaxed and eco-friendly feel to their day.
Facilities and services couples often look for when planning an outdoor wedding include:
Exclusive use
Weekend-long hire
Accommodation
Dry hire (the freedom to choose own suppliers and style of decor)
Indoor options for the reception and in case of rain (a barn, marquee, tipi, etc)
On-the-day management (from a dedicated wedding coordinator)
A dog-friendly policy
Scenic backdrops for the ceremony and photographs.
So take time to consider your venue’s unique selling points (USPs), the services you can offer and the type of couple you’re likely to appeal to, as this will be essential to your marketing plan.
Marketing your outdoor wedding venue
So, when you’re finally ready to start launching your outdoor wedding venue, the next thing to think about is how to tell people you’re out there. Again, planning is key – so have a good marketing plan in place before you launch, with a clear brand vision in mind.
An attractive website with good SEO is essential as the vast majority of engaged couples search for wedding venues online. We would also recommend listing your venue with one or two online directories. Listing with us will help you to reach couples specifically planning an outdoor wedding, while an all-round wedding directory such as Hitched can help to cast your net even further.
A few other marketing tips to bear in mind:
Engage with local suppliers: It’s always a good idea to make contact with local wedding suppliers when launching your outdoor wedding venue, such as marquee companies, photographers, celebrants and more. Building up a tried and tested network of suppliers will be of huge benefit to couples in need of recommendations, and will ensure that you’re working with companies you know you can trust on event days. This is also great for marketing purposes – you recommend them and they will recommend you – plus you can get them involved in open days and styled shoots to really help drum up business.
Be active on social media: Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, can be very helpful when it comes to marketing your venue. Prospective customers often turn to such platforms for inspiration and will be highly visual when planning their wedding, so be sure to include lots of beautiful images of your venue, hammer home those USPs and link back to your website as much as you can.
Design a wedding brochure: Most couples will want to visit venues in person before they decide which one to go with, but remember that on a rainy Wednesday afternoon it will be hard for them to picture what their wedding day could look like! An attractive brochure with lots of lovely images of the venue set up for a wedding can really help to paint this picture and seal the deal with prospective couples. Be sure to have a PDF copy of this available to send by email, along with plenty of good-quality hard copies to hand out to couples and suppliers who visit your venue.
In all of your marketing, remember to stay true to your venue’s style and to market to couples who fit with that style (festival, boho, high end, eco, etc.) It can be tempting to target all audiences to gain the most amount of business, but actually maintaining a clear identity and style will make your venue far more attractive to couples – and it means you’ll be working with people you really gel with.
So if all of the above hasn’t put you off and you’re still excited to launch your very own outdoor wedding venue, we wish you lots of luck – and please do feel free to contact us with any questions!
Disclaimer: Please note that the content of this blog is advisory only and not a definitive set of regulations. If you’re thinking of launching an outdoor wedding venue we advise you to contact your local council in the first instance.
Want to know more about outdoor wedding ceremonies? Visit the Blog or Browse the Directory for lots more inspiration!
