Granny Mouse Country House & Spa is the perfect wedding venue, and with a team as passionate and helpful as theirs, you’ll know that you’ve not only found the one, but you’ve found the place to host one of the most important days of your life.
ALSO READ: 7 Ways to Deal with Pre-Wedding Jitters
Finding the right space that fits your budget, number of guests, as well as being the right fit for your personality, is important. Sean Granger, General Manager of the Mouse House has a few valuable tips that will take away the stress of finding the one.
8 Top Wedding Planning Tips
1. Location, Location, Location
It’s your big day and some questions you need to ask yourself are – is the venue accessible? Is it easy to find and not on the beaten track? Is there sufficient parking for your guests? Is it breathtaking when you and your guests arrive?
2. Timelines to find your special wedding venue
To avoid disappointment, start your search early, as you don’t want to decide and find that it’s booked out already. Be flexible on the date range, as it may very well be a deciding factor when setting the date and procuring the venue. Decide which seasonal wedding time you are looking for and work around that. Think about your guests – having a destination wedding is fantastic and makes it an adventure and may work for some family and friends. But you do also need to be realistic, especially given work commitments, leave availability and costs.
3. Get help by way of a Wedding Planner
Wedding planners can assist you with a space that meets your style, budget, number of guests, and so much more. They have the experience in picturing the wedding design and layout. When planning your own wedding, book a venue that has an onsite coordinator. They know their venue intimately and can guide you through the logistics, especially when it comes to what has worked and hasn’t worked.
4. How many guests
Before booking a venue, you would need to have worked out how many people you intend on inviting, especially when you need to pay a deposit, and size definitely matters when it comes to your venue. After all, you don’t want to squeeze 200 guests into a space meant for 20! There should be ample room for the table layout, seating arrangements, and a dance floor, but also for guests to move about comfortably. On the flip side, you don’t want there to be too much extra space.
Of course, if you’re planning well in advance and don’t have your guest list whittled down yet, then you’ll just have to estimate and refine the count as the date draws near. There’s a world of difference in cost and planning effort between a tiny party and a great big bash, so pin down your numbers as soon as you can!
5. Your Wedding Style
Do you know what kind of wedding you want? Are you looking for formal or casual? Indoors or outdoors? Ultra-modern or free-spirited boho? Will it be held at night or during the day?
By identifying your wedding style before you start looking for a venue, you can really narrow down your search. And finding a venue that perfectly sets the stage for your wedding style helps all the other details naturally fit into place.
6. The Budget
We, at Granny Mouse, advise you to look at the big-picture pricing before you book a venue. Find out what is, and isn’t, included in the wedding package. We have a venue that has an all-inclusive wedding package which gives you serious bang for your buck.
7. Weigh the Work Involved
On either end of the wedding venue spectrum are these two extremes: Blank Slate vs All-Inclusive.
A blank-slate wedding venue is basically an empty room or outdoor space where you need to build your wedding “from scratch” by bringing everything in yourself. Depending on the venue, this can include the whole shebang: from the tables, chairs, linens, and flatware, to the sound system and dance floor—even portable restrooms and generators!
All-inclusive venues cover multiple services and/or rentals in one package price—perfect for couples who want to hit the “easy button” and save on time and money. All-inclusive venues may provide catering, bar service, upgraded rentals, cake, and extra perks like a champagne toast and complimentary honeymoon suite.
Deciding where you fall on the wedding venue spectrum comes down to your vision and budget, as well as how much time and energy you’re willing to spend on your wedding. Each venue is different, so get a clear picture of exactly what’s included with each location, and what extras you’ll have to supply to achieve your desired result.
8. Trust Your Gut
After you’ve decided and you have a team that is professional and experienced in the coordination of a wedding, also weigh in the gut and pick the one that makes you feel the best.
Granny Mouse Country House & Spa has an all-inclusive amazing wedding offer running from February 2023 – November 2023. T&C’s apply and can be subject to change without notice, subject to availability, minimum requirement of 40 guests and maximum of 120 persons (Package is quoted on 80 persons). To find out more go to www.grannymouse.co.za to view all the details.
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