What to Look for in a Wedding Castle Venue
A castle wedding venue can be a fulfilment of a fantasy like a french wedding in a wedding chateau.
One of the most exciting things to happen in a person’s life is the wedding.
Planning for a destination wedding will take a lot of work and could be very demanding but the rewards can be worth it. Destination weddings have an unquestionable wow factor. Your guests get to have a holiday and attend your wedding in France.
A private castle wedding venue setting is probably the most romantic location a couple could choose for their wedding. As guests descend the long drive and entrance to a private castle they will be immediately transformed into an ancient time.
A fairytale wedding castle sets the scene for the ultimate castle experience because the location is a real wedding castle without parking lots, a front desk, tourists in shorts and the hustle and bustle of a busy hotel.
The major differences between a private castle and a luxury castle hotel are privacy, cost and service. A private castle gives a couple and their guests the most private and authentic castle wedding experience. The couple and their guests would have the exclusive run of the castle and the castle grounds whereas at a luxury castle hotel, the couple would only be allowed in public rooms, individual guest rooms and areas of the grounds open to the public.
Often luxury hotels prohibit wedding attire inside or on the grounds unless the couple has taken exclusive use of the hotel for their wedding day. In England, a standard hotel room in a luxury castle hotel can start at $500 a room, making a single night’s fee as much as $50,000 for the hotel rooms only. A typical private castle would start at $5,000 a night. However a hotel’s fees include much more than the location itself.
In a luxury castle hotel your typical room rate would also include breakfast, maid service, turn down service, concierge, etc. In a private castle you would have to pay additional fees for a chef, servers, maid service and a personal concierge.
When taking a private wedding castle, my first advice to a bride is to allow the location to be the atmosphere. Rarely does a private castle need to be decorated and simplicity is the key. Large flower arrangements should be kept to the main entrance hall and large mantles in formal rooms. Doing large arrangements throughout takes away from the authentic atmosphere and makes the location look “over done.”
The first destination wedding factor to consider is who can attend the wedding location.
Out of town weddings are preferred by couples as a way to lessen the number of guests at the events. Sometimes, when the budget is concerned the destination wedding etiquette is to set aside money for accommodations and transportation for the immediate members of the family and entourage. You might need to heavily subsidize or simply pay for some travel costs of a close poor relative.
Destination weddings are usually attended by only a few children usually being immediate relatives.
Guests can turn the out of town wedding into a mini-vacation just by spending their time together at the venue. Do some research. It is handy if the wedding couple have a wedding website so you can familiarise yourself with the location and possible sight-seeing and cultural activities on offer.
Just like a wedding at home, family play a big part and help out as much as possible.
Enjoy your castle wedding venue.