Planning a Glasgow Wedding: Issue #2, Choosing a Venue
So, it has been almost 8 weeks since the proposal and although many, many, (many!) bottles of champagne have been consumed, we are still left with half a dozen ready to be enjoyed on each momentous, wedding-related occasion for the next 18 months or so. Although, I say ‘18 months or so’, I actually know exactly how long we have until the Big Day because… *Drum roll please*…we have set a date! On Friday December 4th 2015 we will officially become wed. Fridays had traditionally been ‘off-peak’ wedding days (read: discounted), although in recent years weddings taking place any day from Thursday-Sunday have become commonplace. Some venues and vendors may still continue to offer Friday discounts so if you are on a strict budget, this is worth considering. I even know of a couple of Monday weddings in recent months, which I guess is one way to make Monday mornings less of a drag! Being December, however, it is still an ‘off-peak’ month in wedding terms and yet the date we originally looked at (Saturday 5th) was already taken. In December. Next December. 21 whole months away. As you can probably tell, I’m still coming to terms with this.
So, Glasgow brides, take heed! If you know the venue you want and you have a particular date in mind (my close friends got married last September on their 5th anniversary) then book well in advance! Luckily, the 5th of December has no special meaning to us… I have simply always liked the idea of a winter wedding. Bearing in mind our initial guest list, it dawned on us that our guests who work 9-5, Monday-Friday jobs are actually in the minority and, thus, a Friday wedding – even in December – should hopefully not cause too much hassle in that respect. Once you’ve written up your first draft of guests (which is helpful for scale, even though it will undoubtedly change numerous times) it is time to find a venue. The venue determines the tone of the day, the size of the guest-list, the catering options and the potential accommodation options for your guests so it is, of course, worth researching thoroughly. If, like us, you have no particular venue in mind (or maybe even if you do) then you can celebrate! In Glasgow we are absolutely spoiled for choice!
If you find a perfect reception venue but would like your ceremony held separately, there are numerous options outside of the traditional church building. These include the Glasgow University Chapel (if you fell in love over GU lectures), the traditional Trades Hall in beautiful Merchant City or even an outdoor space in one of the city’s many glorious parks such as the Botanic Gardens. It is worth noting that the formerly popular registry offices in Woodlands’ Park Circus are no longer in operation. In Scotland you can legally get married anywhere so long as it is safe and you have a license which really does mean Glasgow is your oyster!
Glasgow’s Templeton Building
An upmarket, fully catered wedding venue in which you can hold your full day or just your reception is certainly not hard to find in the city centre or the outskirts so it is worth doing research and asking around. These venues will offer large discounts for off-peak times and will often also offer discounted accommodation (if available) for the wedding party and guests, which can be a real advantage. If you want to be in amongst the hustle and bustle of Glasgow’s centre, check out the Grand Central Hotel or the Corinthian Club for the ultimate in luxury, or if you’re after something a little quirkier have a peak at Sloan’s on Argyle Street or The Lighthouse on Mitchell Lane. If you’re planning an intimate occasion, consider Bath Street’s The Butterfly & The Pig or weddings on the opposite end of the scale (up to 250 evening reception) can be catered for at the spacious St Andrews in the Square. Just outside the city centre, your options include the likes of Oran Mor – perfect for those who prefer the unique dwellings of the West End or the WEST brewery (pictured above) situated just by Glasgow Green.
After careful research, we have chosen the suburban surroundings of the city’s South Side and opted for Pollokshields Burgh Hall for both our ceremony and reception. From our initial enquiry, the staff have been exceptionally friendly and helpful without being pushy or going for the hard sell and we have visited for a full and detailed guided tour to start to ‘see’ the day. Pollokshields Burgh Hall offers a number of different spaces for each element of the day and we have decided to hire almost the entire building. Some advantages as we see them are that we have free reign as far as caterers go and we will have the space to ourselves on the day, however disadvantages include a lack of accommodation both for the wedding party and guests.
With this is mind, it is worth weighing up your options carefully before paying any deposits. I am also inclined to remember that if a venue can hypothetically offer you 10% off for booking ‘on-the-spot’, then they could afford to offer you that discount the next day or week so try not to be put under pressure (this goes for all vendors!) Do bear in mind, though, that if you are really keen – it pays to be prepared! Thankfully the 5th of December is not the pre-assigned, singular, astrologically-determined day of union for those with surnames C and F in the G postcode area in order that the marriage does not face certain doom… even if it were, it wouldn’t have bothered us much, but you get the idea! Happy searching!
If you would like to see more from Kate, the author of this article, find her on Twitter at @CinnamonGirl_KF or on her own website, www.cinnamongirlmag.co.uk.
