Wedding Planning: Researching venues Part 2

I am still busy researching venues online and I have certainly found lots of beautiful places but not many within our budget, especially in London. As I have mentioned in many a previous blog post, Michael and I love Arundel and think it would be a perfect place to get married. When we visit in December we shall be visiting the only two places you can get married there-Arundel Town Hall and the Norfolk Arms Hotel. Arundel is within easy reach of London (about an hour from Clapham Junction) and also from the South of England and if booked in advance, tickets can be as little as £5 return! But the main reason is because of it's quaintness...and you can even get a town crier!!

Arundel Town Hall (images from www.arundeltowncouncil.gov.uk/)

The town hall is probably the more expensive of the two venues costing upwards of £700 for 2 1/2 hour rental (if you want to get married on a Saturday, which we do!) The benefits are the beautiful terrace (perfect for photos) which look over Arundel and its castle and also the fact that you can hire it out for an evening party and bring in your own caterers/DJs etc. The main problem with this venue is of course, finances. What I need to figure out is whether it would be cheaper to find a venue which provides menus, Djs, hotel rooms etc or whether it is cheaper to do it all separately!

Norfolk Arms Hotel, Arundel

 The Norfolk Arms Hotel is a small hotel right in the centre of Arundel, about 5 mins walk from the castle. Rates are reasonable to stay here and whilst it is 'old fashioned' I think it has a lot of charm about it and isn't pretentious like some hotels I have seen online. Also they provide reasonably priced menus and from what I can see, you can bring in your own entertainment and party the night away! (well at least until midnight). It also have the benefit of being able to hold the actual ceremony so everything can be done in one place, even the sleeping!

They also currently do an 'all in one' package for £3750 for up to 60 guests which includes all the hire fees, ceremony, 3 course wedding meal, some drinks for everyone, banqueting manager, evening buffet, DJ and party up until midnight. Pretty good huh? The hotel has some wedding fayres up until next March so no doubt we will try and make a visit to have a look.

xoxo