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29th March 2021
So you’ve just started your wedding venue search and have shortlisted a number of venues which seem perfect for you both, but what do you do next? The next step in any wedding planning journey is to take a tour of the venues you’re interested in, get a feel for how they flow, how they operate, and where possible, meet the team behind the scenes.
Depending on the venue, there may be a whole host of options available to you.
So you’ve just started your wedding venue search and have shortlisted a number of venues which seem perfect for you both, but what do you do next? The next step in any wedding planning journey is to take a tour of the venues you’re interested in, get a feel for how they flow, how they operate, and where possible, meet the team behind the scenes.
Depending on the venue, there may be a whole host of options available to you.
Types of tours:
Like many venues, at Ellingham, we host a number of tours to help make the venue hunting experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, so whether you’re a 20-mile, or a 200-mile journey away, you get a real feel for the Hall.
Tours at the venue
Undoubtably, the most popular type of tour is a visit to the venue in person. As well as seeing the space first-hand, it gives you a great opportunity to visualise your day and importantly, you’ll also get the opportunity to meet the team. Industry heavyweight Bridebook says, aside from a venues aesthetics, the most important factor when booking a venue is the team.
Hamish Shepard, Owner of Bridebook, explained; “Couples want to know that you are genuinely nice people, that they can trust you and have confidence you are there to give them the greatest day of their lives.”
At Ellingham we aim to make sure, the team who take your round on your first look of the venue, also continue with you on wedding planning Journey.
“As soon as we walked through the door, we knew Ellingham was the right venue for us. It was really warm and cosy, with all the fires roaring and Anthony, the Managing Director who we met on our first visit, was just so lovely and down-to-earth! We were greeted with big mugs of hot tea and sat by the fire in the blue room for our initial conversation and didn’t want to leave. The service we received from our very first visit at Ellingham Hall wildly outdid any other venue we saw…and we saw a lot!” – Ami & Kam
Booking an appointment is often easy to do by requesting a viewing online and many may even have a designated page on their website to book and viewing slot.
Zoom tour appointments
Over the past year, we’ve seen a surge in virtual engagement in the wedding and hospitality sector. In a market which was once dominated by face-to-face interaction.
As wedding Industry Expert Kelly Mortimer explains, “Even post-Covid, we envisage couples viewing less venues in person and only going on site to see their top one or two!”
Although at Ellingham we’ve always offered the opportunity for a virtual tour appointment, with many of our couples being based out of region and abroad, this year we took the opportunity to invest in technology, to enhance the virtual venue experience for couples.
Wendy Sproul, our Head of Weddings explains, “I genuinely love welcoming people into our Hall whether that’s over Zoom or through our front doors. Anyone who knowns me, knows how much of a people person I am, and looking after our couples is what I do best.”
“Remember from the minute you walk through the door, be that in person or virtually, you need to feel welcomed and feel right at home.”
Virtual Appointments can be booked online, and our multi-award winning team would be happy to take you on a guided tour of our beautiful venue.
360 Degree Tours
Many venues are now able to offer 360-degree tour simulations of their venues, allowing you to wander through spaces by click and drag technologies – this allows for a fully immersive viewing experience. The best part about Our 360 virtual tour at Ellingham, is many of our couples use this tool to show to family members, or close friends as this can be accessed any time. The only downside to using this channel is many venues, like us at Ellingham, are continually investing in the in the venue, so you’ll find exciting changes season to season, year on year.
Ultimately, the ‘getting to know your venue’ element of your wedding journey is often down to what works best for you both as a couple; whether that is based on preference, location and of course, the time you have available to look into each venue. Never be afraid to approach a potential wedding venue, and if you can’t get in to view with them in person right away, try a virtual tour first and then you’ll know if they’ll be worth the wait!
Megan and Sam Burgess, 23rd September 2023
Rachael & Liam Collins, 24th August 2023
“Thank you all so much for everything you did to help with our Annual Forum and Celebration Concert on Thursday. As usual, I was a bag of nerves for much of the day, but the calm efficiency of Connor and his team helped to get me through. I will definitely recommend Ellingham Hall as a corporate venue. Surprisingly, a lot of the attendees were unaware of the Hall and what you’re able to offer. The fact that we could move from one room to another and have two very different events at the same venue was a big draw for us. “
Catherine Gray, Funding and Communications Officer – Northumberland AONB Partnership
“The venue exceeded our expectations. Not only did it offer uniqueness, but exclusivity was a key factor in booking. The main Hall offered lots of space for us to work and we found the delegate rates very competitive. The venue comes highly recommended. “
Lisa Davidson, HR Director – Connect Health
“The Hall has such a lovely feeling and having our meeting at the same time as the corporate launch last year, gave a very different feel to what we usually have at other local networking events. The Chamber needs local venues that make the North East stand out, and Ellingham Hall is a venue that is a hidden gem.”
CLARE MCCABE, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER NORTH EAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
“The hall catered for everything we needed, from the luxury entrance rooms, to the grounds outside, which we used to talk with clients in more detail afterwards. It was exactly what we wanted to allow us to host a presentation of this size. Guests were welcomed with a selection of drinks and canapés in the entrance hall and then again on departure. The seminar itself took place in the Chapel, while the dining room and drawing room provided the perfect spaces clients to relax.
Michael Sage, Director, Sage Wealth Management
