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City Vs. Countryside Wedding

City Vs. Countryside Wedding


Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio
Alison Hargreaves Updated:
8th of March 2023

Choosing a wedding venue can be very challenging. Do you stay local? Do you go back to your roots? Or do you pick somewhere entirely new? While making this decision, you will also need to consider whether you want to escape to the country or venture into the city.  Deciding whether to opt for breath-taking, rolling scenery or city centre glamour is a good starting point to choosing your dream venue.

beauty wedding country bishopstrow hotel

Location

City: A city based wedding will usually ensure excellent transport links for all your friends and family, making lots of positive RSVP’s more likely. There will also be lots of affordable places to stay, should they want to, or plenty of public transport options for getting home after the party.

Countryside: Country weddings can be a bit more difficult in some situations. Hosting a wedding in the Scottish Highlands is likely to exclude a good number of your guests, as those in the South will be hesitant to make the trip. However, not all countryside locations have to make getting to and from a difficult prospect. Many venues offer on site accommodation, so more guests can stay over and prevent the early evening exodus that city weddings sometimes encourage.

bishopstrow hotel countryside wedding venue

Beauty

City: It’s unlikely that a wedding venue in a city location can rival the natural beauty that you find in countryside locations. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get some awesome wedding photos in and around your city location too. If you’re a couple with a bit more ‘street’ about you, taking pictures in front of graffiti smothered walls, around warehouses or by iconic London buildings can work very well.

Countryside: The traditional wedding picture still tends to be on a background of rolling hills, landscaped gardens, unspoiled beaches or panoramic vistas. And it’s only the countryside location that can really deliver this in style. Countryside = timeless beauty.

city wedding tower bridge

Uniqueness

City: You'll find unique hotels, manor houses, churches and halls, but you will also have the choice of warehouses, nightclubs, and even aquariums or zoos. If a unique and unusual wedding venue is your bag, nothing can beat the city.

Countryside: Getting married in the countryside offers a number of unique choices. Unusual castles, rural barns and tents in fields are all an option, and with so much space to play with you’ll be able to tailor your big day to completely reflect your personality and preference.

tent rural wedding

Price

City: Always a major consideration, the price can be the make or break factor. City locations are traditionally more expensive, but, as with anything, it depends on what you want. Getting wed at the Hilton with a wedding party of 500 is always going to be expensive. But with fewer guests and more flexibility in your choices, there’s no reason you can’t get married on a budget, even in the biggest of cities.

Countryside: For countryside weddings, the choice is endless. With an unlimited budget you can hire out a whole castle for the weekend, or on a shoestring, you can rent a local barn. Price is totally under your control, and will all depend on how many people and how much you have to play with.

Thank you to Liz Ballinger at The Bishopstrow, for her insight into country and city weddings.

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Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio

About the author


Alison Hargreaves

Alison has been advising brides, grooms and bridesmaids for more than 25 years. She has an unrivalled knowledge of the British wedding industry and frequently appears on podcasts and expert panels. She regularly attends international wedding conferences to keep the UK at the forefront of wedding planning trends.

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