The problem is, while couples might be looking for a charming, rustic aesthetic for their wedding photos, they still need their day to run smoothly, their guests to feel looked after and the venue to be comfortable.

Thankfully, more and more venues are rising to this challenge of blending the original and unique features their ceremony space offers with the finishing touches that have become vital to a wedding’s success. So, if you’re sizing up a potential venue space and want to market it as a unique and romantic wedding venue, how do you sort the wonderful wheat from the chipped chaff?

Shabby Chic

Exposed wood, distressed paintwork and exposed stone all add texture and authenticity to a wedding venue, but there’s a world of difference between a desirable barn and a tumbledown shack. Be realistic about what your venue space can really be used for. While many couples may be happy to dress up an affordable venue for their big day, remember that this is an extra time and cost commitment for them, and not everyone will have the vision to see past a damaged building and imagine setting the scene.

As a venue manager, you have two options: either make the rustic venue very competitively priced or provide the raw materials to transform it. Always dress your venue when showing prospective clients around, so they can see past the rustic and focus on the romantic.

Wholesale Wedding Linen

Fabric is your friend when dressing up quirky spaces. You don’t want to hide the features that make it special, but you do need to show it as a realistic wedding space. Set up tables and chairs as you would for a wedding and invest in key wholesale wedding linens to fit your furniture. Start with a wholesale wedding tablecloth and co-ordinate with a wholesale wedding chair cover, tied to fit with a wholesale wedding chair sash.

These items are affordable, can be reused for numerous events and can be purchased in the fabrics and colours that work best with your wedding venue. Choose neutral colours for basics like tablecloths, and offer to co-ordinate wedding chair sashes to each couple’s colour theme.

Dressing Your Venue

Be realistic and critical when dressing your venue space; prospective clients certainly will! Work to highlight your venue’s special assets and solve big-day dilemmas.

Consider the use of temporary structures such as marquees to expand a venue space, or create an alternative location for any parts of the event that can’t be held in the venue itself.

Extra fabric can be used to create backdrops or hide problem areas, but the emphasis must always be on enhancing what makes your potential venue special, not making it neutral to the point of blandness.

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