Let’s begin with the good news…Essex is a fantastic place to get married! As one of the UK’s ‘Home Counties’ it is served by excellent transport links and benefits from being so close to the capital. Essex boasts a diverse collection of wedding venues, ranging from large modern four-star hotels to small rural barns with sprawling countryside views. There are golf clubs, quaint village halls and country manor houses too, all perfectly set up to host you and your guests on your big day.
Some of the best wedding venues in Essex are historically-listed, there are literally dozens of important buildings that are now fully licensed for wedding ceremonies and evening parties. Quite often, they are a more expensive option, but the photo opportunities are stunning. There are so many alternatives in Essex, to suit all budgets and sizes, and I’ll discuss below some of the shining examples…
Focusing on barn weddings first…these are incredibly popular in Essex. There are a number of historically important barn venues in the county, and most are surrounded by acres of wide open space and farm land. A real getaway choice for your wedding day, giving opportunity to go totally rustic with your room decor, your cake and even your dress! And you don’t need a summer date either; lots of the established barn venues have all-year-round availability (and a Winter barn wedding is really lovely).
Country House Wedding Venues in Essex
Probably the most popular type of Essex wedding venue is the country manor/estate. These tend to come with onsite accommodation too for your guests, and offer a fantastic all-encompassing venue, with the added attraction of stunning architecture and lavish ballrooms for the evening reception. Sadly, they also tend to be the most expensive! Essex boasts a Tudor gatehouse, numerous Georgian manor houses and even a 1920’s Art Deco mansion.
For those on a more strict budget, there are modern hotels dotted all over the county which offer very competitive packages. Ranging from national chains to privately-owned small hotels, they can provide the same excellent services as the historic venues but without the scenery, although a number of them have dedicated pretty garden grounds for your formal photographs.
If none of those peak your interest, then how about a huge teepee marquee in private grounds? You’ll need to source caterers and all the other services yourself, but what a way to personalise every aspect of your wedding day! Only got a small budget? You may be surprised to learn that some of Essex’s village halls are way more classy than the draughty ones you remember! There are quite a few that are set up to host receptions, with good internal decor and excellent kitchen facilities.
How much is the average cost of a wedding in the UK?
According to the Hitched website, their latest figures for 2023 suggest that couples are now paying an average of £20,700, which is an astonishing 20% more than 2021! Of course, this figure includes honeymoon costs too, so it’s not just the wedding day itself. However, it is still a vast sum of money to spend and all the options deserve serious consideration.
What are the main costs to consider? The biggest cost of your Essex wedding day will usually be the venue itself. They are providing the room(s) for your ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening reception as well as the catering, the drinks and (sometimes) the entertainment. For a wedding breakfast for 80 guests plus an evening buffet, the average cost is around £8,500. After that, there’s the wedding dress of course, plus associated suits and dresses for the bridal party. Then there’s your photographer and your DJ/band. Wedding cars, bridal suite accommodation, flowers, champagne, rings, wedding cake…the list goes on!
What is a realistic budget for an Essex wedding?
There are many ways to save money on your biggest day without too much compromise on quality and style. You can still have a fantastic day for half of the average cost above. If you are prepared to put in the hours, there’s some real bargains out there!
- Venue hire – Lots of Essex wedding venues offer cut-price packages for less popular months or even days of the week. Avoid Summer Fridays and Saturdays if you’re looking to keep costs down. Midweek dates in February or November are probably the best bargains out there. I’m sure your guests will happily spare a couple of days off work to join you!
- Venue type – As explained above, the historically-important and grand country estates tend to be the most expensive, so look around for established hotels in more remote locations than a town centre, etc. If that is still above your budget constraints, hiring a village or town hall could be the answer. You’ll have to provide the catering and bar services but that will definitely be cheaper than hotels. The drawback is you’ll probably have to get officially married elsewhere (local registry office, church) and guests will need to source local hotels for accommodation. You will save thousands though.
- Other Wedding suppliers – The two main service providers on your big day are the photographer and the DJ/entertainment. Obviously as a Wedding DJ Essex, I would never recommend that you cut costs too much for your entertainment, but there are ways to save money. Just ask your DJ to play the evening part of your wedding, as most venues can provide background music during the day for the wedding breakfast. Avoid extras such as starlight dance floors, novelty photo booths or L-O-V-E letters. If you are artistically minded, get a photographer who’ll be happy to pass you his raw images at the end of the day. You’ll save time and money editing them yourselves and also sourcing your own printed albums.
- Wedding Cars – I always find it quite strange that couples still hire luxurious cars even when getting married in a hotel/country house that hosts the ceremony, the breakfast and the reception…and the bridal suite! Let the bride get ready in the bridal hotel suite on site and the groom can arrive with his best man & groomsmen in one of their cars!
- Food – One of the most common complaints from evening guests is the lack of food later in the evening. The buffet usually appears and disappears between 8pm & 9pm, but after a few drinks, guests are getting peckish at 11pm! One super idea is to reduce the early evening buffet and then ask the venue to provide bacon rolls (and veggie options) towards the end of the night. I guarantee you’ll have never seen grub polished off so quickly! It’s a real winner and could save you money too.
Who pays for the wedding?
I think the traditional days of the bride’s parents footing the entire bill are long gone. Most couples that I chat with have been saving hard for a number of years, and parents help them along the way but rarely pay for the whole thing. There are no hard and fast rules in the 21st Century – it seems that ever-rising costs have put paid to traditional expectations.
If you’re looking to tighten the belts a little, a big saving can be made by not offering a free bar for guests at the reception. By all means, pay for the table wine and bubbly for toasting during the wedding breakfast, but I’m sure your guests won’t mind buying their own drinks in the evening. Free drinks used to be the norm, however I’m sure your friends and family will understand.
What are the best affordable Essex wedding venues?
Although I have performed at over 1000 Essex weddings, I rarely get involved in other costs…but I do hear things from time to time about value for money and here are a few of my choices;
- Smeetham Hall Barn, Bulmer – Right on the Essex/Suffolk border, this little gem doesn’t offer any accommodation but it does provide a superb characterful venue for your big day at a reasonable price.
- The Compasses, Pattiswick – A large remote country pub converted to a stunning wedding venue, full of charm and ideal for smaller, more intimate wedding parties. Has own accommodation too.
- Braintree Golf Club, Stisted – Yes it is a golf club but it’s definitely one of the nicer venues inside. Modern, bright and easily enough room for 100 diners.
- Ye Olde Plough House, Bulphan – A choice of two function rooms (including a large barn), the Plough hosts hundreds of weddings each year and remains a popular budget choice.
- Regent Ballroom, Stanford-le-Hope – The only town centre venue here, but owners Frank & Shaun have turned the first floor into a dedicated wedding suite, complete with indoor pagoda and floral decor to rival some of the better hotels!
So there you have it, a brief guide to getting hitched at some of Essex’s best wedding venues. It’s a great county in which to tie the knot, with so much choice ranging from golf clubs to listed barns and country estates to four star hotels. There are prices to suit every budget, and don’t forget to shop around for less popular dates or even cancellations to save yourself lots of money!
Start your Essex wedding venue search today…and don’t forget to call me for all your music requirements too!