Open Air Business May 2016
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine
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FUNCTION VENUES<br />
Wedding<br />
<strong>Business</strong><br />
Models<br />
A lot of landowners overlook the enormous potential offered<br />
by the wedding industry, writes Isabel Smith<br />
PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES<br />
GONE ARE THE days when a wedding reception<br />
was simply hosted by the nearest hotel or local pub.<br />
Modern couples want something different that will<br />
wow their guests and look great in photographs –<br />
and they are prepared to pay a lot of money for the<br />
right venue. The fact is your summer gardens, rolling<br />
farmland or family home could easily be transformed<br />
to wedding heaven, and you will have the joy of<br />
hosting couples on the happiest day of their lives.<br />
However, if you’ve never worked in the wedding<br />
industry before the idea of suddenly pitching<br />
yourself as a wedding venue might seem a little<br />
intimidating. After all, you have to market yourself<br />
somehow, apply for umpteen licences and face the<br />
prospect of dealing with demanding bridezillas!<br />
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be as<br />
daunting as it first sounds. Running a wedding venue<br />
is nowhere near as difficult or scary as you might<br />
imagine. All you have to do is choose the business<br />
model that suits you best and follow a few basic<br />
rules. The trick is to make your venue work for you.<br />
Here’s my guide. ›<br />
16 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
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