When it comes to your wedding day one of the first prominent elements that need to be settled after the date is the venue, across Ireland, there are some of the most beautiful venues you could possibly dream of, if you've fallen in love with a breathtaking castle, house or hotel that is pretty popular in the Irish wedding scene then you may feel a little less personal about your venue. After all, it's gorgeous but it's featured across every Irish wedding magazine on shelves now! Here are a few ways to make your venue feel more personal to your wedding day regardless of its popularity.

Display Family Heirlooms

Lauren Fair Photography

A beautiful touch to make your venue feel like home is to decorate the place with heirlooms and memories, whether it be photos of you and your new spouse, late family members wedding rings/items that remind you of them or baby photos and wedding photos. Not only is this a lovely way to honour the people unable to attend one of the happiest days of your life, but the conversation starter of each photo is a wonderful way to leave everybody's memories of the venue centred around family and personal nostalgia.

Look At The Venue With Fresh Eyes

Angela Mae Photography

If you've been to a wedding or two in your perfect venue then you may feel a certain expectation to deliver specific design choices that other couples opted to feature on their big day. This isn't the case! Just because your best friend had hanging centrepieces and family-style dining in the venue doesn't mean you have to. Take advantage of the ample opportunities the venue and venue team can afford you and learn from previous wedding decisions to make your wedding perfectly tailored to you and your spouse.

Hire A Photographer Who Hasn't Shot There Before

Anni Graham

The last thing you want if for your wedding photos to look like a carbon copy of every other wedding held in that space. While the hotel might be able to recommend some really good photographers, chances are the reason they can speak so highly of them is because they've worked together several times. There's no issue hiring a photographer or videographer that is accustomed to the venue, however, there is a higher chance that you'll end up being photographed in similar locations to a few other couples. By hiring a photographer who hasn't shot there before there's a higher chance that they'll discover new, unique and beautiful places for photos that other's had never considered!

Rent Out The Whole Venue

Nicola Dixon Photography

A surefire way to ensure that your wedding feels like a 5-star event then talk to the venue about booking the whole place out for your party, this obviously is going to cost quite a lot depending on the venue and time of year e.g. The Kingsley on Valentines day might not be as viable for a full booking as The Maryborough Hotel & Spa in the mid-spring.

Chose Unique Lighting

Sylvie Gil Photography

Lighting plays an important role in the tone of a wedding if you want to set your big day apart from all others hosted in your venue then consider putting some thought into picking the perfect lighting to compliment your venue while making your nuptials look and feel as iconic to your guests as it does to you.

Layout The Space In A Totally New Way

Lindsay Hackney Photography

Something as simple as the table layout can seriously transform the space and make the day feel more personally tailored to you and your wedding's needs. If the space is usually laid out with long banquet tables then talk to the venue about switching to smaller tables for 6-10 guests each, and vice versa. A simple change to the organisation of your reception venue can make it feel like it was custom built just for your wedding day.

- Grainne