Wedding venues across the county have announced that they will be booked through 2023 and receive inquiries through 2024 as the industry grapples with a huge backlog caused by the pandemic.
With a wide variety of great wedding venues in Surrey, there is no shortage of demand for people planning to get married here, but uncertainties in logistics and a strong desire for couples to host weddings once things are “back to normal” show wedding venues that they and so many in the industry are working harder than ever to shape people’s special days.
Susie Evans is wedding and event manager at The Barn at Botley Hill, a relatively new location in Limpsfield village next to Oxted – the first weddings took place in summer 2019.
She told SurreyLive: “We’re more or less fully booked for next year, 2022, and we’re refueling for 2023. There are requests for 2024, but we’re not working that far in advance. We are currently getting probably up to 10 inquiries a day. It’s all very positive. “
When you sign up for the SurreyLive newsletter you will receive our daily news email.
It couldn’t be easier and it takes seconds – just press here, enter your email address and follow the instructions.
On most desktop and mobile platforms, you can also enter your address in the box below the picture at the top of this page.
Changed your mind? There is an unsubscribe button at the bottom of every newsletter we send out.
Timetable restrictions announced in May allow weddings with up to 30 people. While some people like this opportunity to host a smaller event that only the closest family members and friends can attend, others prefer to share their big day with as many people as possible.
And Susie said it was definitely more the latter – they’ve hosted around 15 weddings in the last year, but that number pales in comparison to the 120 events postponed.
“[May 17 is] a step in the right direction, but it still has a huge impact on the entire industry because so many people will not get married if there are only 30 people around. As a venue, we will only be holding two weddings next month, starting May 17th, when we normally do up to four a week. “
Continue reading
Related articles
Continue reading
Related articles
Since weddings are such a big endeavor for so many, she also says that many of the couples she works with don’t want to do things by halves.
“It’s a festival, it’s more than just a quick party. It’s something that, in part, they have been planning for years. I think it was emotionally exhausting – our team worked under the sun every hour. We realize that this is their greatest obligation in life. “
“Couples have postponed appointments almost five or six times”
Rosie Glaister, the owner of Ramster Hall in Chiddingfold just outside Godalming, said she remembered the shock in March 2020 when the industry took such a big blow.
She said: “We [kept] think we’ll get up and go again by summer. I think all of our couples thought so too. People pushed it a few months into summer and it got further and further away. We’ve had a few couples who definitely moved three, four, almost five or six times. I thought it would be okay until autumn and then it wasn’t anymore. “
She said that they too will work until 2023 and even under the somewhat looser restrictions of last summer they were unable to host many events and host four weddings instead of the normal 50-60.
The hardest part for Ramster Hall and much of the industry is the uncertainty of the future – unfortunately, not all wedding venues in Surrey are able to reopen after the pandemic.
A view from Ramster Hall and Garden in Chiddingfold
(Image: Ramster Hall and Garden)
She said: “The cost of running such a place is not insignificant, we really need the weddings to keep the roof on the place. The garden has to be kept spotless. “
But so much has also been said about a bright future once the venues can reopen, which Rosie is excited about.
“My greatest wish is that after June 21st everyone can have a good party and do what they want. I think the biggest turning point is when they can dance. The end of May, when they can’t dance, is a disappointment. “
“Next year will be the decisive time”
Amanda Willis, owner of Encore Evenings and Bridal in Staines, says she worked seven days a week
(Image: Surrey Live / Darren Pepe)
It’s not just venues facing uncertainty about what their clients can do and when, but bridal shops that reopened on April 12th as well.
Amanda Willis, owner of Encore Evenings and Bridal, spoke to SurreyLive ahead of the opening, and the work has been very busy and well in advance since then.
She said, “I work seven days a week to please everyone. When we opened we were very busy with people having weddings in May, June, July. Now when we talk to brides, we get those who have weddings [in] ’22, ’23 even. The current trend is clearly towards smaller weddings. “
While many have simply resigned themselves to hosting smaller weddings, the future is difficult to predict.
Amanda added, “I think next year will be the crucial time. They have to rebook weddings from this year to next year, which means they don’t have a full calendar to book new weddings. “
