In order to make the most of their big day, an increasing number of couples are opting for a three-stage wedding. The prep stage, held at a venue such as a hotel, affords plenty of peace and tranquillity before making the journey to the church. The church service is stage two, followed by the final stage – the wedding reception.

But, is it a good idea to have three separate venues? Let me share my experience. Recently, I was lucky enough to be the wedding photographer at a three-venue wedding. The bride and groom, Fiona and Richard, had a morning of preparation at Stoke Place country house in Stoke Green, Surrey. They were then married in the neo-gothic St Teresa Catholic church, Beaconsfield and had their wedding reception at Dorney Court in Windsor. A day of sunshine, smiles, beautiful scenery and a stunning bride and groom, the wedding was a great success. As for the three-venue element of the wedding – well, let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros of a having a wedding at three different venues

Plenty of variety for images

Having a wedding staged across three venues gives your wedding photographer the chance to really get creative. With a variety of backdrops, diverse lighting opportunities and contrasting colours and textures, the day of a wedding can take on a much more interesting narrative.

Venues without accommodation can be cheaper

Staging the reception at a venue without accommodation can mean getting a better deal. Fiona and Richard chose the spectacular Dorney Court in Windsor, one of England’s finest Tudor manor houses. Beautiful architecture, landscaped gardens and surrounding meadows were the perfect backdrop to their wedding. And all for a reasonable price.

Other Considerations

Hosting your wedding in a single hotel (as opposed to across three venues) means that you might not have the place to yourself. This will make getting the perfect wedding photos more difficult. Similarly, hotels may also limit your options for decorating the venue as wedding packages can be highly restrictive. On the other, Dorney Court were much more flexible and open to different options.

Cons of a having a wedding at three different venues

Extra travel time between venues

Staging a wedding across three different locations means spending more time travelling between venues (we spent approximately ninety minutes travelling between venues for Fiona and Richard’s wedding). Every minute counts on the day of a wedding and the last thing you want is to be doing is stressing about traffic minutes before you’re meant to be getting married.

Extra possibilities for delays

The more travelling you must do, the higher the chances of a delay. At Fiona and Richard’s wedding, we were slightly delayed getting to the church, due to traffic. This limited the amount of time I had with the bride and groom to make the most of the wonderful gardens and picturesque courtyard at Dorney Court. These delays rippled throughout the day and, later, the food was delayed, the speeches overran, and it took a long time to turn the room around for the evening.

So, is it worth having a wedding at three different venues?

Overall, I would say yes! Despite the delays, my experience as wedding photographer at Fiona and Richard’s wedding was very positive and the three-stage element gave me the opportunity to create a diverse range of wedding photos. All three venues had their own unique character, which was very important. Something to bear in mind for anyone thinking of staging a three-venue wedding: keep the venues local to cut travel time.