The wedding sector, not an industry for the faint hearted but one that offers opportunity and reward both financially and emotionally for those that can rise to the challenge of delivering under pressure.

For farmers or landowners who have the facilities and space to consider starting a wedding venue business, there is scope. But, before diving straight in, doing your research is time well spent.

One of the areas to consider during this research phase is the type of business model you want to establish as this will impact what you can offer potential clients and will have a huge bearing on the market you will attract.


See also: The latest wedding trends


When it comes to weddings, no two are ever the same. Some couples will follow the trends, whereas others will want something totally bespoke. As a result, it can be hard to pin-point actually what your potential wedding venue should offer. But, the alternative business models available in this industry can help overcome this issue.

What alternative business models are possible?

  1. Dry hire

Dry hire is generally a hands-off approach when it comes to weddings. It is based on the principle of letting out your venue or facilities to wedding parties in order for them to make their own mark on it.

Within your offering, you can choose what you wish to offer. It could just be the bare-bones of a structure or you could also offer tables and chairs, heating and toilets for example. What you offer can affect the price you can charge for the venue so this is worth considering.

For wedding parties, this can be an attractive option as it allows them the flexibility to dress and style the venue as they wish and they are not restricted by the suppliers they can use.

Having said this, it is often the case that couples will require your help to find local suppliers who will be able to fulfil their requirements. Bearing in mind that couples are usually inexperienced at running large scale events, it’s vital that, if you don’t offer it yourself, you have a very strong team of suppliers who can support your couples and ensure a smooth running and safe event on what is, at the end of the day, your land and your venue. Therefore, building strong relationships with third parties goes a long way to making this type of business model a success.

The Cherry Barn, near Rye, Kent is a great example of a venue offering dry hire for those looking to get married.

  1. Partner managed venues

This option provides opportunity for those who have under-utilised resources, whether that’s land or buildings that they wish to do something with, but don’t necessarily want the hassle of starting-up and running a new venture themselves or recognise that they are not wedding specialists. A great example of this style of business model is Fiesta Fields. They source suitable land for weddings and then market this to potential clients offering various packages from the land hire only, through to organising the whole event.


See also: What does the millennial wedding customer expect of your venue


Landowners in this instance get a return from the rental of the land, however, have no involvement in running the weddings. It can be a great half-way house option.

Venues can often be run in this way by catering companies who handle the sales and marketing and operations on behalf of the venue team, who agree a split of each venue booking or agree an annual fee for a certain number of events blocked into the diary of a venue.

The owners of Prestwold Hall and their caterers Maverick Venues are an example of a venue working in partnership with a caterer.

  1. Full wedding venues

This is where the venue does everything, providing all the required facilities including in-house caterers and a bar, plus a wedding co-ordination service.

Creating an all-inclusive wedding venue is a big project that takes a large amount of investment. These businesses will often have a full-time team of people running the operation as well as additional event staff brought in to help on wedding days.

Building collaborative, long-term relationships with third parties is once again key to the success of these venues which are more often than not suited to stately homes, country estates, hotels or to those who are prepared to build a new venture.

Manor Hill House in Worcestershire is an example of a full wedding venue.

When it comes to establishing your wedding venue business identifying the type of business model you want to operate should be related to the level of resource in terms of time and infrastructure you have and want to put towards the business.

The wedding industry can be a very rewarding sector to work in and offer great returns for farmers and landowners looking to diversify. However, it is a competitive marketplace, hospitality is hard work and long hours and there are a lot of considerations and planning to put into place and so doing your research in the initial phases is key.

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