Exclusive use for weddings
Have you heard people talk about ‘exclusive use’ when it comes to weddings? Have you wondered what it means? Usually when we talk about a place being ‘exclusive’ it means high end, some people are shut out, probably based on money.
When it comes to weddings, ‘exclusive use’ means something different. It means you’ve got the use of the whole venue for your wedding. It means there won’t be members of the public there, you won’t be sharing your space with anyone else.
Is it an added extra?
You’ll usually see ‘exclusive use’ in connection with bigger venues, hotels, manor house, stately homes etc. When you have a wedding in a big venue, it’s likely you’re sharing it with other guests and maybe other weddings. You can pay extra for exclusive use. It’s a thing. It’s very common for large venues to say you can have exclusive use if you pay a premium. They’ve got big spaces, they need to fill them and they can’t afford for you to be the only people there unless you’re paying extra for the privilege.
Exclusivity and elopement weddings
But what about exclusive use for elopement weddings? Is that a thing? Not for most venues. Most wedding venues keep quiet about the fact you’re sharing your elopement wedding space with the general public, other guests, maybe even another wedding at the same time. Logically of course you can’t really expect to get a large venue just for you – they’ve got overheads and staff to pay, they need to be practical. Generally you’ll need to share if you’re having a tiny wedding in a big venue.
That can also include specialist elopement venues. You’ll see wedding venues who specialise in elopements who hold 5 weddings on the same day. Nothing wrong with it, horses for courses and all that. My point is that unless you check before you book, you might assume you’re getting exclusive use when you’re not. Read the small print.
In the last few years a lot of venues have jumped on the elopement band wagon. We’ve been offering elopement weddings since 2016 and we’ve always offered exclusive use. It’s easy for us, we’re a private house with 46 acres of gardens and we only hold one wedding a day.
One of the (many!) things that sets us apart from other elopement venues is that exclusive use of the venue for your elopement wedding comes as standard with us. There won’t be anyone else here except for you and any staff who are looking after your wedding, oh and the lovely S and I because we live here.
I don’t do any viewings during the whole time you’re on site so no-one else will be looking around whilst you’re here. There are no restricted areas in the gardens, the place is yours to wander about as you please.
So if having the whole venue to yourselves for your elopement wedding sounds up your street, download our elopement brochure and see if we’re the wedding venue for you.
All photos taken on location at Ever After by Clare Kinchin Photography.
