In today’s evolving wedding industry, offering a comprehensive wedding experience is no longer a luxury but a necessity for wedding venues. As couples seek wedding venues that can provide everything from the ceremony and reception to convenient accommodation for guests, wedding venues are under increasing pressure to adapt.
To help you stay ahead of the curve, we’ve teamed up with renowned wedding expert and consultant Kelly Chandler to discuss how modular units can be a game-changer for your business. By adding on-site accommodation, additional spaces and prep rooms, you can create a seamless and unforgettable experience for couples and their guests.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the benefits of incorporating modular units into your wedding venue and provide valuable insights from Kelly Chandler on how to maximise their potential.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m a wedding venue consultant supporting mainly private events and wedding venues with their growth and development at all stages. I have a passion for and 20 year + operational experience of running events in heritage as well as rural locations which defines most of my clients.
What do you think are the biggest challenges wedding venues face today in attracting couples?
The market is very competitive and there is very wide customer choice out there compared to 5 years ago in most parts of the country. The quality of facilities available has also hugely improved as leading businesses have continued to invest and develop their offering, add features and professionalise, knowing that they need to keep innovating to attract this young and increasingly discerning wedding client base.
What can venues do to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace?
Showing personality and the uniqueness of their story is very important in the wedding market. The most successful venues I know weave their history, their family story and their values into their offering at all the steps. Service and people matter hugely in this sector and how couples are welcomed, looked after and supported.
Can you give us some creative examples of how venues can enhance their couple’s experience?
The venue is in a great position to be able to inspire with the latest offerings out there through either investing and supplying directly or through partnering with well-matched preferred suppliers or “friends of”. Whether it’s bespoke illustrated art of the venue for invitations, spot on props, backdrops, floral décor or whether it’s beautifully presented cocktails and canapes, there is great opportunity (and to some extent expectation) that venues are trend-aware and pull together a curated dream team who can assist couples in creating their magical day.
Do you think venues face challenges with demand for accommodation?
The need for guest accommodation has been on the up year on year over the past 5 or more years as more couples seek a multi-day wedding vibe, even if they live locally. Many venues don’t have enough accommodation to offer or enough range of accommodation that a wedding requires.
What do you think about high-end modular structures for guest accommodation?
This kind of accommodation should be speedy to install and have ready compared to a conversion of existing buildings which can be fraught with planning and heritage / conservation challenges at times. A stand-alone modular structure allows for a standardisation of accommodation which is a consideration for group bookings as it’s easy to give all guests the same level of accommodation and experience. In theory modular structures have the flexibility to be cited in a “close to” but “far enough from” the venue to suit noise and access restrictions.
What have your clients done in the past with modular structures that have proven to work?
A number of my client venues have seen the benefits of creating “villages” of accommodation; most of that to date has been using glamping pods, shepherd’s huts etc in woodland settings separate to but adjoining barns and main function space. I see the modular accommodation from Iron & Pine as a step-up to a more luxurious option of appeal to a wider market of customers and wedding guests of all age ranges.
We hear about destination weddings. What impact do you think modular structures will have on these type of weddings?
I see modular structures really helping the increase in destination weddings because there is an ability to use those structures to create all of the facilities that a destination wedding may need to contain within a certain space. So for example with a wedding that is truly destination there would usually be at least 2 nights and therefore additional breakfasts, lunches, dinners as well as small group activities potentially, prep on the wedding day of both parts of the bridal party. As such modular structures can provide not just accommodation for guests to sleep but additional structures for example for small dining areas for smaller number of guests, hair and make up prep rooms, workshop rooms for the likes of cocktail making or craft making or similar or pop up hangover brunch locations!
Trends come and go, but how can venues cater to the evolving trends and expectations of modern couples?
The best ideas often come from couples themselves so having an open dialogue with current and upcoming couples about what they are seeing or would like to see is important. Keeping an eye on what’s happening outside of the UK is very important – looking at markets such as the USA as well as Australia and South Africa who particularly lead the field in outdoor options is important.
What are some effective strategies for upselling additional services to couples without being pushy?
It’s all about being able to inspire and showcase possibilities. Being able to get couples to see and experience on the likes of open days and styled showcases is really key and keeping up inspiration on social media channels and other marketing throughout the planning journey. Often couples’ budgets will fluctuate during the planning so being there at different stages of that journey with options particularly in the 1-4 months before the big day.
Do you have any tips for maximising revenue during the off-season?
Weddings are all year round (albeit Jan/Feb are tricky for most) so for a venue wanting to maximise revenue across the year there are opportunities with the right pricing strategy and weather-proof facilities to attract business year-round. It is key to think of lighting, cover, heating and how a winter/dark hours wedding or event can work. But also, for most venues they can look at things like supper clubs, workshops, wellness events, training sessions that run year round and are equally appealing in winter and summer.
What about wedding packages to appeal to a range of budgets?
There are lots of options depending on the business model of the wedding venue but certainly offering different packages seasonally or on different days of the week with midweeks attracting a significant discount. There are options as well to package up with certain key suppliers so offering food and drinks packages and key weddings items with minimal choice at a lower pricing level and more levels of customisation for a higher package.
What are the future trends you foresee in the wedding industry, and how can wedding venues prepare for them?
The trend for multi-day weddings will pick up a pace and become more the norm so accommodation on site and the associated infrastructure around it will become more important. In particular smart venues will look at how they can cleverly utilise their spaces to give each wedding party exclusive-use and overnight but without affecting use of the main function spaces and unnecessarily limiting that to one day per weekend so clever use of planning, logistics and flow of facilities to allow one party in, one party out but overlapping but with sufficient space so that they are not aware of the other party.
It’s increasingly important to treat both members of the wedding party as equals when it comes to things like prep and getting ready and the “morning of the wedding” so it’s become much more desirable and I see this trend picking up for venues to design 2 equally attractive prep suites and keeping them more gender neutral.
The use of the outdoors for all aspects of a wedding or party will become more the norm so pop up bars, al fresco chill out areas, dining areas outdoors that are flexible, protected from the elements at short notice where needed and with an outdoors in feeling.
What do you think are some common challenges wedding venues face regarding space limitations on the wedding day?
A lack of dedicated prep room is becoming a really big problem for some wedding venues as more and more couples expect it. Storage rooms for kit, gifts, luggage etc can sometimes be challenging and additional spaces for a variety of purposes can sometimes be in short supply such as: calm and quiet space for the couple to have a moment, comfy space for elderly guests, dedicated space for children’s activity and children’s rest, space for feeding mums, large enough cloakroom/loo for bride in her gown.
Do you think on-site modular accommodation could be a sustainable solution for venues looking to minimise the environmental impact of travel for guests?
Clearly keeping guests on site in one location that is walkable from the main activity and keeping them on site without using cars for 1-3 days is a win for the environment. Then there is looking at how the modular accommodation is powered with lights and heat, how water is sourced and waste disposal then there is potential for minimising environmental impact.
