Although many couples still wish to get married in a traditional setting, like a church, there is an increasing trend of newly weds who have chosen less traditional venues.

Xochiti Gonzalez runs a wedding consultancy service, Alwaysabridesmaid that specialises in helping couples to find more unique wedding venues. Such venues include places such as art galleries, lofts, photo studios, and public spaces like libraries. The company is typical of many that seek to help the couple to get from A to B in the process of planning their unique day and can end up being a way of both reducing wedding stress and even help prevent escalating costs.

Creating a wedding that is ‘less traditional’ can be very challenging, and wedding planners like Alwaysabridesmaid seek to enable couples to put their own thumbprint on the day, ensuring that there is a unique element in each aspect of the wedding. Xochiti gives an example of a client who wanted to serve her guests with a fish that only lives in the river where she grew up. Wedding consultancy companies can also facilitate the process of getting all the vendors in place and make sure that everything goes to plan on the day. They will also act as the 'point person' in negotiations with vendors, using their expertise in what can be a highly confusing arena – where pitfalls are many.

For sure, if couples want to leave a lasting impression on their guests, and wish to have memories that they can look back upon with real fondness, then getting married somewhere 'different' is a great idea.

The sort of 'alternative' venues used often mean that you start with an empty space, so wedding planning has to be specific and highly detailed, down to the shape of the tables, the kind of chairs, do you want lounge furniture? etc. There is a need to create a feel to the wedding, which can be achieved through both bringing in the right type of lighting, using the right seating, decorating the venue with the right colours etc. Xochiti says ‘It’s like stage managing a production created with the couple, almost like being an artist’.

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