Planning your wedding should be one of the most exciting thing you’ll ever do, but it can quite quickly become an overwhelming experience. Find a venue; Choose a photographer; Book your entertainment; Taste the cake; Decide on flowers; Work out what you're actually supposed to do with your table plan... The list goes on.
There is also so much out there to be inspired by, and it’s so easy to find it but easy to be overwhelmed by. You can spend weeks scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, saving pins on Pinterest, scrolling through websites, sending emails back and forth or browsing wedding directories and still be no closer to a decision. Then suddenly, what started as an exciting engagement has turned into a second job.
But what if you could make a serious start on your wedding planning in just one evening?
That's exactly what you can do at this year's Worton Hall Wedding Fair.
Taking place this month on Thursday 17th September from 4:30pm–8pm, the evening brings together the venue, wedding suppliers, food, entertainment and plenty of inspiration. We try to go all out on our wedding fairs curating a huge range of unique and trusted suppliers as well as injecting our own creativity with magical displays and wedding planning tools. We want to
give you the best chance to experience a whole range of possibilities for your wedding in one place. One couple who had already booked with us came along to one of our wedding fairs last year and booked most of their suppliers there and then.
So, could you plan your wedding in one evening? Let's see how far you could get...
Start with the venue
Well, not quite... two of the first questions you’ll probably be answering when you start planning your wedding are when and where you want to get married. We have found that in a lot of cases one impacts the other. Some couples have their heart set on our venue even if we don’t have their preferred date, while others value that date over everything else. The season is another important consideration which can impact photos, weather, and costs.
A wedding venue sets the scene for so many of your other choices, from the number of guests you can invite, the style of your day, what you can decorate, catering options, and the atmosphere you're trying to create.
And that's where your afternoon at Worton Hall starts.
Set within the Oxfordshire countryside, Worton Hall is a converted grain barn which offers a unique setting for weddings, with spaces designed to take you from ceremony through to the reception. Our venue can host up to 280 guests and is a true blank canvas which can be decorated however you wish, in any style you wish. The fairy light canopy included in your hire, as well as lots of other optional decor pieces, creates a magical atmosphere. We also work with a huge list of recommended and a select few preferred caterers to suit your taste.
At our Wedding Fair, you'll have the opportunity to explore the venue for yourself and start imagining how your own wedding could work here. Visiting a wedding venue is nothing like viewing it online. You can explore each space and view it from every angle, picture your ceremony, imagine your wedding breakfast and start thinking about how you'd use the venue on your own day.
What would the space look like once you've added your own flowers, styling and personal touches? How would you arrange your reception? Where would everyone sit?
Rather than trying to answer those questions from photographs, you can walk through the venue and experience it for yourself.
One big wedding decision: potentially ticked off.
Meet the people who could make your wedding happen
Once you've got an idea of where you're getting married, the next question is who is going to help bring your day together?
At the Worton Hall Wedding Fair, you'll also be able to meet a selection of wedding suppliers under one roof. Photographers, caterers, cake makers, decorators, florists, transport options, garden games, photobooths, magicians, and so much more will be in attendance!It's also a chance to discover suppliers you might not have come across during your online searches.
There's something quite different about meeting someone in person compared with looking at their Instagram feed. You can talk through your ideas, find out how they work, ask questions and, perhaps most importantly, get a feel for whether they're someone you'd actually like to have involved in your wedding. Remember the suppliers you meet are experts in the industry, often with years of experience. They can be great font of knowledge and help you tremendously, even if you don’t end up booking with them.
We have taken great care to curate the suppliers joining us at this year's fair. All of them in attendance are part of our recommended suppliers list, and many have worked at Worton Hall weddings before. They're businesses we know and trust to help make your wedding day special. For some of our other wonderful recommended suppliers who can't join us in person, we'll have information available at the fair so you can discover them too.
Another few decisions? Potentially ticked off.
Indulge the Senses: Taste, Hear & Experience Your Wedding
Wedding planning isn't just about how your day looks; it's about how it tastes, smells, sounds and feels, too.
Some wedding decisions really shouldn't be made from a photograph. Food and cake are two obvious examples. A beautifully photographed wedding cake might look fantastic, but what does it actually taste like? And a caterer's website can tell you what's on the menu, but there's no substitute for trying the food yourself.
Listening to live music is always the best way to experience it, which is why we have a rolling schedule so you’ll hear each DJ or musician at least once during the duration of your visit. Music is also a great atmosphere setter. Are you looking for a packed dance floor? Something relaxed during your drinks reception? Live music for your ceremony?
A wedding fair gives you the chance to explore those options without having to imagine everything from a screen.
Perhaps one of the more overlooked senses when it comes to wedding planning is smell. Flowers, in particular, can smell very different depending on whether you choose fresh, natural blooms or artificial alternatives. You decide what works for you and whether you want your floral arrangements to bring another layer of scent to your wedding day.
A wedding fair gives you the chance to experience these choices rather than simply imagine them. By the end of the afternoon, you might have discovered not just what you want your wedding to look like, but what you want it to taste, smell and sound like, too.
Start figuring out your wedding style
You might arrive at a wedding fair thinking you know exactly what you want and how you want it to look. Or you might arrive knowing absolutely nothing. Both are absolutely fine.
The Worton Hall Wedding Fair is designed to give you plenty of opportunities to gather inspiration for the styling of your own day. Each year we have multiple table settings, displays, and our ceremony space in the Hayloft Gallery set up, each with distinct styles.
Seeing different suppliers, styling ideas, colours, flowers, table settings and décor in person in the context of a real wedding venue can help you start working out what feels right for you.
Maybe you've always imagined a classic white wedding and suddenly fall in love with vibrant florals. Or you’ve always dreamt of an elegant round table plan but now prefer our rustic, trestle tables. Sometimes you don't know what you want until you see it.
Or perhaps you just need that final piece, which could be a piece of stationery or decor, elements of a tablescape, a floral style or colour combination, that suddenly arranges the puzzle pieces into place. This is where things can start to come together.
Ask the questions you've been putting off
There's also the less glamorous side of wedding planning: the questions. As well as all the exciting and fun bits all about bringing your dream day to life, there are also the logistical ones.
What's included in the price?
What happens if the weather changes?
How many guests can you accommodate?
When do you need final numbers?
Can the venue and suppliers work with your existing ideas?
At the Worton Hall Wedding Fair, you can ask those questions directly to our team and the suppliers attending on the day. Rather than adding another email to your already growing list, you can have a conversation, get an immediate answer and, where appropriate, ask follow-up questions there and then.
You don't need to arrive ready to book everything. You can simply gather information, make notes, have a chat and leave with a much clearer idea of what you want to do next. One more part of your wedding planning potentially ticked off in one go.
So... could you plan your wedding in one evening?
Probably not entirely.
But you could:
✓ Explore a potential venue
✓ Meet multiple wedding suppliers
✓ Taste food and cake
✓ Discover entertainment
✓ Find inspiration for your styling
✓ Ask questions
✓ Compare different options
✓ Discover suppliers you hadn't considered
✓ Start turning your ideas into an actual plan
And that's really the point. A wedding fair isn't about trying to organise your entire wedding in a few hours. It's about making the planning process feel a little less overwhelming and a lot more exciting. Instead of dozens of browser tabs, spreadsheets and saved Instagram posts, you can spend an afternoon actually experiencing the possibilities for your wedding.
Make an evening of it
If you’re planning on attending a wedding fair. We recommend turning your visit into something more. Come with your partner, bring your family or friends, explore the venue, enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly or sparkling elderflower, try a few samples and take your time discovering what's possible. Also, take the time to unwind after your visit, maybe over a drink or meal at a nearby pub, head out for a walk or simply find somewhere to sit and relax. With so much going on in everyday life, a wedding fair can be a great excuse to spend an evening out together and slow down, whether you’re making a day of it as a couple or bringing along family and friends.
Ready to Give It a Try?
Our Worton Hall Wedding Fair is taking place on Thursday 17 September, from 4:30pm–8pm.
Come and explore Worton Hall, meet a range of wedding suppliers, discover ideas for your day and start turning your wedding plans into reality. There'll be opportunities to meet suppliers, sample food and cake, see styling ideas and experience live entertainment, giving you plenty of inspiration to take away with you.
And if you're still not quite ready to make any decisions? That's completely fine. Come along, explore, ask questions and enjoy an afternoon of wedding inspiration.
Who knows? You might leave having made more progress than you expected.
