Are you wanting the opportunity to put your own stamp on your wedding? Perhaps you are planning a DIY wedding or you need to ensure you have the flexibility to choose your own caterers for a specific cuisine or dietary requirement. If so, a dry hire wedding venue may be your ideal choice.
From answering your key questions about hiring these kinds of wedding venues to giving great recommendations for locations across the country. Our ultimate guide is here to help you decide whether a dry hire venue is perfect for your wedding.
What is a 'dry hire' wedding venue?
Whilst searching for the perfect wedding venue, you are bound to have stumbled across the term 'dry hire'. But what does this term actually mean? In a nutshell, 'dry hire' simply means that the venue can offer couples a space to host their wedding but doesn't provide certain facilities such as staff, decoration, catering, or entertainment.
Dry hire venues are also known as 'blank canvas' venues, which sums up perfectly what these venues offer. They give couples a blank canvas to work with to help them create their bespoke wedding day.
Dry hire venues do not typically offer all-inclusive wedding packages so couples are expected to find their own suppliers to create the day of their dreams. The sense of potential these venues offer is what often attracts couples to these spaces with couples loving the idea of scrapping tradition and having creative freedom.
Explore all of our dry hire venues.
What are the benefits of a dry hire venue?
There are some huge benefits to choosing this type of wedding venue. These include:
Control and Flexibility
Dry hire allows complete freedom from the wedding breakfast menu, to the timings of the day. Traditions can be thrown out the window and you can fully focus on prioritising what you and your partner want for your big day. You are in full control of what occurs throughout the day.
Decor
Blank canvas venues allows you to start from scratch for decor. For creative couples this is a dream come true! The creative freedom this allows means you can make the venue completely your own to celebrate your wedding in a style that's reflective of you and your partner!
Exclusivity
More often than not, dry hire venues offer wedding couples and their guests exclusive use of the venue. This exclusivity often appears in increased costs for venues that are available for wedding packages. Exclusive hire allows you and your guests to enjoy the whole venue and the grounds without bumping into members of the public or other weddings taking place.
Perfect for all budgets
As you aren't restricted to wedding packages, you can make your wedding as budget friendly or as luxurious as you want!
For those planning a luxurious wedding, you have the opportunity to really wow your wedding guests with incredible decor and food. It is the creative freedom that often attracts some of the top wedding planners to these blank canvas spaces as they can create an event that is showstopping and memorable for their wedding couples.
If you are a bargain hunter and love the thrill of getting an amazing deal, this is the perfect option as dry hire gives you the opportunity to be flexible with which wedding suppliers you pick for your day.
Corkage
Wanting to serve a specific wine or choose a quirky drinks supplier? When you decide to choose a dry hire venue, it is very likely you won't have to pay corkage, saving you a big chunk of money that can go towards more useful aspects to your wedding!
Late licenses
It is often more likely that dry hire venues have access to late licenses so couples have the opportunity to party until midnight, or in some cases into the early hours of the morning for a small additional fee. If this is key to choosing your ideal venue, make sure to speak to your dry hire venue prior to booking to confirm if they have this particular license.
How much does it typically cost to get married in a dry hire venue?
Before we start, it is important to note that every dry hire venue is different. No one rule can be applied to all dry hire venues. It really is a sliding scale depending on what you get when you book. Some dry hire venues can be secured for as little as £2000, whereas others are more expensive and the hire price can start at £20,000.
Ultimately the cost will all depend on what you are getting when you book. For example, hiring a very rustic barn for a day with no kitchen, energy supply, toilet facilities or a wedding coordinator to support you, will cost a lot less to hire than a country house venue that offers weekend hire and covers all of these aspects (plus some additional benefits!). We recommend working out what you and your partner want and need from a venue before you start your search.
On paper, dry hire venues may seem like the most cost-effective option compared to other venues. However, comparing both figures can be deceiving as you're not comparing like for like. If you have a set budget in mind, then it’s well worth taking the time to create a wedding budget to add in guideline prices for all of the items you’ll need.
It is also important to remember that many venues have a high season and low season rates. For dry hire venues, the fee is pretty similar year-round. If you are looking for a budget friendly venue during the summer months, then dry hire may be perfect for you.
Dry hire venues are ideal for getting creative, so, if having an incredible wedding feast with several courses, canapés and food trucks is on your list, this is more likely to be possible with a dry hire venue than with one that delivers a traditional wedding package.
Can I really choose every supplier for a dry hire wedding?
In most cases, yes! The beauty of choosing a dry hire wedding venue is the freedom to work with and pick the perfect suppliers for your day.
In some cases, the venue may prefer if you use a caterer or marquee supplier that is within their approved list. This is because many venues will work with a set list of local companies that have experience at the venue and have gone through all of their necessary insurance checks already.
If the caterer or marquee hire company you would like is not on the preferred list, most venues are happy for you to have them as long as they meet their necessary safety standards and can provide the correct paperwork for their insurance. Simply ask the question to find out before you book.
Top tips for hiring a dry hire wedding venue:
Talk to your venue before booking them for your wedding day
Make sure you have all the information from them so you aren't caught by surprise later down the line. Although dry hire, they often have suppliers they would recommend as they often work at that venue. They may also have certain rules and regulations that comes with hiring the venue, so ensure they are in line with your desires.
For the best advice on this, check out our blog on questions to ask your venue.
Check the venues facilities
Check the heavy duty facilities, such as toilets and heating/air conditioning. This is not something you want to have to deal with needing to arrange unexpectedly and you may want the time to source suppliers, especially if you are marrying during peak wedding season.
We also recommend checking their sound system. This is another thing you don't want to have to worry about at the last minute. Once checked, you will know the correct items of tech you will need to bring with you.
Leave yourself enough time for planning
As dry hire venues don't offer all-inclusive wedding packages, a lot of the heavy lifting will fall on your shoulders. Although exciting, this can become very time consuming so you must make sure you have enough time to complete your wedding checklist. We often recommend leaving yourself 18 months to prepare for a dry hire wedding if you are planning the day yourself.
Create a clear and manageable schedule for your wedding planning
When choosing to go dry hire, you'll need to be more organised than your average wedding couple and may not have a wedding coordinator to support your planning. Creating a comprehensive to-do list will ensure you stick to schedule and nothing is forgotten. For some inspiration, why not check out our wedding checklist..
Create a clear wedding day timetable
Lay out all the important timings that will involve external suppliers and send it to all of your suppliers. This will give them a clear idea of what is expected of them on the day and allow you to have a bit of peace of mind knowing that you and your suppliers are on the same page.
Recommendation: If you don't have a wedding coordinator included in your dry hire fees, we highly recommend getting a wedding coordinator to support you for the big day itself. This is often called on-the-day coordination and many wedding planners are now offering this service or even specialising in it!
Be on top of all your contracts with your venue and all your suppliers
This is important to ensure that your debts are payed and they are going to deliver on their promises. To keep track of this, why not set up a wedding planner on the Guides for Brides site? This tool will help you keep all your wedding planning in one place and makes sure you won't forget anything!
Amazing dry hire wedding venues across the UK:
New House Farm, Cumbria
New House Farm offers a stunning blank canvas barn wedding venue surrounded by Cumbrian hills and lakes. The Hayloft is a really lovely space where you really get creative and make the venue unique to your style. Suitable for up to 130 wedding guests, this location is a great size and simply picture perfect!
Love the look of New House Farm?
The Barn At Upcote, Gloucestershire
The Barn at Upcote is the perfect blank canvas venue for your big day. If you're a lover of the countryside and the aesthetics of a barn wedding, then look no further! Hidden away in the Cotswold countryside, you will be sure to have the perfect, personal wedding day with your nearest and dearest.
Want to find out more about The Barn At Upcote?
Llantilio House, Monmouthshire
Offering couples and their guests exclusive use of the farm, Llantilio House is the perfect wedding getaway. Surrounded by the lush Welsh countryside, Llantilio House has been renovated to the highest standards, making sure it is kitted out with all your wedding wants and needs. If this hasn't already tempted you, what makes it even more special is that this wedding venue is carbon negative!
Find out more about weddings at Llantilio House
Brympton House, Somerset
Located in the beautiful county of Somerset, Brympton House really lives up to the lavish country lifestyle. Elegant and exclusive, your guests will be blown away by the venue and the stunning photo opportunities it offers!
Want to find out more about Brympton House?
Cogges Manor Farm, Oxfordshire
Boasting two 17th century barns, Cogges Manor Farm is the perfect dry hire wedding venue. Kitted for all your wedding needs, Cogges Manor Farm is ready to be dressed for the occasion to provide country loving couples their perfect wedding venue!
Want to find out more about Cogges Manor Farm?
Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire
This award-winning wedding venue promises to be the perfect blank canvas wedding venue for your and your guests. Boasting 100 acres of manicured parkland and a chandelier lined Ballroom, Hedsor House it is the picture of elegance and luxury. Providing many backdrops for your wedding photos, you really will feel like royalty when tying the knot here.
Want to find out more about Hedsor House?
The Glass House, East London
This brand new venue, located in East London, offers couples the perfect dry hire setting. Whilst being budget friendly, this venue offers couples with something unique and special. In the perfect location for guests to access, The Glass House can become anything you want it to be!
Want to find out more about The Glass House?
The Essex Barn, Essex
The perfect barn venue for dry hire, The Essex Barn offers couples the perfect location to tie the knot. Available for exclusive use, you and your guests can enjoy the grounds to their full extent whilst celebrating your big day.
Want to find out more about The Essex Barn?
The Reading Room, Norfolk
A true English gem, The Reading Room offers wedding couples a truly charming and charismatic wedding venue. The historic 17th century building is located in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, surrounded by walled gardens and an abundance of wild flowers. It is simply impossible to pass up this wedding venue!
Want to find out more about The Reading Room?
Breckenhill Barn, County Antrim
If you are looking for a dry hire barn venue in Northern Ireland, Breckenhill is a fabulous choice. At this venue there are two beautiful blank canvas barns to choose from. The Stone Barn seats up to 80 wedding guests upstairs and 30 downstairs, and the Green Barn with space for around 125 people to celebrate. With such pretty settings and a flexible space, you and your partner can create the perfect wedding day here.
Learn more about weddings at Breckenhill.
Hockwold Hall, Norfolk
On the borders of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire is the stunning manor house, Hockwold Hall. Situated on 50 acres of lush gardens, this former royal residence offers the combination of historic charm and natural beauty. Couples are treated with exclusive use of the grounds. The venue can work around any couple's budgets and desires! It really is the perfect wedding venue for couples that want to feel like royalty for the night.
Want to find out more about Hockwold Hall?
