wedding venues and disabled access

Wedding Venues and Disabled Access

There are some important questions to ask and points to consider when you are searching for a venue to host your wedding or other celebrations. Whatever the occasion, if you or your guests have any sort of limitations to their mobility, then this subject in one you will need to consider. One that is top of mind when researching and visiting potential venues.

You have put a lot of your energy, hopes and dreams into you wedding day and everyone should be pulling out the stops for you so you don’t have to make compromises that will mar the memory of such a special day.

Wedding Venues and Disabled Access - person in a wheelchair

Wedding Venues and Disabled Access – 10 Questions to Ask

Here are some suggested questions to ask the wedding venues on your short list. Either when you first make contact or on your venue show round.

Is the disabled access through the front entrance or will you have to use a side entrance? If as the wedding couple you are asked to use a side entrance ask ourselves id this is the right venue for you.
What are the dimensions of the doors? Ask for the measurements of the doors as wheelchairs come in different sizes. Some powered chairs are larger that manual ones.
How heavy are the doors, can you open them easily? As a wheelchair user or someone who uses walking aids, can you reach the handle and do you have space to manoeuvre o open the doors?
What kind of surface does the walkways and car parks have? Gravel or cobbles surfaces are difficult to navigate.
Is there a lift to access the upper floors of needed? If your venue offers accommodation on site and they are on the upper floors, how will you access them?
Ask about ramps at the venue and if you can take a guest with limited mobility on a visit to test our the access arrangements.
Is the bathroom and restrooms big enough to accommodate a wheelchair and attendants?
Does the venue have non slip floors in the public areas, and bathrooms.
Are support rails in place?
Does the venue offer a quiet space for guests who may need it?

Finding a wedding venue that offers disabled access as part of the normal service they provide and not as an afterthought will add such an important dimension to you wedding day. A day that is full of thought and consideration and one that ensures you have a day to remember.

You might find this website useful. It gives details of a number of wedding venues and disabled access across the country.

Moving away from weddings for a moment and on to accessible UK event venues in general, this website from Age UK is worth visiting. As they point out:

‘The UK is replete with many wonderful music and event venues that are enjoyed throughout the year. This country is certainly very lucky in this regard as we have plenty of choices no matter where we live, especially in the cities. The even better news is that there a good number of venues across Great Britain where people can enjoy music, talks, workshops, and myriad other events, that have also made a great effort to implement accessible facilities.

Attitude is Everything, who have made wonderful strides to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live music, know a thing or two about what it takes to make a venue accessible …

… From big arenas to small local venues, there certainly are a number of truly terrific locations to be proud of. With this in mind, please read on for a selection of some of the very best accessible event venues in the UK. Hopefully, you will be able to visit some yourself in the near future.

Wedding Planning Timelines

If you found this blog about wedding venues and disabled access useful, you may also want to visit our wedding planning timeline blog. It’s full of useful tips and advice on the tasks you need to do and when during your wedding planning journey. See also, our Wedding Planning timeline 18 Months +

Follow us on social media to keep up to date with our happening and to see even more of our decor. Follow the links to Instagram , Facebook and Pinterest and see the latest additions to our accessory hire range as well as the fab venue transformations that we produce for our lovely couples.