Edinburgh Wedding Venues One of the first things that you need to do after getting engaged is to find a suitable wedding venue. You'll often find that the most common question that people ask you when they hear about your engagement is "Have you set the date yet?". In most cases it's pretty difficult to set a date before you have chosen the venue because unless your date is very far in advance you may find that your venue is already booked on that date! If you decide to get married and have your wedding reception in a single venue you may find it useful to check out the list of approved civil ceremony venues. This is a good starting point, as you will not be able to have a civil ceremony unless the venue has a license for this. The next step is to start thinking about possibilities for venues. As well as hotels, you may also want to think about castles, museums, colleges or universities. If you want to go for a hotel wedding, a good place to start your research is TripAdvisor. Have a look at their Top Hotels in Edinburgh. These hotels have been rated by members of the public who have actually visited and stayed at the hotel so you get a good feel for the quality and service of the hotel, which is very important if you are planning to have your wedding there! If you don't want a hotel wedding or you are just looking for a unique wedding venue in Edinburgh here are a few suggestions: Edinburgh Castle The National Museum of Scotland Edinburgh Zoo Royal College of Physicians Royal Botanic Gardens The Hub Mansfield Traquair Weddings at The Scotch Whisky Experience Once you have done your research and decided on a short-list, phone each of the venues and make an appointment to be shown round. At this point you will need to have a rough idea of numbers and your budget so you can decide whether or not this is the venue for you. You can read my wedding planning blog to find out how I got on when I visited the following venues: The Balmoral Hotel Radisson SAS Hotel Apex International Hotel Glasshouse Hotel Edinburgh Marriott Hotel It can be useful to write down a list of questions to ask the venue. Especially if this is the first time you are visiting the hotel. Here are some examples of questions to ask your potential wedding venues: What wedding packages are available/how much are they? Will there be another wedding at the same time as ours? How many people can be accommodated in the different rooms? Is a tasting included? Do you have a master of ceremonies? What is the typical timing on the wedding day? How late can the reception go on till? Where can I get my photos taken? Is car parking available for guests? Do you supply any decorations/candles/flowers etc for the reception/ceremony? Do you supply the drinks/catering or is there the option of having external catering companies? Be sure to have a good look at the available ceremony rooms, reception rooms, bedrooms and public areas. It also makes sense to go for a quick drink in the bar and make sure that the public bar prices aren't going to be really expensive for your guests (that was my excuse anyway!).