Alternative Wedding Venues
I naively thought that finding the perfect wedding venue was a relatively easy task. Quick google, read some reviews, make sure they had a decent PA system (and a decent bar!) and job done. It turns out, when looking for one for your own wedding, there is so much more to consider.
My wife and I eventually settled on our local pub for our reception venue, but on the way to hiring The Unthank Arms we discovered some great alternative venues right here in our hometown of Norwich.
Puppet Theatre - Inside one of the many churches in Norwich is a theatre dedicated to puppets of all kinds, and you can get married there! Ideal for smaller celebrations and easy to get to for out of towners as the train station is just round the corner. There’s a stage, red velvet chairs in tiers, a bar and LOADS of puppets. We didn’t get married there as my wife is terrified of them, but if you want something different (and you’re not scared to death of puppets) this is it!
Norwich Arts Centre - perfect for live music lovers, we considered the Arts Centre as again it’s in an old church and we love old buildings. We’ve also been to gigs there and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Despite being near the centre of the Fine City, the garden isn’t overlooked and the bar caters for everyone. The main hall is pretty big, with a stage, so perfect if you want a live band to party to.
Cinema City - This one is for film fans (and again is in an old church!) You can say ‘I do’ in front of the big screen and then watch a movie, and as they have a restaurant attached they can do all your wedding food in a relaxed buffet-style.
St Andrews Crypt - Yep another church, but this one has a crypt! We seriously considered hiring this space, as the flint walls and arches looked amazing (and dressed in the right way we could have recreated some Hammer horror scenes). Again bar and food is available and the central location is great for guests.
Flint Rooms - One of the newer venues to pop up in Norwich, the Flint Rooms prides itself on being inclusive and welcoming anyone to celebrate in their venue. They encourage wacky and different (in fact if it had been around when we were looking, we probably would have got married there!)
Dragon Hall - probably the most conventional of the venues we considered, but still a gorgeous old building on a cobbled street of Norwich. And it’s called Dragon Hall which is pretty cool. With the beamed roof, exposed bricks and gorgeous enclosed garden, you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time and forget you’re in a bustling city.
These guys had their wedding in a brewery. They got maried right next to the brewing tanks.