When you’re planning a last minute wedding, your first step is to choose your venue. Choosing a venue where you can have your ceremony and your reception together means less planning and coordination required overall. Think also on whether your venue can supply an entire package – catering, cake, accommodation, décor pieces and more. The more they can offer, the less you have to coordinate and the smoother your shorter planning window will be. Check out their approved suppliers also for trusted partners who know the venue well.

It’s no surprise that you’ll find more availability for wedding dates during early spring, late autumn and winter. Since sunshine isn’t a guarantee at any time of year, consider how the venue and surrounding landscape looks in other seasons, and imagine how those features could accentuate your wedding. Early dusks, seasonal landscapes and beautiful indoor spaces can all make for stunning backdrops so you’re not compromising on your wedding ‘wow factor’ by not planning years ahead, and a wedding ‘theme’ or colour scheme can write itself.

When navigating late availability, you could also decide on a mid week date. A Thursday or a Monday wedding more easily helps you and your guests make a longer break out of your wedding. A Tuesday after a Bank Holiday Monday is another cheeky option to make weekday feel like weekend. ‘Off peak’ dates like these often have the added benefit of being cheaper (which helps if you have less time to spread costs). You might also find other package options available, such as two day weddings to extend your celebrations, intimate weddings for a more personal occasion, or a twilight wedding, with a later starting time and a more streamlined running plan making for easier planning and a more relaxed occasion.

When you’ve booked the venue for your a last minute wedding, make sure you save the date with your VIP guests as soon as possible. Make sure those people who you can’t be without are there, but accept that others may not be able to change existing plans. They should be delighted for you, whether they can attend or not.

Having a shorter engagement can mean less planning time, but it should still go smoothly. Most wedding venues have Wedding Coordinators to assist with your wedding planning, but not all are made equal. Be wary of those that offer group planning meetings with multiple couples, and pay careful attention to who from the venue will be there on the day of your wedding.

At The Ferry House your wedding day is run by one of our wedding coordinators. The team all work closely together and will have met you before your celebrations and assisted with your planning throughout, so they know both you and your day much better than an external celebrant. Ask your venue what last minute weddings they have hosted before. They should be happy to provide you with details and testimonials, alongside a planning schedule to ease the process.

The Ferry House is a family run restaurant and wedding venue in Kent, set beautifully by the Swale estuary on the Isle of Sheppey, between two wetland nature reserves. We pride ourselves on ensuring each and every wedding here is as special and unique as each wedding couple. Choose from a barn or gazebo wedding overlooking the water, with quality dining from our 2AA Rosette awarded chefs, using our home grown and family farmed produce from our Harty Estate. With B&B accommodation onsite, and five self catering cottages just minutes up the road, we can sleep up to 70+ of your guests in style and provide dining options to extend your celebrations. With a personal planning service and many package options, we can ensure that every last minute wedding is as special and enjoyable as those planned years ahead.