An easy guide to planning your Kent wedding

Where to begin?

Planning your wedding is such an exciting time. But it’s also very easy to start feeling like you’ve taken on another full-time job…

One minute you’re celebrating your engagement. The next, you’re opening spreadsheets, comparing venues, planning guest numbers and wondering how on earth people make all these decisions!

The good news – it really doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Not at all. In fact, it can actually be quite fun!

If you’re just starting to plan your wedding, the simplest approach is to focus on the big things first. Once those are in place, everything else becomes much easier to manage.

And if you’re planning a wedding in Kent, choosing the right venue will help you tick off far more of your checklist than you might expect.

*Start with your budget

First things first, think about the budget. How much do you have available to spend?

So before you fall in love with flower walls, wedding favours and dresses, start with this practical question. How much do you have available, and also, what matters most to you within that budget?

This is where wedding packages can be extremely helpful.

Rather than designing your wedding day bit-by-bit and watching the costs creeping up, wedding venue packages give you structure from the very beginning.

It helps you understand what’s included, what can be personalised and more importantly, where you might want to invest a little more. It’s just one of the reasons why wedding packages are so popular. Couples want clarity.

They want to know that the essentials are covered, and they want to spend less time chasing suppliers and more time enjoying the process.

At the award-winning Hythe Imperial Hotel, our Kent wedding packages are designed to make planning feel simpler, not more complicated.

With catering, selected drinks, reception spaces and even accommodation all available in one place, it becomes much easier to see the full picture right from the start.

*Choose your wedding venue early

If there’s one part of wedding planning that sets the tone for everything else, it’s the venue.

The wedding venue influences your date, your style, your guest numbers, your photography – and often your overall budget too. That’s why it’s really worth making this one of your very first decisions.

There are many beautiful wedding venues in Kent, which is wonderful for choice. But it also means narrowing down what matters most to you both.

Do you want coast or countryside? Historic charm or something more modern? Different venues for the ceremony and reception, or somewhere that can host the whole celebration from start to finish?

For many couples, hotel weddings in Kent offer the best of all worlds. You’ll often have ceremony spaces, a reception venue, catering, bedrooms and an experienced planning team, all under one roof. It removes a great deal of stress and makes the day feel much more seamless.

At the Hythe Imperial Hotel, our coastal setting is backed by large gardens. It’s a Kent wedding venue that’s elegant, spacious and full of character – one of the most distinctive wedding venues Kent has to offer.

*Think about the reception as well as the ceremony

It’s all too easy to focus on the moment you say “I do”, but what happens after matters just as much.

Where will everyone gather afterwards? Is there enough room for your wedding breakfast, speeches, and the evening celebration? Does the space feel ‘right’?

If you’re looking to host your wedding reception in Kent, it’s worth finding a venue that can carry the whole day beautifully, not just a part of it.

At the Hythe Imperial, couples move naturally from ceremony to drinks, from dinner to dancing, without losing any of the flow. That makes a real difference to your guests. And it also means fewer logistical headaches for you.

When everything works together in one location, the whole day feels calmer, more polished, and dare we say, far more enjoyable!

*What about accommodation?

Where you and your guests will stay after the wedding is one of those things that can quickly become a big detail.

If your guests are travelling from other parts of Kent, from London or from further afield, having bedrooms on site can be a real advantage.

It means no one is rushing off early, worrying about getting a taxi or trying to navigate unfamiliar roads late at night.

But more importantly, it also adds something lovely to your celebration. There’s a different feel to a wedding when people can stay over, enjoy breakfast the next morning, and really make an occasion of it.

When couples get married at the Hythe Imperial, it’s one of the things they love most – your wedding doesn’t have to end the moment the music stops. A hotel wedding venue with accomodation ticks a lot of boxes for couples and guests too!

*Food should be high on the checklist

Your guests will probably forget about exact shade of the napkins or the table design. But they won’t forget the food!

When planning your Big Day, think carefully about what kind of dining experience you want. Formal and traditional? Relaxed and modern? A grand wedding breakfast followed by a casual evening buffet?

Venues with strong in-house catering will certainly make your life much easier. Forget trying to coordinate separate suppliers, delivery times and service logistics – it will all be taken care of.

Instead, you’ll have one, experienced team helping the day run smoothly.

At the Hythe Imperial, our wedding couples always benefit from an experienced hospitality team and the reassurance that both food and service are being handled by people who do this professionally, week in, week out.

All our catering is handled by the chefs from our AA-rosette winning Coast restaurant, using fresh and local ingredients. These restaurant-quality meals and buffets really do make all the difference.

*Visit a Kent wedding fair

If you’re still unsure where to begin, a Kent wedding fair or open day is one of the best places to start.

A good wedding fair gives you inspiration, but it also gives you momentum. In one visit, you can view the venue, meet experienced suppliers such as florists and photographers, ask questions, and get a clearer sense of what your day could actually look like.

That’s why wedding fayres and wedding open days in Kent are so useful for newly-engaged couples. They can help turn your abstract ideas into real plans.

At the Hythe Imperial, our in-house wedding fairs are designed to do exactly that.

Couples can look around our hotel, meet the dedicated Weddings Team and chat to handpicked local suppliers, all in one relaxed setting. Why not take a look at our upcoming events, and get one in your diary? We’d love to see you there!

*Take a closer look at the Hythe Imperial

Of course we think our hotel is the best wedding venue in Kent. But you don’t have to take our word for it!

Why not come and see it for yourself?

You can sign up for our next Kent wedding fair, book a private venue showround, or feel free to give us a call or email and to get the conversation started.

We are waiting to welcome you, and for you to fall in love with our beautiful venue!