We’ve all seen the Gavin and Stacey episode where the Shipmans and Wests visit a wedding fair, but this isn’t just TV magic. Many venues, including the Bodleian, host Wedding Open Days for couples to visit throughout the year. The venue is laid out as it would be for a wedding, and often with vendors in the space for the couples to chat with too. Wedding Open Days are an opportunity for newly-engaged couples to tour a venue and ask any of the questions that they may have for the team or for any suppliers that are there on the day.
Everyone can get something from a Wedding Open Day, even if it’s just inspiration for their wedding, but it’s important to utilise these Wedding Open Days to make them work for you. In this article, we’ll talk through the different aspects of a Wedding Open Day – the venue, the suppliers and inspiration – and how you can make the most of the Wedding Open Day.
The Venue
The Bodleian offers venue showarounds all year round. These showarounds are incredibly helpful for any potential couple to get a feel for the venue and whether you can picture yourself getting married there. It also might open up the possibilities you imagined in the space. Many people remark that Convocation House is bigger than they expect, and they are always blown away by the ceiling in the Divinity School.
Wedding Open Days are especially useful, however, because the spaces are often set up in the same way that a wedding would be, and this can help couples visualise their own wedding day. When you’re touring the venue, take some time to take notice of these things, and ask questions when you have them.
One example of these details is the table set up. In any potential reception space, take some time to think if you want your tables arranged in longs or rounds. This can guide your seating plan, as well as how the rest of the room looks. Remember to account for your guest numbers, and whether you would like a sweetheart table (a private table for the couple only). As you can see from the pictures, the Wedding Open Day in October had both a long and a round table, and couples were invited to sit and get a feel for how each table type feels in the space.
On the other hand, if you know how you want to fill the space, but you don’t know what the little details look like – for example tablescapes or florals – the venue will be full of different examples. In October, we had different florals laid out on the tables as well as decorating the aisle. When you see these features in-situ, things just click into place and you know what you want.
Most importantly, there’s a certain wedding magic in the air during the open days and everyone is in the wedding mindset. This is the best time to ask questions about the venue and talk through the specific details of your wedding. Every question has its time to shine: what door will the guests arrive from, where will our band play, how long is a wedding ceremony. Take the time to grill the weddings team – we’re here to help!
The main focus of our Wedding Open Day is to showcase the venue, so that is where the primary benefit comes in regardless of whether you got engaged yesterday or have been looking for venues for two months. However, there are other reasons to attend an open day when planning a wedding even if you don’t find your dream venue.
The Suppliers
When a venue hosts a Wedding Open Day, there will be suppliers present, and this is extremely helpful for any couple with questions. This access to suppliers is sometimes hard to come by in a world of emails and technology. You may be required to use some suppliers by the venue (for example, we require that you use THAT Event Company and Oxford Fine Dining, unless discussed otherwise), but there will also be suppliers at an open day that can help fill in the gaps, or spark your inspiration.
Consider the florals as an example, you may suddenly find a burst inspiration upon seeing how the venue is laid out, and want to speak to the florist at the venue so that you can get them booked for your big day. On the other hand, you may have no idea what you want from your florals, and speaking to a florist may provide the guidance you need.
We are fortunate to have a number of fantastic suppliers attending our open day, which you can see on our page, and they will all be able to help you with any questions that you may have for wedding preparation. We would advise making a list of questions in advance for a supplier, to make sure they are what you’re looking for, based on your specific wedding plans. Take the time to look at their portfolio of work and see how that fits with you.
For some vendors, there are even samples – such as stationary or food – and this helps you engage with the product they are providing in a way that you can’t with just emails.
Wedding Inspiration
Even if you don’t find your dream venue or your ideal supplier at a wedding showcase, you will be able to find some inspiration for your own wedding – either what you want or what you don’t. For people who haven’t planned an event before, there’s a lot of abstracts that are hard to picture in real life, and a lot of moving parts you might not be able to fit together.
As we’ve discussed throughout this post, wedding venue open days are to inspire couples for their wedding day. There are so many details that you can explore and talk about with vendors and the venue, that you will undoubtedly walk away with a new idea about something that you want at your wedding. It’s always useful to look at the little details, they are inevitably what make your wedding feel like your own: what will make you happy on your special day?
And that’s all folks! we hope we’ve convinced you about the magic of Wedding Venue Open Days. The Bodleian is hosting another open day on 31st January 2026 and we would love to see you there! You can find our more information here, and book your place here.
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