The Legal Bit
- If you want to obtain a licence to allow wedding celebrations (involving music and alcohol) to take place at your glampsite talk to the local Council who issue the Premises Licence.
- You can also get a Temporary Events Notice. This will allow up to 15 events a year.
- Check out local or national government websites to see if any of the restrictions that are placed on these Licences or Notices apply.
- Also check if there are any planning considerations that might limit what you can do.
- It is likely the event will involve playing music so you will likely need to pay a licence fee to the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL).
- If your guests buy the alcohol and give it to their guests then no alcohol licence is required.
- If the couple wants the legal ceremony to also be part of the event they will need to have a local registrar present to conduct that part of the celebration. Talk to your local Registry Office to see what they may or may not be able to do.
- You will also need a licence to hold wedding ceremonies which will cost in the region of £3,000 for three years. It can take a few months to come through so apply early.
- You will also have to show you have a permanent roofed structure or indoor area in which the ceremony can take place.
- Religious ceremonies currently must take place in a place of worship (Note: jewish ceremonies take place under a Chuppah (a small canopy) which is deemed to be a religious place. Talk to your local rabbi.
The Event
- Be driven by the couples wishes.
- Independent celebrants can be very helpful in planning the event and making it run smoothly.
Top Tips
- Don't forget to get appropriate insurance.
- Staffing will need to be arranged to support you, especially if you are serving food and drink.
- Use local suppliers who can be more flexible and ready to help if you have a last minute issue.
- Work hard at your communication with the couple. Expectations will be high and even the slightest problem can become a major one.
- The couple is likely to want to make several visits to site -don't forget to build that in to your charges.
- Similarly the disruption to your normal operations both physically and mentally needs to be built into your costs and charges.
- Factor in damage to the ground and similar - this may mean a delay in bringing an area back into use.
- Don't forget to check your infrastructure - e.g. can your electricity supply cope with a band or a dish.
- Don't get carried away doing everything the couple would like - it can leave you out of pocket. For example they may want a full bar but not everything will be drunk leaving you with a lot of virtually unusable stock.
- Get it right however and the bar can be the most profitable part of the event.
- Outsourcing the bar is a simple alternative.
- Charge a big deposit. There will be lots of upfront costs to cover.
- Weddings come in all shapes and sizes so it might be worth aiming for the smaller events as a way to dip your toe in the water and learn.
- There are specialist advisers you can approach for help and guidance. Kelly Chandler presented at GITA's webinar and would love to hear from you.