Weddings have a high expectation of being the best day of many people’s lives, which in turn, can result in producing the most stressful day of many people’s lives. Our team have been helping guide people through this special day for many years, and together have narrowed it down to what we believe are the most important tips to planning your perfect day.

1. Give yourself time

Planning a wedding, no matter how big or small, takes time. Don’t rush the plan, give yourselves time to decide on the details that are the most important for the two of you. (There some great wedding planning diaries and wedding planners out there that can help with this!)

2. Help us, to help you

Whoever, wherever is hosting your wedding, let them fully understand what it is that you picture your day to be. This will help everyone achieve the best possible result and make your day as perfect as possible. (Pinterest is a great social media site that enables you to create mood boards for each element of your day to help visualise the look and feel you would like).

3. Keep it simple

Just because your next-door neighbour had a horse and cart and an ice sculpture at their wedding, doesn’t mean you must as well. Choose the touches and flourishes that represent you and yours, don’t feel pressured into convention or expectations, be present and enjoy the moment.

4. Finish to start, not start to finish

By the end of the day, where do you want to be? Starting from the end and working backwords is a great way of getting the timing of each step right. Even though many people don’t like to have a schedule on their wedding day, it does help the day run as smoothly and stress-free as possible. Your venue and caterers will support you with timings based on previous experience.

5. Informal requires informing

Keeping it “informal” requires more planning than you may expect. Informal weddings need to flow well, to achieve this, keep your guests in the know, what time is the ceremony, where is the reception, is there a seating plan, all the questions you would ask, have them answered and easy to find. This will stop people asking you and allow the day to flow much more easily. Appoint people who may be family members, or friends, to help you with the timings on the day.

6. Put yourselves first

One of the most difficult things for many people planning a wedding is to stop trying to please everyone, this is YOUR day, they will have theirs and we can guarantee they won’t be thinking of every single guests’ independent needs then, so for now concentrate on the two of you and what you want. Guests will be happy to share your moments with you, especially if you are having the best day of your life and not stressed!

7. Celebrate your love

Sharing your day with the ones you love is an important part of your day, even though the choices you make in the lead up to the day are essentially centred around the two of you, make sure the day is spent celebrating with your nearest and dearest. Don’t neglect your guests for hours on end, where possible include them in every stage of the day, sharing will make this day even more special.

8. Don’t get bogged down with small details

Of course, detail is important, and making sure your wedding day is as you pictured it would be is a top priority for us, as well as other wedding venues. However, once the ideas have been discussed, don’t become fixated on these small details, the main event is the union of you and the one you love, focus on that and then the small details won’t become a large pressure.

9. Be present in every moment

A key tip that we hear all the time from couples is to be present in every moment of the day, soak it all in! Don’t have one too many for Dutch-courage before the event and neglect the truly special moments of this day. This is your day and everyone is there for you, enjoy it, appreciate it and remember it.

10. Be thankful

Weddings take patience and planning, everyone involved through the process will have given you something, their time, their shoulder, their contribution, be thankful for every one of them. We often take for granted the very things that deserve our gratitude the most.

If you are looking for a unique venue for your special day in York, Bedern Hall offers a breath-taking yet intimate space. Here you can experience a combination of tradition and elegance with all the touches you envisage to make your day truly magical.

To find out more about wedding ceremonies and receptions at Bedern Hall please see here where you can request a Wedding Pack and view availability of the Hall for your selected date.

We wish you all the success in the world with the planning of your special day and hope to see you in the Hall soon!

Did you know the historic city of York is under 2 hours away from London and a mere 2 hours 24 minutes from Edinburgh? Being located in the heart of North Yorkshire makes York a great place to visit whether it’s for business or pleasure.

As York is an ideal city to host events for people coming from all different directions of the country, whether it’s North or South, the only question left is the venue. Just a short 15 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride from York train station and situated close to the famous York Minster, Bedern Hall is an ideal setting for any business meeting.

Being described as a ‘hidden gem’, we are located in a quiet corner of York city centre, allowing you and your colleagues to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough to walk 2 minutes down the road and be greeted with the exciting atmosphere York brings. Medieval meets modern with fibre broadband available via WiFi at the same time as being surrounded by Bederns extraordinary architecture. We also have full access to a range of AV technology and offer window blinds which enhance projection to ensure your business meeting is presented in the best way possible.

The venue can be adapted to meet the requirements of any business meeting, offering 2 different spaces within the same building. Our ‘Committee Room’ can hold business meetings that are slightly more intimate, providing a great space for those round table discussions allowing business brains to be switched on and inspiration in full flow.

For larger sessions, our Hall can hold events for up to 60 people. This space is ideal for group work, presentations or training as well as away days for your business where you can be surrounded by the finer details of a Medieval Hall. We can also offer our outdoor areas for socialising, eating and relaxing, including our café style courtyard or our garden terrace.

On top of being surrounded by a wealth of history in one building, we offer home-made food made straight from our kitchen using produce from our very own gardens. We have a conference catering package available which includes a buffet filled with finger foods including fresh salad and desserts, and in the winter months, a hot alternative such as homemade soup. Plus those all important tea breaks, serving hot drinks with biscuits. We are flexible on your requirements so please let us know your preferred catering options.

At Bedern Hall, we also offer the venue for private events and functions such as birthdays, weddings, Christmas parties, anniversaries and Christening parties all in the heart of York.

Give us a call today to discuss how we can meet your requirements on 01904 646030.

Bedern Hall is a Medieval Hall located in the centre of York, but so many people don’t know it’s wealth of history and the story behind the building. Having been used as part of the College of the Vicars Choral from the 1390s up until the middle of the 17^th century, it is now a place where citizens and tourists of York can come and explore the history, attend an event, or hire it for their own personal or business occasion. The only buildings that remain of the College of the Vicars Choral, who sang services in York Minster, are the Hall, the Chapel and the Gatehouse.

Many tourists and citizens alike enjoy a trip to York to explore the city’s hidden gems and extraordinary architecture, but keeping the history alive and accessible to the public can be an issue. Bedern Hall would no longer be open to the public without the help from the Bedern Hall Foundation, a concept that began over 30 years ago, to help restore and preserve this important building for the city. The Bedern Hall Foundation aims to build a future from the past by creating a new vision for the historic building, allowing local people, businesses and visitors to enjoy the Hall and help keep history alive!

The first major restoration of the Hall began in 1979, retaining its original fabric where possible. Roof timbers were replaced, the floor relayed with York stone and some windows with replaced with new, modern designs. However, some of the original fabric of the building can still be seen in place, some roof timbers are still present in, as well as the medieval timber-framing and original tracery (the stonework) in the window on the North-East front of the Hall. The restoration has allowed Bedern Hall to become a destination that has held over 500 weddings, hundreds of business meetings and monthly local lunches along with many other events and celebrations.

To keep this beautiful building alive, we are now working towards raising £50,000 annually. There are many ways in which you can help to secure the next thirty years of Bedern Hall, and beyond. You can donate to the fund using this link or becoming a member of the Bedern Hall Foundation. There are three levels of the Bedern Hall Foundation membership, all of which come with so many benefits;

• Personal Membership – £50.00 per year:
  • Advance notice of invitations to special events
  • Reduced prices at all public events held at the Hall, including ‘Your Local Lunch’ offers and special events
  • Annual members only event with guest speakers and networking opportunities
  • Special hire rates for personal social occasions
  • One complimentary hire day per year for any occasion (excludes catering costs, but these are available at a reduced rate).
• Enterprise Membership – £500.00 per year. Designed for small and medium sized organisations and businesses. Includes all the benefits in the personal membership, plus:
  • Inclusion of up to 10 people for reduced price benefits
  • An annual event for up to 10 delegates, including tea and coffee, onsite conference equipment and sandwich lunch or evening reception (Additional catering available at a reduced rate)
  • Certificate of Guild Recognition on the Bedern Hall Foundation ‘Wall of Honour’ and an embossed certificate
  • Permission to use the Bedern Hall Foundation image on letterheads and promotional material.
• Corporate Membership – £1,000.00 per year. For larger organisations and businesses that understand the need to support the historic buildings of the City and the traditions that are bound up with them.  Corporate Members can take advantage of all of the benefits listed under Personal and Enterprise Membership plus:
  • A ‘Meet the Guilds’ day – an alternative client networking event
  • Book Bedern for a week – ideal for a group of groups of employees (This is for fives days, excluding weekends and is subject to availability)
  • In addition to advance notice, Corporate Members will also enjoy preferred status at all public events at Bedern Hall.

There is also the option to have a corporate sponsorship which you may wish to do to support the Bedern Hall Foundation.

If you would like to donate to help keep the Hall’s history alive you can do here

We all know planning a wedding can be a very stressful time, especially because you want the day to be as perfect as possible. Everything comes with a question mark; the dress? The venue? The time of year? Having a winter wedding can come with so many benefits at Bedern Hall, and we have narrowed down our most significant ones.

1 - Everything seems so much more beautiful

Winter is a season that many describe as beautiful and romantic, from the white blanket that covers the ground to the frost dusted over the outdoor landscape. Winter makes it easier for you to get that perfect wedding photo and our pretty courtyard and garden terrace tucked away in the centre of York provide the perfect setting in winter with a crisp, yet fresh, picturesque backdrop.

2 - It’s something out of the ordinary

There is such a thing as the “wedding season”, and this usually starts from April and ends around August. The Spring and Summer months can be filled with weddings every other weekend, having yours in the winter means your friends and family won’t have that wedding fatigue feeling of “it’s just another wedding”, your winter wedding is something people will really look forward to and remember. This also means we are likely to have the dates available that you want for your wedding here in York, an easy way to find this out is by sending a quick enquiry through our website here.

3 - Winter evenings call for candles

The bright and clear winter days come with dusk evenings earlier on, but this means you can add candles to create the perfect wedding ambience. Surrounded by the beamed ceilings and arched windows, candles can create a beautiful scenic room as well as an intimate space at Bedern Hall, right in the heart of York.

4 - Winter sunlight

 Winter mornings not only have that beautiful crisp feeling to them, but they come with great natural light from the sun making your wedding shots look even prettier. Winter months also see the sun setting earlier which means you can usually capture a stunning sunset during your ceremony, either inside by the lighting through our arched windows or outside on our beautiful courtyard.

5 – Colour schemes

 One decision many face with their wedding is picking the correct colour scheme. Because the winter months are so neutral they complement all colours and shades, from deep plums and berry reds, to ivory whites and natural greens. The warm stone walls and traditional structure at Bedern Hall balance with any colour scheme you may choose so you can ensure our venue is tailored exactly to your preferences.

You can read more about our Wedding options and request for a free wedding pack here. Or if you would simply like to look around our magnificent medieval hall to see if it’s suitable to you and your occasion, please contact us here to arrange a visit.

If you are looking for a unique wedding in the heart of York at an individual venue, Bedern Hall may be your dream location. Experience a truly magical day in our exquisitely intimate setting, available for both ceremonies and receptions. Located in the centre of York, our hidden gem boasts an elegant sense of history whist providing the perfect space to create your dream wedding, just as you've always envisaged it.

What could be more  English than a  traditional Afternoon Tea in York?

With our small but professional team of staff, Afternoon Tea at Bedern Hall is the perfect opportunity for friends and family to get together and celebrate that special occasion.

• Enjoy your pre-wedding celebrations
• Invite family and friends to your Baby Shower with the abundance of cakes and pastries our Afternoon Tea provides.
• A birthday, anniversary, graduation day or just simply celebrating something special to you!
• An afternoon out with friends.

Whatever the occasion, Afternoon Tea can be a great way to celebrate at Bedern Hall.

Enjoy a delicious Afternoon Tea in our courtyard this summer with our very special Afternoon Tea events at the Hall on Tuesday 15th August 2017 from 2.30pm to 5.00pm. where you will receive the full Afternoon Tea and a glass of fizz! Why not treat someone close to your heart? Book today to secure your table!

BOOKING ESSENTIAL

Book here