So you've named the day. Now the planning begins: from wedding dress to table dressing, cake to car, wedding rings to wedding favours, all sorts of things have to be carefully thought through, booked and organised. We hope that all the advice, sty...

The Perfect Wedding Venue

The centrepiece of any wedding is the venue. Are you marrying in your local church, the register office or in one of the many licensed premises in Dorset?

Explore your options by going to the Dorset County Council website at www.dorsetforyou.com, which lists all the licensed venues in Dorset from hotels and country houses to gardens and golf clubs, from castles and country inns to barns and town halls. You'd be amazed at the range of options the county has to offer.

There is no doubt that, in such a picturesque county, you will have plenty of options when it comes to finding that perfect backdrop for your wedding day. If you love your coastal vistas, for example, then consider exploring venues which give you access to breathtaking scenery at places such as Portland Bill or Lyme Regis; maybe even consider a beach wedding.

Dorset also has some magnificent country houses licensed for weddings. At Minterne House, for a large ceremony you can wed in its Trafalgar Hall, or for more intimate ones in Lady Digby's Garden Room, while the Georgian elegance of Kingston Maurward House offers classic rooms in various sizes to suit any number of guests. Historic venues such as these, with their fine gardens and parkland, offer the most wonderful photo opportunities.

For the inner fairy princess or knight-in-shining-armour, a castle is the perfect venue for tying the knot. Choose from the 17th-century Lulworth Castle in a parkland setting, Highcliffe Castle on a cliff top, Henry VIII's coastal fortress of Portland Castle with its views over the harbour, or Sir Walter Raleigh's Sherborne Castle with its glorious lakeside setting where you have the option of using its boathouse and pier for your reception.

Whatever Dorset venue you choose for your big day, you will be spoilt for choice.