Finding the perfect venue with Venuefinder
I am the first to admit that I can be a little disorganised, something which often surprises people given the fact that I manage to juggle four children, a home, a blog and a thousand other things on top. People often comment that we must run our house like an army training camp, every day a military operation just to leave the house, everything planned to perfection, bags packed, clothes laid out, lunches made and homework done. The truth is that our lives are every bit as chaotic and manic as you would expect with four children and, more often than not, I am running around like a lunatic, flinging together sandwiches and PE Kits, searching for lost shoes and reading books, typing out a blog post with one hand and drinking an imaginary cup of tea in the other, our dinner burning in the oven and the house an absolute bombsite. And in that way, I’ll take the title of being disorganised without question!
So it was a real source of amusement between my friends when I announced that I was planning a baby shower for one of our friends. And not just any old baby shower, but a baby shower where there was a grand total of 50 guests invited, more people than some have at their weddings! I noticed the raised eyebrows and the stifled laughter, all of them no doubt thinking the same, “Oh god, what kind of disaster is this going to be?”. And, stubborn as ever, I refused their offers of help, telling them that it was all under control, that everything was sorted and they simply had to help me to get the Mummy-to-be to the venue without raising suspicion.
And then I freaked out.
With my first step being to secure a venue, I knew that our options were limited. Most baby showers that I have been to recently have been an “afternoon tea” affair, in quaint country cafes or the back room of a pub, but with so many guest and so few options, I knew that I was going to struggle.
So you can imagine my relief when I came across Venuefinder, a website that literally takes all of the stress out of finding a venue and simply does it for you! Not only do I access it via my laptop, but there is also an app that can be downloaded for easy access on your phone.
The site itself couldn’t be any easier to use. After registering, which was very quick and straightforward, simply use the pull down tabs to state which town or city you wish to search, the maximum room and catering capacity, or use the advanced search for a more detailed search.
Once you have added all of your criteria, simply press search and you are instantly met with a list of possible venues, all of which I found to meet my criteria, and the only real issue is making the decision to narrow it down to just one!
I won’t reveal my final choice, as that would no doubt ruin the surprise, but I was over the moon with the venue and it definitely isn’t somewhere that I would ever have thought of ordinarily.
I’m so looking forward to the baby shower now, and most of all to see the look of surprise on my friends (and I use that term loosely, oh ye of little faith!!) faces when they realise that contrary to popular belief, I can be organised!!
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Oh have fun with your friend’s baby shower! I’m sure you’ll forget all of the organisation stress when you see how happy she is. That’s great to know about VenueFinder as I organise events for mamas and bloggers in London. So a really handy blog post for me. Enjoy the baby shower x #coolmumclub
Oh it’s the perfect app for you then!! I would love to be super organised, I admire anyone who is! xx
My life sounds exactly like yours how I get anything done and anywhere on time I don’t know. What a great idea for a site, we could use this planning work functions will definitely be checking it out.
I’ll definitely be using it again for future events. Will just see how this one goes first…!! xx
Ha ha I love this Laura and I’m sure you will put on a fantastic baby shower for your friend. This looks like a dream of an app, finding a venue is always the most stressful part and they take care of it all. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove X
I love a good app, I just need an app to organise the children in the mornings and clean my house!! Thanks for hosting. xxx
I’ve used Venue Finder too when I was trying to find a wedding reception venue for me and my husband. It’s a great site. You’ll have to update us on how the baby shower goes!
I will do Jo, I’m hoping it’s a success! It’s a fab site! xx
Sounds a v handy app! This post immediately took me back to the baby shower I organised for my sister in law at a local restaurant. I arrived 15 minutes early to pop up balloons etc and the restaurant was closed up – dark and not a soul in sight! Had to stick a note on the door, walk over the road to a pub and ring in for subway platters to be delivered! I could have done with venuefinder then lol.
Hope your babyshower is more successful 😉 I’m sure it’ll be fab xx
Thanks for linking up with #coolmumclub Laura!
Oh no!!! That sounds like something that would happen to me!! Thank god for subway! I’m sure it will all be fine, what could possibly go wrong with me in charge?? xx
I’ve never heard of Venuefinder before. I’ll recommend to my friend, who is trying to organize her 30th birthday, but still can’t fnd the right place. Thanks for the review:)
It definitely takes the stress out of planning! xx
Well done on your new found organisation skills! I love arranging events, I used to do it for work and I like nothing better than planning everything out to the nth degree! Venue is such a key element of any event and this sound like a great app. I hope it all goes really well and your friend loves it!
Thanks Katy, I hope so too. Fingers crossed! xxx
What a great app! I’d love to be organise one day! Haha This is so very exciting for you. Good luck with the baby shower I am sure you will be magnificent! Have fun!
Thank you so much for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost
Thank you Su, I really hope it goes to plan! xxx
What a great idea, I always find getting the venues right the hardest part
Me too! I just hope I’ve made the right choice! xx
Ooo what a fantastic idea to have a website where u can search for them all together rather than having to do individual searches.
Yes so much easier! Really takes the stress out of it all! xx
Ooooh sounds like a very useful mum app!! ? Hope everything goes well with the baby shower and you all have a fabulous time xx #coolmumclub
Thank you, anything that makes life easier is a hit with me! xx
Looks like a handy directory #FabFridayPost
We could have done with this for finding my daddy’s 40th birthday venue – it looks proper easy to use too! #sharingthebloglove
It’s so easy, I love any app that can make my life easier! xx
Looks like a useful app – good luck with the baby shower! #stayclassymama
Thank you, I’m going to need it! xx
I couldn’t even imagine planning such a big party – well done for tackling it! I don’t have any plans to organise a big event any time soon (good thing, because I’m SO disorganised), but this app would come in handy if I find suddenly have to put myself in planning mode. #stayclassymama
I had no idea there would be so many, I was thinking ten, maybe fifteen max, afternoon tea and a few games….!! Wish me luck! xx
That is a lot of people for a baby shower! Venue finder sounds awesome. Thanks for linking up to #ThatFridayLinky
I know!! I don’t think I would even have fifty people that I could invite!! xx
What a cool App! I wish I had this over the years as I planned baby showers, bridal showers, etc. Hope the baby shower goes well! #kcacols
Oh yes it would have been way easier with an app like this! I’ll be using it again definitely! xx
Sounds handy. What you need now is an app to help you find those lost shoes! 😉
Haha yes, I need an app to help me do just about everything!! xx
Wow that’s quite an undertaking – I hope it goes well!! #KCACOLS
Haha I know, I’ve been lying awake at night worrying about it! I need all the luck in the world! xx
This looks a fab app not sure I could do the organising hope it all works out well Thanks for linking to the #THAT FRIDAY LINKY come back next week please
Haha I’m not sure I can either, I’m hoping that I somehow manage to wing it! xx
The app looks great! Something that will definitely come in useful! Thanks x
I hope it helps you out! xx
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I am currently planing a hen party and although I have some of it sorted I am missing a venue for part of it! I will check this out.
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday.
Oh that’s fab! I hope that it helps your planning! xx
Ooh interesting – I have a special birthday to plan this year and we were only talking about something like this being available – good timing I say! Your baby shower will be fab #kcacols
Ooh that’s great timing! Good luck! xx
What a great website. It sounds perfect for planning any kind of gathering. Good luck with the baby shower, I know you’ll pull it off
Thank you, I really hope so! xx
oooh have fun, i love baby showers and its one of the traditions from the US that i love, everyone should make mothers feel special before the little one arrives 🙂
I never had a baby shower, I was far too scared to tempt fate, but I love going to baby showers – more so because of the cake! xx
Popping back from #KCACOLS XX
Sounds really useful – something to keep in mind in the future but then, in my rural area I already know all the venues! #kcacols
Ahh yes that sounds like a bonus of living in a small town! xx