IN PICTURES: Business described as an ‘in-person wedding directory’ is opening at the heart of the town centre

A business described as an “in-person wedding directory” and a “permanent wedding fair” is opening at the heart of the town centre this week.

The Wedding Rooms, located in Market Square, hopes to become the go-to place for brides and grooms-to-be to find out about local suppliers and plan their wedding in a fun and relaxed environment.

The business is the brainchild of Megan Lord, who will open The Wedding Rooms to the public for the first time this Saturday (March 9).

When asked how she would describe the business, Megan told the Chronicle & Echo: “A real life wedding directory with three very different rooms.

“I want to take the stress out of planning your wedding. It’s a unique place in the fact you can do your entire wedding planning journey here. I want people to really enjoy it, feel welcomed, supported and have fun.”

The first room acts as a permanent wedding fair, featuring suppliers from across Northampton. From venues, florists, cake designers, entertainment and photographers, this will give engaged couples the chance to get to know the services on offer.

Couples who book these services through The Wedding Rooms will get an exclusive treat as part of their booking.

“I’m not a wedding planner but I want to be a wedding support,” said Megan. “If they think they’d really like something, I want to put them in touch with my contacts.”

The second room is the ‘preloved room’ – spanning across table decorations, items for seating plans, wedding dresses, invitations and so much more.

All items are available to purchase and most are available to hire. If couples have purchased preloved items from The Wedding Rooms and want to keep a few as keepsakes but do not need the rest, these can be sold back to Megan.

The final aspect is the ‘gift room’ which has three facets. The first is items for guests to come and purchase as gifts for the soon-to-be married couples in their lives. The second is personalised items for the big day, such as cake toppers, boxes and art prints. The third is items that couples can buy for their wedding parties, including favours.

Megan said: “They’re all local business people and artisans. It’s like a wedding Etsy that you can walk into and personalise.”

Another exciting aspect of The Wedding Rooms is that it can be hired for hen parties. “Come in, have some prosecco, listen to music and do an activity,” said Megan. “You can even make the favours for your wedding day.”

Being at the heart of the town, Megan can then advise the hen parties about where to go next or they can make their own plan.

“I want it to be a really warm place,” said Megan. “Couples can book an appointment and the room is theirs to relax, talk to someone and get ideas about what they’re interested in.

“I want this to be the first place for any newly engaged couples to go, and for them to come in a few times along their wedding planning journey.”

The Wedding Rooms will be open by appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in school hours and during the evening. It is open to all on Saturdays, with no appointment needed.

This new venture comes after Megan previously owned a photography studio in the town centre, specialising in portrait and wedding photography. She closed it down in 2018 when she had her daughter, to take time to raise her.

Now her daughter is at school and she has been doing wedding photography in the meantime, Megan wanted to immerse herself in the wedding industry in a different way.

The business is located above Cafe Track and Megan said: “I genuinely feel the only way for Northampton town to be rejuvenated is by people like myself taking a leap of faith, and the town supporting those bringing it back to life.”

When the Market Square rejuvenation is complete, Megan hopes this will increase footfall for her new business.

For more information, visit The Wedding Rooms’ website here.

Take a look at these 14 pictures of The Wedding Rooms, ahead of opening on Saturday (March 9)...