Looking at venues

As we battle the tide of questions asking "have you set a date... YET", we've started to look at venues for the wedding reception.

1. Was slightly disappointed that out of 7 venues visited, only 3 venues offered us a cup of tea. We didn't even get a cup of tea at the really expensive Culloden Estate and Spa. Maybe we should have dressed up a bit more for that one. They probably saw us from afar in our jeans and immediately thought, "timewasters"...

2. Was there ever at time when weekend dates for weddings didn't book up at least 2 years in advance?

3. Would you pay £30 per head for seat covers??? OK, they do cover the entire chair, but still!!! If I did that, I think I'd have to ban people from removing their jackets and putting them over the seat. I'd want to get full value out of my seat covers!