When it comes to your wedding, there is one thing undeniably true. Your wedding venue is one of if not the MOST important decision you’re going to have to make when wedding planning. Your wedding venue will help set the stage for the remainder of your wedding day. So it’s important to know how to pick your perfect wedding venue! Below are a few helpful tips in order to help you pick your perfect wedding venue and have the wedding of your dreams.

Define Your Budget

First things first, make sure that you are defining your budget. You obviously need to know how much you’re planning on spending before you can start narrowing down your options. Your budget not only consists of what the venue may cost but everything that it will take to decorate your venue. So keep in mind that if you’re wanting a bunch of florals or rentals at your wedding venue, this may cost you more $$ than you’re willing to spend. Before starting your search for a wedding venue make sure that you determine how much you’re willing to spend.

Start Looking Early

You probably have heard once or twice to book way in advance for your wedding vendors. That includes your wedding venue! I recommend to start looking early when you’re looking for your dream wedding venue. Weddings, in general, can get booked out VERY quickly and the last thing we want is for you to find the wedding venue of your dreams just to find out they are booked out on your wedding date. It is never too early to start looking for wedding venues. Especially with all of the backups due to the worldwide pandemic, so many weddings are happening on popular dates. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Determine The Number of Guests

Knowing how many guests you’re planning on having at your wedding is key when choosing your perfect wedding venue. Before you choose a wedding venue, it’s important to determine the number of guests. Many wedding venues will disclose their maximum guest capacity for their event space. You obviously want your guests to be comfortable and know that you are able to include everyone you want to include on your wedding day.

Vision & Theme

Now I know all of us who’ve been waiting to get married have our own little Pinterest boards with inspiration. Don’t lie… we all do – lol. Anybody who is currently planning a wedding has to decide what type of vision and theme you’re having for your wedding day. Your vision and theme are all about what kind of experience and story you’re wanting to tell. Some things to ask yourself are:

• Do I want something more moody and industrial?
• Am I wanting more editorial and city-like?
• Maybe I want to pretend I’m in a fairytale in a beautiful open garden?

Knowing this will help you in narrowing down your search for your perfect wedding venue. You want to

Amenities

Think about the kind of amenities that certain wedding venues offer for their couples and their guests. If you’re looking for more hands-on support from your wedding venue, then you may be looking for one that has more amenities. Some amenities that some wedding venues may include when you book your wedding there are:

• Table, Chair & Linen Rentals
• ADA Accessibility
• Indoor & Outdoor Options
• Outdoor Tent(s)
• Lighting Equipment
• Wedding Reception Setup & Breakdown
• Hardwood Dance Floor
• etc.

Think about your wedding guests and the kind of experience not only you want, but them as well!

Guests’ Experience

This leads me to my next point which is all about your wedding guest experience. Before choosing your wedding venue, it’s important to understand what kind of experience you’re wanting your wedding guests to have. If you’re planning on having a lot of your wedding guests travel for your wedding, consider choosing a wedding venue with an attached hotel or one nearby.

You also want to make sure that your wedding venue makes your wedding guests feel comfortable. Going along with your guest count, choosing a wedding venue that can accommodate and fit all of your wedding guests is super important. The last thing you want is for your guests to feel cramped in one little room because the ceremony/reception space is too small.

Communication With The Venue

Make sure that throughout this process, you’re communicating with the venue. You want to ensure that you are asking all of your questions and setting your boundaries in place for when you speak to the venue. Whether you speak to the owner, manager or coordinator it’s important that you establish good communication and let them know exactly what you’re looking for. This will also help you determine how well they communicate with their couples and how responsive they will be throughout the wedding planning process.

Determine How Much Privacy You Want

Some of you may not know this, but some wedding venues will host multiple weddings in one day. To maximize the number of weddings they can take per year, some wedding venues will have more than one wedding in a day and some couples may not like that. Determine how much privacy you want and stick with it! Do you mind if there is more than one wedding happening at the same time on your wedding day? Or are you someone who is looking for a bit more privacy? These are things that tend to get overlooked during the wedding venue search but are super important.

Focus on What You Want

At the end of the day, please remember that it is your wedding day. It can be very easy to get caught up in what other people want, but those other people aren’t getting married. Do not let anybody else decide how your wedding day should be run. If you’re wanting to go all out, I say go for it! If you’re wanting to do something small and subdued, that’s fine too! Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life, and don’t you forget that! Choose a wedding venue that aligns with you and your vision and you will be golden.

Knowing how to pick your perfect wedding venue can be tricky, believe me. Hopefully, a few of these tips and tricks can help you in your search in finding your dream wedding venue. In the meantime, if you’re still looking to book your wedding vendors and are in need of a wedding photographer, then I’m your gal! Click here to inquire about some wedding photography coverage – I would LOVE to capture you and your love story!