5 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Wedding Venue
Choosing a wedding venue for your wedding is one of the most important parts of wedding planning, as it will be the location that you spend most of your time at on your wedding day. It’s also one of the first things that need to be secured on your checklist, as planning and choosing your other vendors will revolve around your wedding day location. Here are 5 tips from us to help you choose the perfect venue for your wedding day!
1 | Determine Your Budget
A huge bulk of your wedding budget will be spent on your venue. Not only are you paying for the time and space at the venue, but it may also come with additional amenities such as a caterer, open bar, table decor, and more! Setting a realistic budget helps you determine which venues are within your price range, but will also save you on future headaches if you accidentally overspend on the venue and are left with limited budget for other vendors. Be sure to ask a couple venues for their prices, which will help determine what a reasonable price is for the style of venue you’re looking for.
2 | Choose A Style/Layout/Size
Once you’ve decided on a budget for your venue, the next step is to determine what style you’re looking for. Try to coordinate your wedding venue style with other wedding details you may already have, such as a wedding dress, table decor, florals, photography style, and more! For example, if you have a photographer with a clean, simple style, as well as modern table decor, look for a modern style venue to make everything tie together nicely! On the other hand, a barn may be a more suitable choice if your dress and floral decor is more boho-chic style!
If you’ve chosen a style, think about how many wedding guests you will have, and see if the size will accommodate everyone. Venues typically have a maximum number of guests they can host, so be sure to ask about that. The style of your venue will also depend on the size. If you have a large number of guests, a banquet hall may suit you more as they typically have more tables to seat everyone, as well as a huge dance floor. If you’re looking for something more intimate with a smaller number of guests, consider a smaller venue such as an urban loft!
Lastly, the layout will determine how smoothly everything runs during the day. Be sure not to only look at your reception space!
Here’s a few other things to think about when looking at the layout:
- Is there a dedicated space for you and your wedding party to do get ready?
- Where will the ceremony be held, how will the chairs be laid out for the guests, and how many people can it accommodate?
- How much room there is for guests to move around and mingle during cocktail hour?
- Are there smaller rooms that will let you host specialized events during the day, such as tea ceremony?
- If your venue is located outdoors, do they have a backup space in case the weather doesn’t cooperate on your wedding day?
3 | Choose A Location
Choosing where your venue is located is also very important, and is often something that is overlooked by many couples when wedding planning. Here are a few things to consider:
Parking
If you’re choosing to host your wedding downtown in a busy area, how easy will it be for guests to park at the venue? Does the venue have its own dedicated parking garage?
Distance From Hotels
If you have a lot of guests coming from out of town, or if you’re hosting a destination wedding, how long is the travel time from the hotels that they’re staying at? Would they be able to walk or carpool together to the venue, or will they have to take an Uber? Having your venue closer to the hotels also means that there will be less chance that many people will be stuck in traffic and arrive late to your wedding.
Photo Locations
If photography is a very high priority for you, how long does it take to get to different photo locations for you and your wedding party? Does the venue have its own dedicated section for photos, or will you have to travel elsewhere to take photos? For example, a wedding hosted at a golf course will have numerous photo locations that are easily accessible, just a short golf cart ride away. On the other hand, if your venue is at an industrial part of town, you may have to drive to a nearby park to get nice photos.
4 | Additional Amenities
As mentioned before, a wedding venue may not only be renting you their space. They may have additional amenities that may come when you book with them, which can affect your budget and how much you need to spend on other things.
Table, Chairs, and Decor
Does the venue provide tables, chairs, and decor for your ceremony and reception, or is that something you will have to get yourself? Typically, if the venue provides these things, they will fit the general vibe of the venue, which will save you some headache on finding the right style from different vendors for your wedding. Some venues may allow you to bring your own decor to set up if you wish, so be sure to ask about that if you want to find your own decor.
Caterer and Open Bar
Does the venue include a caterer and open bar option? If they do, ask for menus and dietary restrictions. Be sure to schedule a wedding tasting to try out the caterer that the venue provides. We typically recommend a wedding tasting anywhere from 3-12 months in advance (try to have your tasting during the same season as your wedding), and allow time for any additional changes.
Lighting and Sound
What does the venue’s lighting and sound system look like? Having their own dedicated sound system may save you some fees with your DJ, and will make their life easier if they can hook their devices up to the venue sound system. For lighting, think about whether the lighting provided fits the style of wedding you’re going for, and how it would look for photos during the wedding.
Additional Amenities
Is there a suite for you to store your things and take a breather throughout the day? One think that is commonly overlooked during the day is allocating time for a short break for you and your wedding party. Be sure to not only allocate time, but see if there is a bridal suite for you to take a breather. This also comes in handy if you need to retouch your makeup during the day! Venues may also have a wedding planner included in their pricing. This can be extremely useful to have a coordinator that knows the space on your wedding day.
5 | Check Out Your Venue!
Is a venue tour necessary? No. Do we recommend it? Absolutely!
Be sure to spend some time researching different venues, and choose a few that closely match what you’re looking for! Once you’ve narrowed down your list of venues, we always advise visiting the venues in person. There are many things that may not be showcased properly from just photos, and taking a walk throughout the venue and imagining it on your wedding day will help you decide if the venue does indeed fit what you want. We recommend trying to book your initial visit to the venue at the earliest time you plan to be at your wedding venue (for ex. if your timeline at the venue is planned to be around 12:00pm-10:00pm, visit your venue at 12:00pm). This initial visit is for you to try to narrow down your list of venues even further. Once you narrow that list down to your final 1-2 choices, see if you can schedule another visit during the ceremony and reception times. This may help you make that final decision and gives you a chance to see the venue during the most important parts of the day.
Not only is a venue tour for you to take a look at the space, but it’s also a time for you to ask the venue coordinator any questions you may have, as not all information will be given on the venue’s website.
By spending the time to visit your wedding venue, this will help you make a decision and give you peace of mind that you’ve chosen the perfect venue for your wedding day!
We hope these tips have helped you choose a perfect venue for your wedding day! For more of our free wedding guides, check them out here!
