Wedding Planning : Choosing a Venue

05 Mar Wedding Planning : Choosing a Venue

Planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful times of your life. There is a lot of pressure to have the perfect dress, flowers, food, and of course the venue. And the options are overwhelming and seemingly endless. The good news is, there are people out there who have done this countless times (like us) and are willing to share the inside scoop. Lucky you! Today we are going to talk about the top 3 things to consider when choosing a venue, which is pretty important! Some brides even choose their venue before picking their wedding date. That way you can make sure you get the venue you love.

Price 

The first thing to consider is the price of the venue. If you spend your entire budget on a venue then you will be in big trouble. Most of your wedding venues will have a price list, which will make it very easy for you to determine if they are in your price range. If they do not have the pricing available online, then just send an email or give them a call and ask for pricing. You may have to provide some basic wedding info like the number of guests. Some of the things you will want to ask the venue if it isn’t specified on the price sheet are:

• Do you allow outside vendors and if so, is there a fee associated with using an outside vendor?
• If not, can you provide pricing for your approved/in house vendors?
• Do you handle the set up of the space?
• Don’t forget to ask what is included in the pricing: tables, chairs, AV equipment, etc.

Size 

The second thing to consider is the size of the venue. Of course, you don’t want to book a venue capable of holding 100 people when you expect 300 to attend. Likewise, you don’t want to book a venue that is too big if another, smaller venue will meet your needs. Fortunately, a lot of venues have several spaces available in different sizes. If you don’t need the ballroom, then the gardens may fit your needs. If they do not offer multiple spaces, don’t despair! There is no rule that says you can’t book a venue that you have fallen in love with just because it is a little bigger than you need. However, if you have fallen in love with a venue that is smaller than your expected attendance you may have to find another one, or cut your guest list.

Style

Finally, consider the style of the venue. I mention this one last because once you have narrowed the options down by price and size you will have a smaller, less overwhelming, list of options to choose from based on style. Can you imagine looking at hundreds of venues based on style alone? It is very likely you will love a lot of them, so do yourself a favor and narrow it down a little bit first. Now, once you have your narrowed list, schedule a visit to the venues to get a feel for it in real life. This part is really important. It is so much easier to plan for decorations in a space you have seen with your own eyes. Several venues even have open houses when everything is decorated to give you an idea of what it could look like.

Choosing a venue isn’t really difficult if you approach it right. Considering these three things will help you narrow your selection and find your dream venue in no time flat.

Special thanks to: B&A Warehouse for the original blog post and  Hothouse Design Studio , Lillie Jane, M. Elizabeth Weddings and Events and Design Productions for supplying the amazing photos