The average American couple spends more than $35,000 on a wedding. When you spend that kind of money, you want everything to be perfect – and rightfully, so!
As you begin planning your special day, you need to book your wedding venue quickly to secure your date. How do you choose the right venue?
You want to choose a location that will produce gorgeous photos to capture the magic of your special day. Here is what you should look for as you begin your search.
1. Location of the Wedding Venue
Do you have a lot of out of town guests? If so, you may want to choose a facility close to or connected to a hotel.
Do you want to have the wedding ceremony and reception at the same place? If not, you should consider a reception site that is easy to get to from the ceremony location. Remember, not everyone may be familiar with the area.
In addition to travel, is there suitable parking for your guests? No one should be stressed at your special event.
2. Service
You don’t want to deal with small problems – you are paying someone else to handle them! You and your guests should be treated like royalty.
Choose a wedding venue that has friendly staff. You also want to make sure the venue employs an adequate number to be attentive to all your needs.
Do your research ahead of time to see if there are any good or bad reviews.
3. Cost
Before you get to heavy into wedding planning, you need to set a budget. Determine what you, your fiance, or family will pay for each area of the event.
Set your overall budget for your wedding venue before visiting each place. You don’t want to fall in love with something you cannot afford. A quick call will give you a general idea of costs.
When you meet with the wedding place, you need to get a breakdown of all the costs and a list of items you need to rent. There is more to paying for a wedding and reception than just renting the space. For example, do you need to rent linens, flatware, tables, and chairs?
Of course, you need to consider the food service for a memorable reception. When considering the cost and type of food, you should also calculate tax and gratuity for an in-house catering service.
4. Size
Do you know how many guests are on your list? Be sure you give yourself some wiggle room for RSVPs or last-minute invites. You don’t want your venue to be too small.
Each venue should be able to give you an idea of their maximum capacity, so be sure your number fits to avoid any additional stress and headaches.
5. Style
You need to stay true to your style and not let Pinterest dictate what you like. If you are having a small intimate wedding, your venue choice will most likely be much different than a large, lavish hotel banquet hall.
Ask to see pictures of previous weddings to get decoration ideas. Do you think this location fits your wedding style? You can turn the most basic spot into the place of your dreams with the right decor.
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My aunt and her husband will renew their vows and plan to get married again and celebrate their 25th silver wedding anniversary next week. She told me that she thinks a wedding garden venue is appropriate. I like how you mentioned that she should plan for food and ask if the platform can give its maximum capacity so that she can prepare catering and how many numbers will be on her guest list.
Thank you for reminding us to get the breakdown of all the costs and the list of items we need to rent once we meet with the wedding venue we’re considering since we’ll be paying more than just the space. I’m getting married this April, and my partner and I are still looking for a venue to use for the ceremony and reception. I’ll be sure to follow what you said while I shortlist wedding venues to consider.
I appreciate how you stressed the need of setting a budget before diving headfirst into wedding preparations. Decide how much each component of the celebration will cost you, your fiance, or your family. My former roommate is finally getting married and is worried about having a good time at the wedding. Once he selects a fantastic location, I’ll make sure he has a lengthy conversation with them about his expectations so he cans et out his budget properly. Thanks!