Picking a venue is one of the first and most important steps in the wedding planning process. The sooner you start looking out for the venues the better your chances of finding one that fits your need and also available for the date you want.
When focusing on how to choose a wedding venue, there are a number of things to take into consideration, we will discuss five things to look out for while searching for a wedding venue
Budget / Cost: There’s nothing more disappointing than finding what feels like your dream venue but realizing later that it doesn’t fit your wedding budget. Think about how much you’re willing to spend on your wedding and how much of that should be allocated to the venue specifically. Don’t forget to consider the cost of the venue holistically. Some venues might provide some important event services already in their overall price quote while others might charge extra for the same services. Expenses can add up quickly if you have to rent tables, chairs, a dancefloor, lighting, and other things. Your budget is usually the leading factor in how to choose a wedding venue right for you. Sometimes off-season weddings or Sunday weddings can yield a lower price tag.
Availability: If you have made up your mind on a particular date for your wedding, try and start looking at venues early to increase your chance of venues still being available. If your date is more flexible, you should still start well in advance but chances are you’ll have more options since you can pick your date based on the venue’s availability rather than being constrained to a certain date.
What Is The Maximum Capacity? Does It Match Your Guest List Size?: When choosing your venue you’ll want to have at least a rough idea of how many people you will be inviting to your wedding. This will ensure you choose a place that’s the appropriate size for your guest list. Having a venue that’s too large with a smaller guest list can make the place seem a bit empty. On the other hand, you also don’t want to pack 300 guests into a venue that has a maximum capacity of exactly 300 people. Your guests may bump elbows at the dinner tables and on the dance floor. Having an estimate of how many people will likely attend your celebration is also key in figuring out how tables will be arranged and how best to configure your available space.
Take Note of Parking Options: Especially if your wedding location is a bit isolated or in a busy downtown area, it’s important to check if there are good parking options or how accessible it is to get a cab. Ask about how many parking spaces there are and if guests would need to pay for parking. In the case that there aren’t great options for parking, you can consider hiring a bus or shuttle to bring people to and from the venue. Just make sure you add this expense to your wedding budget!
Read Multiple Reviews: Make sure to do your research on what people are saying about your venue. You might find information about aspects of the venue you hadn’t even thought to consider and other helpful details. Take note of both the positive and negative comments on third-party sites such as Google reviews TripAdvisor. You could also check reviews on the venue’s Facebook page. Pay special attention to any public replies the venue may have left to guest reviews. This will give you insight into how they may deal with an issue that could arise at your wedding. If you still have some unanswered questions, you can ask the venue for contact information of past couples or wedding planners that hosted weddings at the venue. You can then ask very specific questions to these people and find answers to the questions that may be keeping you up at night.
In conclusion, make sure you leave no stones unturned when picking your chosen venue. Since the wedding venue sets the backdrop for the whole event, it’s important to finalize it before moving on to other details of the event.
