Selecting a venue is one of your most significant decisions regarding your wedding. The venue impacts everything your wedding will have, from the number of guests to the event's overall theme.
You need to finalize a venue as soon as you and your partner are ready to take the next step in your relationship. It sets the backdrop for your big day.
Starting venue hunting early on is always a good idea as it helps you sift through a larger variety of options. You get a better grip on what you want for your big day and have ample time to mull things over before making the call.
We know venue hunting can be difficult, especially if you have to balance daily responsibilities with planning your big day.
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1. Determine The Type of Wedding You Want and Start Hunting For a Venue
Before you dive into the nitty gritty of your big day, you need to determine what you want it to look like. Many couples make the mistake of skipping pre-planning and discussing what they want their wedding day to look like, leading to problems later on.
Hence, sit down with your partner and discuss how you want the wedding to pan out. Reach a compromise, determine the type of wedding you’d like, whether it will be lavish or just opting for a simple one inviting family and close friends, and start venue hunting.
For example, suppose you and your future spouse agree to organize your wedding in a lavish place like Bali or a simple countryside wedding in the US. In that case, you can consult the wedding planner in that area or ask your friends for recommendations. They will help you get the best venue.
One thing to remember here is that the Bali wedding venue or the US wedding venue, or any other place you will be organizing your wedding should need to have all the bells and whistles you are looking for in a wedding venue.
2. Keep Your Budget In Mind
Before diving into wedding planning, you've probably given wedding expenses a good thought. However, for better financial insight, you must ensure that you have drafted a budget for the wedding.
A wedding is an expensive affair, and to keep the financial crunch to a minimum, you need to know what you and your partner are willing to spend for the wedding. Your budget will play a key role in determining your wedding venue.
Having a predefined budget will help you shortlist prospective venues more quickly and make the process easier for you. You don't want to find a gorgeous wedding venue only to realize that it's out of your budget. Hence, choose wisely and do not stray from your predefined budget.
3. Research For Better Results
Selecting the perfect wedding venue can be stressful. Hence, your best bet is to research possible venues as much as possible. You can use the internet, sift through magazines, and even visit different venues.
You need to see which venues have the best reviews and see if you can get in touch with the owners. Paying a personal visit is your best bet as you’ll be able to see the venue in person.
You can envision how you’d like your big day to look and easily let the owners know what you want.
4. Determine The Capacity of The Venue
This is one of the most important things when choosing your wedding venue. To better understand what you are looking for, you need to have at least a rough idea of the number of people you will be inviting for the event.
Although we recommend making a guest list before venue hunting, a guest list will help you choose a place that can easily accommodate all your guests.
If you are going to have an intimate wedding, then there is no use booking a large cathedral for the wedding. You could choose a chapel for such a setting. On the other hand, if you want a grand wedding, then you could book a farmhouse.
Moreover, if you have decided to invite 200 people to the wedding, don’t choose a venue that is exactly for 200 people. The place will feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. Hence, keeping a safety net of 10 to 20 people is good to ensure that everyone is comfortable.
5. Ask For Recommendations
After you are done with your research and read the reviews for each venue, asking for recommendations is the next step. You could ask your family, colleagues, neighbors, and friends about venues they had for their special day.
You can also hop on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook to see if you can get any recommendations from there. You could also ask a wedding planner, vendor, or caterer for any recommendations and see if they are worthwhile.
It is important to get as many recommendations as possible to choose the best wedding venue as it will be the most important day of your life.
6. Look Through Food And Drink Options
A lot of wedding venues offer catering services as part of their services. If your venue has a culinary team, set an appointment with them and tell them what you’d like for the wedding. You can always contact a caterer or restaurant if your venue doesn’t provide catering services.
You need to ensure that the venue is easy to reach for your caterers and that they have no problem setting up there. You must ask for taste testing and see that all the food items you select are up to the mark.
You should also keep your guests and their preferences in mind. Moreover, you need to ensure that you don’t overspend on the menu.
Bottom Line
Selecting a venue can be a tricky task. However, if you keep these golden tips in mind, you’ll breeze through them without any problem. Just be patient and look for small details. Be open to discussion and try to stay calm and rational. It will make choosing a venue much easier.
Hope this article is of great help to you in choosing your dream wedding venue for the big occasion.
