Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and choosing the right venue is critical to making it memorable and magical for you and your guests. With so many options, choosing the ideal location for your wedding can be difficult.
In this article, we’ll go over how to pick the best wedding venue for your client’s style, preferences, and budget.
- Start Your Search
You want to avoid falling in love with your dream venue only to discover it’s completely booked for the next 12 months, do you? Wedding venues (and vendors, for that matter) are frequently booked a year or more in advance. So, if you truly want your first choice of venue or have a non-negotiable wedding date, start your venue search and site visits as soon as possible.
If you’re in a hurry or have a more flexible date range, the availability of your venue will be the deciding factor in deciding on a wedding date.
Remember, whether your wedding is in the winter, spring, summer, or fall, you can plan around the weather! If you’re arranging an outdoor party, always prepare a contingency plan: it’s a good idea to have access to an inside space or a tent, just in case.
- Set a Precise Location
When deciding where to tie the knot, numerous factors must be considered. You don’t want to make your guests jump through hoops just to get to your wedding! Consider the following:
- How close are the nearest airports to the venue?
- Are there any hotels or other places to stay nearby?
- Is the location relatively easy to find or completely off the beaten path?
- Is the website usable by people with disabilities?
- What are the parking options?
If you’re planning a weekday wedding, you’ll also want to consider commute times—especially if you’re getting married in a congested area!
Although keeping things simple for your guests is preferable, you can have an out-of-the-way destination wedding or adventure venue! Simply go the extra mile (pun intended) by including extremely detailed travel information on your wedding website and invitation inserts.
- Get the Help of a Wedding Planning Company
Wedding planners are similar to venue designers. If you choose one who has worked in the area where you want to marry, they will most likely be able to recommend event spaces based on your style, budget, guest count, and other factors. They can also visualise the possibilities of a blank space and give your ideas for your wedding design and layout. So, the best wedding planning management agency is highly recommended to partner with.
- Don’t Forget the Guests Coming
By the time you start looking for a venue, you should have a good idea of how many people will be attending. If not, you’ll need to nail down that figure—especially since many venues require a deposit based on a guest count estimate! Need help figuring it out? See our advice on how to manage your wedding guest list.
When it comes to your venue, size does matter. After all, you want to avoid cramming 200 people into a space designed for 20! There should be enough space for the table layout, seating arrangements, a dance floor and for guests to move around comfortably. On the other hand, you don’t want too much extra space.
If only 20 people are in a room designed for 200, it may feel empty and lack that cosy, intimate feel. Of course, if you’re planning ahead of time and still need to narrow down your guest list, you’ll have to estimate and refine the number as the date approaches. There’s a big difference in cost and planning effort between a small party and a big bash, so get your numbers down as soon as possible!
- Determine the Budget
The majority of couples end up spending the majority of their money on their venue! The tricky part is that venue pricing can be complicated. Sure, there’s the room rental fee, but facilities may also charge you for tables, chairs, linens, kitchenware, drinkware, parking, insurance, catering, corkage, cake snipping, and, oh my! Additional hours. Don’t be surprised if taxes, gratuities, and service charges are added to the bill.
Before you book a venue, we recommend that you confirm the big-picture pricing. Bring our queries to raise with your wedding venue on-site visits to discover precisely what is—and isn’t—included.
- Keep Track of Wedding Style
Do you have an idea of what kind of wedding you want? Is it going to be formal or informal? Indoors or outside? Modernist or free-spirited boho? Is it going to be held at night or during the day? Are children welcome, or is it strictly for adults?
You can significantly narrow your search by identifying your wedding style before you begin looking for a venue. And finding a venue that perfectly sets the tone for your wedding style makes all the other details fall into place naturally. Trying to decide on a wedding venue style?
The Final Words
Make sure to carefully read any contract you sign with a wedding venue. Check that you understand the agreement’s terms, such as the deposit, payment schedule, cancellation policy, and any restrictions or rules.
Choosing the ideal wedding venue is a critical decision that can set the tone for your client’s entire wedding celebration. You can choose a venue that brings to life the wedding your client has always imagined by taking into account their personal style, the number of guests, the budget, the time of year, and available facilities, and meticulously reviewing the agreement.
