11 tips to keep in mind while choosing your wedding venue
Choosing your Wedding venue is one of the biggest decisions regarding your big day. It is a decision which shouldn’t be rushed because in a way your venue tells your love story. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while you are browsing for wedding venues:
What type of wedding do you have in mind?
A wedding in its bare essentials is a marriage of two souls with separate personalities. A wedding venue must be a coherent decision made by these two personalities and for that, they have to decide what kind of wedding they want. A small, intimate function in a vacation home or a resort Or a large ballroom wedding, an outdoor wedding or an indoor function. The venue differs accordingly. So, first, decide the type of wedding that you want.
The budget
The budget is a key constraint and cannot be avoided. Both families along with the bride and the groom should sit down and have a discussion regarding how much needs to be spent on the venue. Emergency funds should be allocated and some room should be left out for last minute expenses.
The number of guests
Try to get an estimate of how many people would attend the wedding. The size of the venue, seating arrangements, catering etc, depend on this information. Try to employ some RSVP system for estimating the numbers and always reserve some room for extra guests.
Check availability
Check availability for various venues that satisfy your tastes on your fixed wedding day. Try widening your options so as to get easier matches.
Visit the venue
Try to visit the venue, multiple times, if possible. It is important that you see yourself getting married there. You should get the “feeling”. If you do get it then look no further you have found your perfect venue.
Ask for referrals
Some Wedding venues maintain a good relationship with their previous clients. Ask the venue’s manager for referral contacts and ask the referrals about how the services were, was anyone difficult to work with, or if they would do something differently. This could provide great insight into the functioning of the venue.
Guest Logistics
An important decision to be made while choosing your venue is establishing how guests will get from point A to point B. You might have guests coming from abroad or from far away. Find out if the venue has amenities to house these guests. If the venue doesn’t have the facilities, research nearby hotels and find out if they have enough rooms available. And for guests who will be arriving on the wedding day, check whether there are enough parking spots and also ask the venue management if they provide shuttle service for guests.
In-House catering
If the venue offers in-house catering services then it is must that you do a tasting. Try to bring along your family and your partner’s family if possible so that you could get an understanding of everyone’s personal preferences. If the venue doesn’t offer in-house catering, find out catering services nearby and hire them. ALso, Check if the venue has an ideal space for setting the kitchen up and for other preparations like, live kitchen.
Exclusivity
Double check with the venue management if you would have exclusive use of the venue. It is common that most venues host multiple events at the same time but ensure that your event has the privacy it requires. You don’t want anyone else to steal your thunder on your big day.
Understand Venue restrictions
Some venues restrict certain kind of activities on their premises. For example, some venues won’t let you serve alcohol in their premises or some venues have a decibel limit. Find out about such restrictions and work your event around them.
Hire help
All this can be very overwhelming so, if you know what you want, write it down and have a discussion with a wedding planner. Hire a wedding planner who will help you in the various stages of venue management and would make your wedding day magical.