Getting engaged is such an exciting moment, and it’s easy to want to jump right in to all things weddings. One of your first tasks on your checklist will inevitably be finding your venue! It’s easy to find a venue you love the look of but make sure that you’re considering everything when it comes to your wedding day location. Here are a few factors that you should take note of when you head to those venue tours!
Location
Is the venue located somewhere that your guests can actually get to? If you’re doing the ceremony and reception in separate venues, how far apart are they (and will your guests travel that far)? If it’s in a busy city location, will you have to cover guests’ parking or adjust your timeline due to 5:00 traffic? If it’s in a rural area, will guests be able to get a ride after a night of partying or be able to get back to their hotel in a reasonable amount of time? There are a lot of questions that come with location, so it’s important to make that the #1 factor when you’re looking around.
Availability
Have you always dreamed of an October wedding? Then you may want to make sure that venue has an October date available. Venues book up extremely fast, and book pretty far out. It’s easy to have to change your mind on a date because you can’t find a venue. You’ll also want to make note of blackout dates. If you always pictured a New Year’s Eve soirée but a venue doesn’t go for that sort of thing, then it probably isn’t a good fit for your special day.
Capacity
It’s simple math. You can’t fit 250 guests into a room built for 100. Make sure you ask about the capacity of the space, specifically for a seated reception if you plan on having dinner. Numbers for capacity will vary depending on if you’re using the space for a ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception, so make sure that you’re picking a space that’s suited to that guest list you already sent Save-the-Dates to.
Style
Is it what you had in mind? If you want a lavish, formal affair, then are you choosing a venue that will “wow” your guests – or if you want a casual party, are you looking at something that will make your guests feel like they should have worn a suit and tie? You need to pick a venue that reflects that style of the event you’re planning, and the style of you as a couple. Your venue will say the most about your wedding, and will be the checklist item that sets the tone for everything else.
Cost
By now you should have an idea of what you can afford to pay for your big day, so does this venue fit your costs? Is it in the budget you set or does it take away your whole budget (and more)? As easy as it is to fall in love with a venue solely based on its looks, your going to want to spend some money on other things too, so make sure that you have that money to spend.
Vendors
If you’re looking at a venue that requires a certain caterer, but you already booked a caterer you’re in love with who isn’t on the list, then you have a problem on your hands. Don’t put yourself in the awkward position of trying to explain the mishap to the caterer or trying to beg the venue to let you use them. Ask about preferred/required vendors at your tour so that you have an idea of what (or who) is allowed and what isn’t.
Hope this helps! Choosing your venue is the first big step to the planning process and there’s a lot to choose from. Keep these factors in mind, and you’ll definitely find something perfect for your special day!
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16 replies on “What To Consider When Choosing Your Wedding Venue”
My fiance and I have been looking for a wedding venue to book for our upcoming wedding. Both of us need a few tips to make sure that we get the best possible place for the venue. We will be sure to check the vendors and what will be catered at certain spots.
Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming wedding Alexandria.
Thank you for the advise about wedding venues. My fiancé and I would like to get married in a romantic and beautiful location, and it helped when you mentioned that proximity is something that we need to consider. We’d like to have a memorable and intimate wedding, so we would love to have the presence of our close family and friends. Thanks for the advise on the things to consider for our wedding location!
You are welcome Margaux. Congratulations on your engagement and enjoy the process.
My son is going to be getting married, but he’s not sure where to do it. It makes sense that he would want to find a venue that’s in a convenient location! That seems like a good way to ensure that it’s not too hard for everyone involved to get to it.
My sister is getting married a few months from now, and planning to invite 300 people. It’s important for her to make sure that the wedding venue that she will choose for the ceremony and reception is big enough for her guests to feel comfortable, so I’m glad that you talked about the importance of asking the capacity of the space of the wedding venue that you’re interested in, most especially if you’re planning to also have dinner during the event. I will make sure to share your blog with my sister so she can get some tips on choosing a wedding venue. Thanks!
Capacity is a huge thing to take into consideration when choosing a wedding venue and it is great that your article brings it up. After all, you want to make sure that the venue you choose can hold all of the guests you intend to invite. That is why it might be easier to put together the guest list first so that you have a solid idea of how many people the venue will need to accommodate.
Thanks for your comment about how you should choose a wedding location that it close to where all of your guests will be staying. I also like how you said to book it early on so that you can reserve the spot. My fiance and I are looking into a wedding hire to help us find a good location for our ceremony and/or reception.
I am glad you talked about considering the capacity of the venue when finding wedding accommodations. We have 500 people on our guest list and need a large space. Thanks for the tips for choosing your wedding venue.
I agree that location is really important when it comes to choosing a wedding venue. You want to make sure you find a place that is near where most of your guests live, like you said. You don’t want to choose a venue that will be inconvenient for people to travel to.
Thank you for pointing out how important it is to choose a wedding venue that fits the budget since there are other things that the couple needs to spend money on. My sister mentioned that there is a wedding venue that she absolutely adores though it is a bit pricey. It might be a good idea to ask her about the price, and we’ll match it with the other needs. If it does not affect the budget very much, then maybe we can go for it. This is really helpful.
I loved that you mentioned you need to consider the number of guests that will attend your wedding to choose the right venue. My husband and I are thinking about how to choose the right wedding venue for my sister’s wedding, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know about your recommendations to choose the right wedding venue for her.
Hi Ellie,
I am glad you found this information helpful. Keeping this in mind should help make the process easier. Congratulations to your sister for this new start in her life.
I liked that you mentioned you need to take into account the number of people for your event to choose the right wedding venue. My husband and I are thinking about how to choose the right venue for my brother’s wedding, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know about your recommendations to choose the right wedding venue for us.
My wife and I are thinking about getting married, and we are looking for advice to plan it properly. I loved that you mentioned the location of a venue plays an important part in your decision. I will make sure to contact a professional to help us find the perfect venue for our wedding.
I agree with what you said that it’s important to make sure that the wedding reception venue you choose could fit all your guests, which is why it’s always wise to ask about the capacity of the space when choosing one. My cousin Brinna would benefit from this advice of yours since she recently got engaged. I’ll send this article of yours to her tonight through email. Thanks.