Picking your wedding venue can be so hard since there are so many options out there!!!
However, I'm breaking it down for you! After reviewing our Wedding Checklist - The first 5 Musts (click to view) You can move on to the below!
First, do you need to be around a certain location due to travel limits/accessibility of your guests and yourself? Or are you more inclined to do a destination wedding where you would all travel?
Then, determine your vision for your wedding day. Do you dream of soft colors and dreamy photos? Perhaps that would align with a resort, chalet, golf club etc.
Do you love the DIY and rustic-ness of what a barn wedding offers? With fun fall colors and lots of room for personality? That may point you more towards a barn venue.
Do you want your ceremony and reception in the same or different locations? Some venues do not have a ceremony spot so this is helpful to know ahead of time when scouting locations!
Come up with an estimated guest count. This will help limit some locations as some will either be too big or too small for your amount of guests.
Narrow down some dates that you are hoping to get married.
Are there indoor and outdoor options? Me? I LOVE love LOVE outdoor weddings!!! However, in case of bad weather, it's good to have a venue that has a beautiful option for indoors as well!
What is the privacy like? Some venues can offer multiple weddings in a day and you would never know anyone else was there from how it is set up. However, some venues you may see wedding guests that are part of a different wedding or another Bride/Groom. If this hits you a certain way, you may want to consider one that only hosts one wedding a day or where you won't run into other weddings.
Are you responsible for set up and take down? Some love an all hands on deck approach and have no problem changing out of their wedding dress and tearing down the decorations etc. However, others may want to have a full service type of venue that you trust with your vision and can assist with the set up and tear down.
If you're setting up and tearing down, can you do it the day before? If they host multiple weddings in a weekend and you can't set up the night before, then it may add some extra stress on the wedding day.
Determine some "Must haves" for your day:
Do you need to use the in house caterer or baker for the food/cake? Or can you bring in your own?
Can you Bring your own alcohol?
Are you limited to a "preferred list" or can you bring your own vendors?
Is there anywhere on site to get ready (if you are doing everything at the venue)
Lastly, which venue gives you the "feels"? You know, that super excited feeling when something just clicks?
Stay tuned for some more wedding planning tips in the coming weeks!
