Finding Your Perfect Wedding Venue
Photography by Angel Sheree Photography
Choosing your wedding venue can set the tone for the rest of your wedding planning. It will be your first and foremost important decision that will create the foundation for your journey. Here are some tips to help you with your venue search and decisions along the way:
What is most important to you?
If you begin with this question, it will help you narrow down your top choices & may save you from questioning yourselves during the process. Hop online and do some initial research to find what is located in your areas and cities of interest. Also, knowing the answers to these questions will help you narrow down your options: What is your wedding budget? What is your venue and food and beverage budget? What is you maximum guest count? What cities are you interested in for the celebration? What type of space, style, and ambiance are you looking for? What is your wedding style? Indoor, outdoor, daytime, evening, beach, garden, ballroom, etc? And, again, always reference your budgets to keep you within realistic means for your wedding and all it entails.
Choosing the date for your special day.
Couples love the numbers, whatever makes it easier to remember your anniversary! Some venues hold weddings everyday of the week and some only Saturdays and Sundays. If you are looking at a particular date, I would suggest immediately calling all venues you are interested in to check on their availability, as venues are currently booking about a year and a half to two years in advance.
What does each venue include?
Some venues require you to provide all of your other vendors, such as rentals, catering, cake and desserts, etc., and some include benefits, such as valet, security guards, a coordinator, bartenders, servers, no corkage fee & no cake cutting fee. Definitely do your online research for what each venue includes and does not include so you know the right questions to ask ahead of time.
Photography by XO & Fetti Photography
Don’t forget about the timing and logistics.
When planning your wedding day timeline, pay attention to venue hours and catering hours. This confuses couples the most. Whether if it is a customized vendor list or an all-inclusive vendor team, we all follow suit to the catering serving time. Timing is crucial with how many hours you are on the property versus how many hours catering service is provided. If you’ve fallen behind on schedule, that can compromise the timing of your food service. Your Catering team, Coordinator, and Venue will be able to help you navigate this!
Rules & restrictions are very important.
When doing your initial research and reflecting on what is most important to you, make sure to reference each venue’s guidelines and restrictions. Here are a few to consider: Adult guest minimums and maximums, noise ordinances, handicap accessibility, off-seasons, or no live bands may be a deal breaker for you.
Lastly, BREATHE!
Researching venues can be A LOT of information all at once. However, you will know when you know! When you choose your venue, everything will fall into place. Often times I see brides’ and grooms’ shoulders relax with a huge sigh of relief after they have finally decided on their wedding venue. For some, I see that twinkle in their eye when I walk them through our gardens for the first time. It’s truly magical when I see that connection where they envision themselves walking down the aisle. So, prepare yourself for your tours! Bring snacks and beverages to keep you hydrated and clear minded. Otherwise, hopefully your venue will have some waiting for you! Happy planning!
Author Bio: Bel began assisting Bella Dia Weddings at Hartley Botanica in 2012 and began venue tours and sales for the venue in 2017. She has 2 children, 1 granddaughter, loves dancing hula/Tahitian, and became recently engaged in November 2019 at Badwater Basin in Death Valley.