Planning Your Own Wedding: Venue Hunting
We have a budget we’re comfortable with, a theme we’re excited about … now it’s time to begin the hunt to bring it all to life!
There are several vendors you’ll find yourself contacting throughout your wedding planning journey, but to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed, I would recommend starting with vendors that a) will fill a larger portion of your budget, and b) may be harder to book the closer you get to your wedding date. With that being said, I felt it was only right we start talking where your ceremony and/or reception will take place. For us, our venue is the second highest cost behind the photographer we’ve decided to hire, and it’s also one of the more popular venues in our area, so it was extremely important that we got it booked as soon as possible. I’m one of those people that’s willing to compromise and modify a lot of things involving the wedding, I just cannot give up my dress and my overall vision; the venue IS my vision, so if we lost it we’d literally have to start searching in another city … and I do not want that kind of stress less than a year out from my wedding.
Your situation could be the complete opposite as mine. Your venue could be one of your smaller wedding expenses, it could be one of many venues in your city that you’ll be happy with, or it could simply be less in demand compared to other venues, making it less of a priority to book. Regardless, these are things you should absolutely consider when you’re hunting for the perfect venue.
What Should I Be Looking For?
Well, physically, that’s entirely up to you. You have a theme for a reason, so let that be what guides you in any initial interest you may have in contacting a venue. As mentioned in my last post ever so long ago, I’m going for a “modern glamour & elegance” kind of look, so I wasn’t drawn to the barn type of venue or outdoor venues where I would have to walk on grass. Not only am I absolutely not interested in my heels sinking in the dirt, but the thought of bugs crawling under my dress and possibly onto my body sounds like an absolute nightmare. All negativity aside, I’m still very much interested in having an outdoor ceremony, so that’s why we decided on a venue that has a rooftop terrace. There are so many reasons why it’s absolute perfect for what I wanted, but the very first being how little I would need to do in regard to decor. I have a very expensive vision without the budget to match, meaning the less decor I have to buy to make it look how I want, the better. I’m thinking we’ll buy an arch to have set at the altar, and possibly an aisle runner with some floral decor along the sides. I know I’ll find a few smaller things to add around the venue to make it feel a little more personalized, but it’s absolutely beautiful on it’s own, so it speaks for itself.
When having an outdoor venue, another major thing you may want to consider is if there is another space that can be utilized in the instance of inclement weather. I could not have confidently booked our venue if there wasn’t an indoor space that I would be equally as satisfied with our ceremony being held. I feel myself getting anxious anytime I think about the possibility of it raining on our wedding day, so I know if there wasn’t a “plan b” that I’d be in a continuous state of stress for the next several months. If your “plan a” doesn’t come with the “b,” then a great vendor to look into are companies that offer tent rentals. I couldn’t tell you the range as far as cost goes, but I would assume that two factors that would affect that number are how long you would need the rental and the size of it.
What Questions Should I Ask?
A literal shit ton. Not only do you want to be sure that the venue owners allow all of your decor, but you also want to make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. You don’t want to make the mistake of dropping a significant amount of money on a venue, just to have to drop more on outside vendors because items needed for the big day aren’t included. You’ll of course need chairs for your guests to sit, so you’ll want to ask if those are included in the rental price. If your ceremony venue is where the reception is being held as well, you’ll want to make sure that tables are included also. Some venues also include table linens in a variety of colors, so while I doubt having to rent them from another vendor would cost TOO much, it’s still a great question to ask.
How many hours are included in the price to rent your venue should make the list as far as one of the most important questions to ask when considering where to have your wedding. Some venues may have 8-hour rentals, and some may let you rent the space for an entire day. It all depends on your needs, how long your ceremony and reception will be, if you’re even having a reception, and how much time will be needed to set up for the day and clean up afterwards. As far as our wedding, it’s super intimate with only our immediate family attending, and we also won’t be having a formal reception after, so two hours would be enough time. It’s enough time to set up, have a short ceremony, and then take photos afterwards. That’s truly all that we care about. The price that we’re paying for those two hours, however, also includes our wedding cake, a knife to cut the cake, Champagne, and flutes for a toast. That for sure made it worth it to us.
You probably won’t have to ask whether or not the price you’re paying includes the entire rental, but if the venue has multiple spaces and/or rooms, it may be good to just ask. The price we paid includes the entire venue, but there was another venue we were considering when we first got engaged that cost more if we wanted to rent the entire building; if we didn’t we risked another event be held at the same time. Y’all may be cool with that, but it was an absolute “hell no” for me.
The last thing I want to elaborate on is when I mentioned the owners of your venue possibly not allowing certain decor. There are some that don’t allow open flames, confetti/flower petals, or anything being attached to walls. Not a personal deal breaker, but if that is the kind of the decor you were really looking for, then it’s worth knowing. As with asking about the price including the entire venue, this is one of those things I’ve also learned that you probably won’t have to ask about. If they care about enforcing their rules, it’ll be something they tell you once the conversation gets going.
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In no way is this a complete guide to how to choose the perfect wedding venue, but I feel confident it can at least get you started. If you’re having a larger ceremony with a traditional reception, I’m sure there are a lot more questions you may want to ask regarding catering and whether or not it’s done in-house, if you have to choose from a list of their preferred vendors, or if you can choose any vendor, and questions regarding alcoholic beverages. Some venues provide alcohol, some say you have to bring your own, some say you have to hire an outside bartender, and others only allow beer and wine. It varies from place to place, so never assume that just because one venue does something a certain way, that the next venue will be the same.
As always, happy planning!
