Things to Think About in Your Search for a Venue
Soon after getting engaged, while some start right away and others wait a little longer to do so, it’s common to begin the planning of your wedding by searching for the place you and your partner will be hosting your special day.
Whether the two of you have a specific vision as to what you want this place to look like or don’t have much of a preference, there are some things that we recommend you consider as you make your list and start the touring process.
In today’s day and age, the vast amount of venues there are in the U.S. alone can be both a blessing and a curse. Having so many to choose from means that there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find multiple places that match (or are close to) what you’re looking for in terms of cost, style, etc.
However, with that said, it can also make the decision-making process a little harder when you get down to the wire and are comparing your top favorites.
Here are 5 things we suggest you narrow your focus to when it ultimately comes time to decide…
The Feel
Out of the 5 things we’re about to discuss, this one may very well be the most important. The way you feel when you go to tour a venue is huge. Wedding excitement (and possibly some nerves) aside, when you walk onto a property that has the potential to be where you spend one of the best days of your life, you of course want it to feel good, right?
Not only that, but does it feel welcoming? Does it look like it’s well-kept and properly maintained? The feelings that arise while touring the venue are feelings that are likely to be there the day of the actual wedding as well, so take the time to hone in on them and compare them to the way you felt when looking at other places.
The Overall Cost
As a company that helps couples create budgets for their wedding, we’d be hard-pressed to not talk about the money you’re going to spend, because, just like how each venue makes you feel, how deep into your wallet you’ll be reaching also makes a big impact.
Depending on who’s paying for the wedding and if you do have a budget, it may influence your comfortability in booking with a venue that’s a bit over your desired price point. As finding a venue and securing a date is commonly done first among all your vendors, try to keep in mind where your other funds will need to be allocated to and if the venue if worth spending less on one thing or another.
The Offerings
The things a venue has to offer, or lack thereof, are clearly going to appeal differently to different people. For example, some venues may have places to get ready (and even spend the night) on-site, while others would require a stay in a nearby hotel or separate accommodation. In a similar sense, some venues may provide a spot for both a ceremony and reception to take place, but any chairs, tables, etc., that you’d be using would need to be rented from an outside source.
The day you go to tour, some of these things may be more of an afterthought as you’re merely going to be told about them and not utilizing them then and there. However, when weighing your options and truly examining each venue, think about your future self and what’ll be important for you and your partner to have on the actual day of.
Not only that, but if there are things the venue doesn’t have that you’ll need to look into acquiring yourselves, is that something that 3 or 4 months into planning you’ll be willing to do? If not, would you be willing to hire a planner to help you with it? Things to think about.
The Likability
While you and your partner should be the ultimate decision makers as to where you want to get married, taking your guests into account is always smart and can help the day go more smoothly when thought about in advance. Will the people you’re planning on having there with you to celebrate like the venue and more importantly, be comfortable there?
For example, let’s say two of the people you’re closest to in life are your sister and your grandmother and they will without a doubt be invited to the wedding. Your sister has a very strong gluten allergy and your grandmother is in a wheelchair and has a hard time walking. It wouldn’t make a ton of sense, then, to go with a venue who maybe does in-house catering but doesn’t offer gluten-free options, or, to book a venue with a lot of stairs and no elevator.
Your wedding day is your day and while you shouldn’t feel pressured to lean a certain way when deciding where your nuptials will be taking place, there are sometimes still guest-related factors that need to be taken into consideration.
The Staff
We couldn’t end our list of things to think about without taking a minute to discuss the staff at the venues you’re contemplating between. However, similar to the offerings a venue has, the people working at a particular venue may not be top-of-mind in your decision-making directly after you tour (unless, of course, you had a very bad experience in which case it’ll be much easier to move them to the ‘no’ pile).
The reason why we felt it was necessary to include the staff of the establishment is because, circling back slightly to our first point of discussion, ‘the feel,’ the people who work there can play a large part in that.
For instance, when you first arrived at the venue, were you welcomed and made to feel special, or were you just another tour they were marking off for the day? Were they attentive to your needs and desires, or just trying to push the shiny attributes on you to make the sale?
While it should be noted that one person’s actions cannot account for the entire group of employees, a venue’s staff is going to be involved with both you as a couple and your other chosen vendors throughout the planning process and on the day of the wedding. You want them to be respectable, trustworthy, and you should have the confidence that they’ll pull through and do what needs to be done to help make your day a beautiful success.
Although this list of 5 things is in no way exhaustive and there are definitely other things that may factor into whether you choose one venue over another, we think it’s a good place to start, especially if there are multiple places in the running for that top spot.
The place you get married is not only where you’ll spend many hours getting ready and celebrating with the ones you love on your special day, but you’ll look back on it for years to come and who knows, maybe even take your kids there one day. Take the time to thoughtfully consider if it’s truly where you want to say your ‘I Dos’ and begin your journey of marriage together :)
