Finding the Right Wedding Venue: Nine Helpful Tips to Know

Wedding venues can determine if your special day will be a hit or a miss. It will set the tone for the rest of the event because while a comfortable venue will excite your guests, a bad venue will lessen their morale.

When choosing a venue for your wedding, you’ll be spoilt with lots of options either you search online or decide to scout around your location. You’ll find various churches, banquet halls, restaurants, courthouses, hotels, museums, colleges, and parks that you can use.

And almost all these venues will look perfect for your big day. Don’t fall for it! Not all venues are fit for the amazing wedding you have envisioned.

You’re lucky to be here. This article discusses simple ways to choose the right venue for your forthcoming wedding ceremony. You will cross this challenging hurdle if you observe the following hacks:

Decide Your Wedding Style First

This is the first tip for finding the right and perfect venue for your forthcoming wedding ceremony. Aside from determining the suitable location, wedding style also determines who to invite, the perfect budget, and other requirements for a successful wedding.

Decide whether you want a casual or formal, simple or elaborate, adult-only or open-to-all, indoor or outdoor wedding.

However, this part of the wedding preparation stage isn’t a one-person thing. Involve your partner in a heart-to-heart discussion before making the decision.

Your decision will guide your next move in your quest for a venue that suits your taste and style.

Start Searching for the Venue Early

Reports claim that 5,000 weddings occurred daily in the United States in 2021, meaning people won’t stop searching for the perfect venue to tie the knot.

You must start your search for a conducive wedding venue as soon as possible to beat other competitors or intending couples. Booking a venue is one of the pre-wedding checklists you must tick 12 months before the event.

That will help you select the best option and also prevent unnecessary price hikes that could occur due to short notice.

Secure a safe and conducive venue before fixing the wedding date to avoid unnecessary pressure.

Consider the Guests and Their Welfare

Even though the couple is the center of attraction at the wedding, the presence of family members, friends, well-wishers, and other guests is important to have a glamorous wedding.

Many of these people would have to sacrifice their time, money, and all other valuable things to grace your special day. Hence, you need to try your best to make them happy and comfortable throughout the occasion.

When searching for the perfect wedding venue, you’ll need to consider the number of people you have invited or plan to invite. Create a rough guest list or predict an estimated value before enquiring about any available venue.

Meanwhile, don’t select a random number without discussing it with your spouse and other family members. You, your partner, and other relevant people must agree on a specific number range (for instance, 60 to 100 people).

Ensure your prediction is near-perfect to avoid booking a venue that’s too small or large for the guests. You have a high chance of getting the best wedding venue if you take your time to consider the possible number of expected guests.

Consider the Location

Location is the next factor to consider after settling on the style and number of guests. Choose a location compatible with your preferred wedding style.

For instance, you can’t have an outdoor wedding in a dusty location or during the rainy season. Likewise, your guests won’t remember your wedding for any good reason if they experience much stress accessing your chosen location.

Ensure your preferred venue is in an accessible, easy-to-locate, and healthy environment suitable for the desired wedding type. Confirm if there are nearby parking spots, hotels, and airports before agreeing with your spouse.

Nonetheless, don’t forget to provide easy-to-understand and well-detailed travel information to help your guest reach the venue, regardless of the location.

You can create a wedding website where all guests can access real-time updates on the wedding and route directions.

Consider Your Budget

Budget plays a significant role in determining the type and size of the wedding venue. It is a crucial thing to consider when looking for the perfect venue because you can’t book a hall or outdoor space costlier than your budget.

Check your financial capacity and the amount you can allocate for a venue, without affecting all other important things. Also, don’t do this without your spouse.

Once you’ve decided on a budget, you can work with the amount during your search. However, while it’s proper to stick with your budget, don’t substitute beauty, comfort, and overall excellence for affordability. Do well to choose an affordable, yet befitting venue.

Prepare at least $2k for a blank-slate venue or $12k for an all-inclusive hall. You’ll learn about the difference between these two in point 9 of this post.

Hire an Experienced Wedding Planner

Couples often burn out trying to shoulder all the responsibilities involved in planning a wedding themselves. Especially when you’re planning an elaborate wedding, you need the service of a professional wedding planner.

These experts are more experienced in party-related matters and can be instrumental in helping you find the perfect wedding venue that falls within your budget.

Alongside helping to get a favorable venue, wedding planners also help to find the right vendors like Bakers, Caterers, Bands or DJs, Officiants, and Rental companies who offer the best prices.

Also, they can help you get some fashion items—like wedding bands—that take up a significant part of your wedding budget at a discounted price. They scout online stores like mensweddingbands.io, etc for matching and trending wedding bands before recommending the best option to you.

They shoulder the most stressful pre-wedding tasks, allowing you and your spouse to focus on other parts of the preparation.

However, before choosing one, do your research about two or more wedding planners. Check their profiles, reviews, previous projects, and experience before choosing the best candidate.

Also, read about what your wedding planner should handle to avoid hiring an underperforming and lazy planner.

Prioritize the Compulsory Features

Top-level wedding venues possess some attributes and materials regardless of size and price. These include capacity, accessibility, room for music bands, exclusive venue usage, security, etc.

Prioritize these compulsory features while looking for the right wedding venue. Don’t book a venue that lacks most of the features, even if it is cheaper than others.

Similarly, ask some crucial questions from the host before depositing any amount. Ask about accommodation capacity, cancelation policy, deposit policy, kitchen for your caterer, corkage fee, etc. Their answers will inform your final decision.

Don’t Ignore Restrictions

Some venue providers restrict celebrants and their guests from alcohol consumption. They also prohibit loud and live music, night parties, indecent dressing, cocktails, and pets.

So, checking the dos and don’ts is another way to get the best wedding venue. Ask if there is any law to obey during the day.

Again, their response will determine if the place is fit for your wedding style and guests’ conveniences.

All-inclusive or Blank-slate Venues

Choose between an all-inclusive or blank state wedding venue. As the name implies, the all-inclusive venue has everything you need for a memorable day. The host will provide chairs, tables, catering services, bar service, and cake while you supervise them or concentrate on other things.

As for the blank slate, you will provide everything you need because your payment covers the venue only. Though all-inclusive venues are expensive, they are the go-to options for couples unwilling to hire an event planner.