Wedding Venue Selection Tips For An Elaborate Celebration
As it’s one of the most difficult parts of planning any wedding, I thought that today, I would focus on how to pick a venue. Whether you’ve just started your wedding planning or have been planning for a while, choosing your venue can be tricky. It might seem easy, but the truth is, it’s one of the most difficult parts of organizing a wedding.
At first glance, it might seem that all there is to selecting a wedding reception venue is picking somewhere that is free on your chosen date. Sadly, however, there’s a lot more to it than that. You may not realise it, but there a lot more to planning a wedding than meets the eye.
However, that doesn’t mean that planning the most incredible wedding has to be difficult. Picking the perfect venue for your celebrations might take some thought, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle. There are plenty of things that you can do to make picking the ideal place easier for yourself. Just make sure that before you head off to browse every place within a 100 miles, that you take note of these tips:
Get inspired
First things first, it’s a good idea to take the time to get inspired. If you don’t know what you want, there’s no point going to look at wedding venues. Wasting your time seeing venues that aren’t right for you is pointless. So before you start booking viewings, take the time to find your inspiration. Do this, and you’ll find that you’re more in touch with what you want when it comes to your wedding venue. In the long-run, this will save you time, so it’s worth making the effort.
Start off by browsing on Pinterest. When it comes to finding wedding inspo, Pinterest is your best friend. There’s no question about it, when it comes to wedding inspiration; this site is the best place to start. It’s a good idea to create a board labeled ‘wedding venues’, where you can pin any wedding venue ideas that you like. You can then refer to these later on, to help make selecting a hotel or hall a little easier. To get your bridesmaids, siblings, and mom involved, you could also have a group board, where everyone can post venue inspo for you to see.
Do your research
Once you’ve got an idea of the type of venue you would like to celebrate in, the next step is to start doing your research. When researching, the most important factors to think about are, as follows. The location, how many people it must hold, and, of course, whether you will just be using it for the reception or the wedding itself as well. It’s also crucial that you take your budget into account. Even if it’s the most beautiful place, if you can’t afford it, there’s no point going to see it.
Start your research by Googling venues in the area where you plan on getting married. Ideally, your reception venue should be no further than 25 minutes away from where the wedding itself will take place. Otherwise, it’s just too much traveling for everyone. If you don’t find the internet helpful, spend some time talking to friends and family about the best local places to celebrate your wedding. For example, a friend might suggest somewhere that’s perfect, such as the Hollywood Banquet Hall. Sometimes, the best way to find the most amazing venue is via word of mouth, so don’t be afraid to ask around.
Be flexible on the date
If you want the wedding reception venue of your dreams, whatever you do, don’t set a date first. This is especially important if you’re planning your big day to coincide with peak wedding season. Have a few date ideas in mind, and a time of year when you want to get married, and then wait to see when the venue is available.
Wait until you’ve spoken to the person in charge of the place, before setting a date for your wedding. That way, you’re not going to fall in love with somewhere and not be able to have it because it’s not free on your chosen wedding date.
Check the details before viewing
Before viewing anywhere, make sure to check the details. There’s no point going to see a venue if there’s a reason you can’t have it, such as the fact that it doesn’t hold enough people. Things to ask before viewing are the dates it’s available and how long the waiting list is. As well as whether you can bring in your own vendors, and what happens in terms of decorations.
These are all important things to ask, as they will affect whether you are still interested in the venue. For instance, if you have a certain caterer or DJ you’re dying to use, and the venue only allows their own food and entertainment, this may put you off it. Or, if, for example, the venue won’t cater to an extra couple of guests, this could be a warning sign that it’s not right. Yes, you could cut your guest list, but realistically you don’t want a venue that’s not able to make exceptions. It’s worth checking the details beforehand, to save yourself from seeing places that aren’t suitable.
Ensure it fits your wedding
Last but not least, make sure that the venue fits your wedding. When you go to see it, look at the design of the place, and ask yourself whether it will work well with the style of your wedding. If the architecture of the place doesn’t fit your wedding, think about whether decorations can change that. If not, maybe it’s not the place for you.
It’s also a good idea to think about your venue in terms of your wedding photographs. Ask yourself, will this venue work well with the types of photos you want taken? If the answer is no, the next step is to consider whether you’re willing to compromise on the pictures. If not, then it’s probably best to wave goodbye to the venue.
Picking the perfect place to celebrate your wedding is never going be easy. However, you can make it a little less stressful for yourself, by taking note of the tips above. Take the time to get some inspiration, be selective about the places that you see, and do lots of research. Do these things and you can make it much easier to pick the venue of your dreams.