Other than choosing your groom or bride, the wedding venue is possibly the most important decision you’ll make about your wedding. After all, you’ve got to have some place for all your friends, family and acquaintances to gather and celebrate. But finding the perfect venue isn’t an easy feat. There are so many options to choose from, whether you’re looking for a stunning open lawn, an elegant ballroom, a cozy restaurant, or a quiet breezy stretch of beach with the sea in sight. One of the reasons which make venue selection as a significant step is that it will influence your vendors, budget, décor and even attire. It may sound terrifying of a job to pursue and Before you go dashing off to look around every single wedding reception venue within a hundred miles, here are some top tips to think about when choosing a wedding venue:

Estimate

Nearly every venue has spacing for different figures for the guest count, when it comes to accommodation. "Be sure to aim low in your numbers — it's easier to add guests than to deduct," says Diane Kolanović-Šolaja from Dee Kay Events from New Jersey. Keeping an estimate about your guest list for you Big wedding Day is the safe play, before cutting down to the final step of deciding the venue.

Get a Wedding Planner

As Alliey Kline-Weichelt, lead planner and CEO of Sash & Bow in Green Bay, Wisconsin, says - “Planners are much more familiar with the capabilities of a space, the layout, and the time and items you’ll need to really transform it,” therefore, it is right of you to assume that a professional with years of experience in the wedding industry would surely be familiar of your needs and will be able to give you befitting venue choices, leaving you relieved with not much to stress upon.

Remember Your Budget

Do your homework and find out what the going rates are in your desired wedding location. Working out a budget early on will assist you to shortlist prospective wedding venues. Wedding catering and alcohol usually take up quite a large portion of your budget so remember to cover it in your calculations. The last thing you want is to be lumbered with wedding debt or to have to cut back on something else. The value of a wedding venue isn’t just related to the upfront cost of the space. It will also go up depending on the number of people you invite. Because of this, conscientious budget planning should form a core part of your wedding planning operation. You need to find a wedding space which doesn’t leave your finances collapsing, afterwards.

Additional Facilities

Convenience is Key. You need to first make a detailed wedding checklist. Do you want to incorporate a full four course meal or some type of buffet with snacks? If they do have in-house catering, do they provide separate menus for vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc.? If it’s a destination wedding, do you need on site accommodation for guests? Does the venue provide ease of access when it comes to transport and network availability? Are there hidden costs like costs for parking, swimming pool, laundry etc.? Basically, you need to have thorough analysis of the entire venue, inside out and upside down. The only route through this is to ask a lot of questions! Do not hesitate. After all, it’s about your wedding day!

Make sure to ask these questions before making a permanent deal for your wedding venue :

How many guests can the venue hold?

Are there a variety of capacities depending on which room you choose?

Pricing: what’s the price per head? Is there a minimum spend? Are there any set packages?

How easy is it to get to the venue? Is there public transit nearby? How much parking do they have?

What are your decor options? Do they have their own chairs and linens? Do they work with a decor company or should you seek your own?

What’s the protocol for letting your outside suppliers in and out on the day of the wedding? (is there a time frame that you have to adhere to?)

How flexible are they? For example, are there any restrictions in terms of what you can bring in and use (this is a good question if you have something specific in mind like candles)? How do they normally plan out the itinerary for the reception and is there some leeway on the timing?

All images via Pinterest.

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