Love Meets Location: 6 Tips to Look for When Searching for a Wedding Venue
Finding a wedding venue is one of the first steps in starting the wedding planning process. It’s like searching for a house; there will be pros and cons to all venues based on your needs, wants, and expectations. There are so many venues out there that it can be overwhelming to know what to look for and what to ask when looking for a wedding venue. All that matters is that you choose a venue that reflects the two of you as a couple! Here are nine things to look for when you’re searching for a wedding venue!
6 Wedding Venue Search Tips
Location, Location, Location
The location of your wedding venue can impact the overall experience for you and your guests. You can look at the venue’s accessibility and how far the venue is to accommodations for out of towners. If you’re having a ceremony off-site from your reception venue, consider the timing and distance between the two venues. Also, think about the backdrop and the surrounds!
Capacity
Putting together a list of who you are wanting to invite will give you a good starting point of what venues you would consider. Typically we see a 10-15% decline RSVP rate. Look at venues that hold your maximum guest count so you aren’t trying to trim the guest list in order to fit the venue’s capacity. Keep in mind if you reach the venue’s maximum capacity, your catering staff and planner will be moving, re-use locations, and break down tables and chairs to make room for the different events throughout the wedding.
Photographer: Adam Houseman
Photographer: Cassandra Vagher
Photographer: Sarah Porter
Cost
It’s easy to fall in love with a wedding venue that checks all the boxes and a has gorgeous backdrop. Make sure you fully understand all the fees and account for them when searching for a wedding venue. Don’t forget about transportation for your guests. There are a plenty of venues out there that are within your budget and your wants and needs!
Style
When looking for venues, consider what kind of style of venue you want. There are ballrooms, gardens, industrial, mountain view, museums, restaurants, and so many more to choose from. What reflects the two of you? What do you like? Are mountain views your thing? Do you guys love museums? Think about your design and what you both love.
Photographer: Grace Gatto
Photographer: Nate and Jenny
Photographer: Kayla Rae
Services and Amenities
What rentals come with the wedding venue rental? Chairs? Tables? Flatware? Venues will also have a preferred vendor list or vendors they recommend. These lists ensure that the vendors listed have been vetted and have worked at the venue before. It’s also good to consider if the venue has exclusive vendors they work with. Those vendors are the only vendors of their category that is allowed to work on-site. This is common with alcohol, catering, and rental companies. If catering is provided by the venue, consider what the food and beverage minimum is and ask for a Cost Proposal to determine how obtainable it is to reach their minimum.
Photographer: Kelly Erin
Reviews
Check the reviews on the different platforms the wedding venue is listed on! This would be Google, Zola, Wedding Wire, The Knot, and so on. Don’t let the reviews scare you away though. Take them into consideration and ask the venue how they rectified the situation.
Last but not least, hire a wedding planner or consultant to navigate these factors with you! Contact us, we would love to hear all about your wedding!
