Everyone wants to find their perfect wedding venue, right? You know what I’m talking about. The wedding venue that seems to be tailored made for their wedding. The one that makes every other venue pale in comparison. Yeah, that one.
Okay, maybe the absolutely perfect wedding venue is a stretch, but you know what I mean.
Just like when it comes to finding the right partner, we all want to find the right venue.
It makes sense, too. Wedding venues are important. They are the basis of everything related to your wedding. Wedding venues can make or break your vision. More on that later. What a venue has to offer, or limits a couple in, will matter when it comes time to have your wedding. This is why you need to have a plan for finding the perfect wedding venue before you even start searching.
9 Tips To Pick Your Perfect Wedding Venue
This post is going to share with you tips to find your perfect wedding venue. And now, I know that perfect is different for everyone. It’s important for you to do the homework in this post to help establish what perfect means to you. For some, it’s about having a certain element at a venue. For others, it’s about meeting a price point. No matter what it means for you, it’s essential that you define your version of perfection.
Let’s get into how to do that.
1. CREATE YOUR WEDDING VISION
The first thing you need to do in your quest for the perfect wedding venue is create your wedding vision.
What does this look like, you may be asking? Well, your wedding vision is what you’d like to see, experience, hear, feel, and taste at your venue. Think of it as what you picture when you think of your future wedding. Are there certain elements that you absolutely must have? If so, those would be criteria for your perfect wedding venue.
If you need specific pointers on creating your wedding vision, check out this post. It walks you through the whole process.
2. TALK WITH YOUR PARTNER ABOUT YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES
We aren’t just planning a wedding for ourselves. There’s a partner involved in it, too. Because of this, it’s critical that you meet with your partner about their non-negotiables. Finding the perfect wedding venue means it’s perfect for both of you.
Not sure how to get started? How about you ask your partner the following questions:
- What is important to you, with regards to a wedding venue?
- What wedding venue rules can you live with? What rules are you not okay with? For example, many venues have rules about shutting weddings down by a certain time, or not serving hard alcohol. Some venues won’t allow you to choose your own caterer. The rules can vary, and be very limiting, so know what’s okay with you ahead of time.
- What will be important to our guests?
- What have we experienced as wedding guests that we want, or don’t want?
Hopefully these questions can help you both see what will work for you. If you know what you’re not willing to work with, you can save yourself a lot time later on when it comes to touring and choosing the perfect wedding venue.
3. DETERMINE HOW MANY GUESTS YOU’LL HAVE
Honestly, I don’t know how anyone plans a wedding without knowing how many guests they are going to invite.
Let’s be clear. Your perfect wedding venue will be the right size for your wedding. If a space is too big, your wedding may feel awkward and disproportionate. If your space is too small, your guests could be cramped and crowded. It’s essential to find a venue that is just right for the amount of wedding guests who will be there.
So. . . start with your guest list and go from there. If you need help, check out this post on creating a guest list.
4. DECIDE THE IDEAL TIME FOR YOU TO GET MARRIED
Is there a time of year that you really want to get married in? Do you have a tight deadline to get married before something happens, like having a baby or moving? Or, is it critical for you to have your wedding at a certain time of day?
Your perfect wedding venue will be available at the date and time that is ideal for you. So, get specific about what that looks like. If you have no real deadline or preference, it’s all good. That just means you’ll have more options with venues. However, if you need to have your wedding done a certain way, the perfect wedding venue will make it happen.
5. KNOW YOUR BUDGET
If you’ve read my blog for awhile now, you’ll know that wedding budgets are super important to me. You have to know yours before you search for a wedding venue.
Your perfect wedding venue will fit in with your budget. It will not stretch you to your limit, causing you to stress or go into debt. Any venue that does that to you is not your perfect wedding venue.
Yes, of course, you may find a venue that is a bit out of your budget. If this is the case, you may need to find other things to skimp on for your wedding, or ways to increase your budget. In either case, you need to know your budget and what you’re able to work with before you search for your venue.
By the way, this post is great for helping you create and maintain your wedding budget.
6. DO YOUR RESEARCH
Your perfect wedding venue is one that you know what you can expect from. It doesn’t have fun hidden surprises that will cause you stress and derail your wedding plans. Essentially, it’s transparent, up front, and what you sign up for.
However, not all venues will be able to tell you every little thing when you meet with them, or even share it all in their contracts.
Things like the temperature of the room, the attitude of the staff, and even how the space looks at night can all be unexpected pluses or minuses when it comes to your wedding day. In order to really know what you’re getting into, do your research. Of course, read your contract and ask questions. But, also talk to people. Look up reviews. You never know what you’ll find out. Discover what you’re missing, so you can make an informed decision.
7. VISIT MORE THAN ONE VENUE
Sometimes you have to find “the one” by visiting “not the one”.
Even if you go into wedding planning knowing exactly where you want to get married, spend some time visiting alternatives. I suggest seeing at least three venues before booking one. This way, you’ll be able to compare them to each other. Your partner will surely weigh in with their opinion, too. Once you see what’s out there, you’ll be confident in choosing the perfect wedding venue for you, even if you already knew what it was ahead of time.
8. NARROW DOWN YOUR VENUE CHOICES WITH A PRO/CON LIST
You may find that once you visit a few venues, more than one could be the perfect one for you. And, it’s hard to decide which one is the best.
I suggest that you create a list of your possible venues and place the pro’s and con’s of each next to them. See if one stands out with more positives than negatives. Always include your non-negotiables in the decision as well. If you find that a venue meets your non-negotiables, but you’ll have to compromise in other areas, it may still be the one.
The take-away here is that putting things in writing and weighing them can help you when it comes to this major decision.
9. TRUST YOUR GUT
In some cases, a venue can seem perfect on paper, but not in your heart.
If you find that logically you should go with a venue, but your heart is telling you to pick another, listen to your gut. If the one in your heart is out of your budget, look at ways to increase your budget. Or, if the one isn’t quite right with one of your partner’s non-negotiables, see if they will, in fact, negotiate. At the end of the day you want to avoid wedding regrets. If you find the perfect venue, in your heart, your head needs to figure out how to make it happen.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Friends, it’s not easy finding the perfect wedding venue. There are tons of options out there, and a million factors to consider. Keep in mind that once you do your research, weigh the positives and negatives, and listen to your gut, a clear venue “winner” will emerge. Once it does, and you book it, the real fun with wedding planning begins. Happy wedding planning!
More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice
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Stunning Ways To Transform Your Wedding Venue
How Discount Wedding Venues Can Cost You More
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When you talked about visiting more than one venue, it made a lot of sense to me. Examining each and every option possible will really help you figure out which one will work the best for you, especially if there might be a theme you have in mind. I’ll make sure to scour all of my options when I look around for wedding venues in the area.