How to choose your Perfect Venue
Let’s face it: finding the perfect wedding venue isn’t easy. There are just far too many options to choose from, to begin with – a cosy upscale restaurant, a quiet and serene spot on the beach, or a stunning barn, for instance.
However, at the end of the day, all you want is a beautiful venue where you can share those special moments with your friends and family.
Finding the Perfect Wedding Venue – Where to start?
Looking for a venue aimlessly is no good. But if you know your requirements, then half your work is done. Here’s where you should start:
Your budget
With a specific (and realistic) budget in mind, finding the perfect wedding venue becomes that much easier. Now, it’s understandable that setting a budget may not be the most exciting aspect of choosing a venue, but if you overlook this somewhat unexciting yet critical aspect, you can easily fall into a number of wedding venue planning traps and mistakes.
So, take a step back and decide: what do I want my final wedding spend to be? Add a 5% contingency and then start splitting up your budget into different areas alongside your hunt, such as the food and drink menu, wedding cake and dress, floral arrangements, photographer, the venue itself, etc.
Your guest list
In your quest to choose the perfect venue, you must also know how many people to invite. This will help you establish how many guests the venue can accommodate.
Let’s say you have about 50-80 guests or so in mind, start by writing down who you want to invite. While there isn’t any hard and fast rule on who should or shouldn’t be invited, think about the people you truly want present on your wedding day. Once you’ve established a head count, you can start looking for the venue.
Your wedding style/theme
Naturally, your dream venue should click with the wedding theme you have in mind. If it’s a fairytale-style wedding you want, for instance, then a castle, country house or villa is ideal. If you’re after a more modern kind of celebration, then an industrial space might be more ideal.
Maybe you’re dreaming of a rustic wedding venue, in which case, a place booked in the heart of the country would serve well. On the other hand, if you see yourself as a ‘busy city person’, then there are many town and city-based venues to say your vows.
Look at some actual photos of wedding venues and this might help you find some inspiration.
List the things you can’t be without
Even though many wedding venues have more or less the same type of offerings, some have unique rules and regulations you may need to consider.
For instance, do you want to legally marry or have a symbolic wedding only? In case of the former, the venue needs to have a licence. Is there accommodation for your guests at the venue if they want to stay during the 2-3 day festivities? Is the venue pet-friendly? And so on.
With all this in mind, allow Wedding Assistant to help you choose the perfect wedding venue!
