Wedding planning involves various reservation tours, bookings, and tastings. And this process starts with securing the wedding venue.
The wedding venue will dictate the number of guests, the vendors to be hired, and the wedding date.
When you start your wedding planning, you may feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what to do. While some couples hire a wedding planner to manage the planning and bookings, once you know where to start, it’s easy to do it yourself.
Here are some factors to consider before booking your wedding venue.
What to Know Before You Start Your Wedding Venue Search?
Before you start booking a venue for your wedding, it is crucial to understand your specific requirements. Wedding venues can be indoors or outdoors, host ceremonies or receptions, and may have limited guest capacity, accessibility, and vendor restrictions.
To ensure you know what you want when you reserve an event venue, plan out these decisions using a spreadsheet, a list, or some notes on Post-Its, depending on your preferred method of organization.
Estimate Your Guest Count
When you send out invites and ask for RSVPs a few weeks before the wedding, you won’t know the exact number of guests. However, when choosing a wedding location, you must know the magnitude of the wedding you hope to have.
Count out how many friends, relatives, coworkers, etc., you may like to invite. Your estimated guests should be rounded to the nearest small, medium, or big wedding. Do you have 150 or 300 guests? Significantly larger or significantly smaller? To avoid unintentionally booking a venue that doesn’t fit your wedding size, expect every member of your guest list to RSVP “yes.”
Choose your wedding location and date.
First, consider the location of your wedding and the desired season or date. Think about formal or informal settings, beaches or mountains, indoors or out, etc. Pay close attention to specifics like neighborhood, city, and state.
Consider the time of year you want to get married and how the weather can affect your wedding day. If there is a time of year you want to target, know it roughly. Touring a wedding venue that doesn’t operate during your preferred time is not recommended. This is particularly crucial for outdoor winter weddings, so it’s essential to be aware before embarking on any tours.
Set a Budget for Event Venue
The wedding venue is likely to be one of the most significant expenses in your wedding budget. The venue, beverages, and food will be the main expenses. About half of your budget will go toward paying for these things.
Your event venue price may vary depending on how private or large your guest list is, as well as how lavish or informal your wedding will be. Higher-end venues might cost $20,000, while low-end venues might cost about $5,000. Spend between $8,000 and $15,000 on your wedding venue for a typical wedding.
The number of guests may most impact the venue’s cost, so carefully analyze your budget and guest list to determine where you can strike a balance.
Think of a Theme
Having an idea of the desired atmosphere for your wedding is crucial, even if it doesn’t immediately involve the theme or color combination.
Know roughly what theme you want to create because some wedding venues restrict what outside décor or providers you can employ.
