If you have arrived here, it is because you are dreaming of finding your ideal wedding venue. And of course! Because if there is something that characterises your wedding and makes it unforgettable it is the venue where it is celebrated.
Wedding venues are not all the same, so this is why you will first have to keep in mind some advice to find the perfect place for you, as well as some questions that you can ask the owners of the venue, and things to avoid before hiring a venue.
Choosing it can seem very difficult, but it isn’t! And after reading this article you will see that, so, calmly and without stress…
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Advice for hiring a wedding venue
1. Speak with a Wedding Planner beforehand
Your wedding planner will be the first and best person to have beside you during the process of selecting your dream venue, as they are professionals, so they can help you picture how your wedding style would come to life in a potential venue. This is why it is recommended that couples hire a Wedding planner before choosing their wedding venue. Did you know that often, the budget is doubled because couples have chosen a venue that doesn’t fit their needs?
Your wedding planner will see the risk from all angles and will bear in mind aspects like permits, cost of marquees and other elements that you will need. The professional will even think about the angle of the sun, the sunset and even gusts of wind at the venue!
2. Decide your budget and the location which you dream of
The budget of your wedding and the location where you dream of marrying greatly affect the venue. This is why it should be kept in mind how much you can pay and the specific place where you want to say “I do”, since this will guarantee that the venue selection process is as smooth as possible.
And although you don’t know the exact date of your wedding before reserving the venue, you should have an idea of the time of year in which you would like to marry, since there are some wedding venues that are seasonal, especially open-air venues because many can be closed during the colder seasons.
3. Choose the ambience and aesthetic of your wedding
Without knowing what vibe and wedding aesthetic you are going for, it will be more complicated to find a wedding venue. This is why, firstly you will have to make it clear if you want a rustic, vintage, classic, or countryside wedding… in order to select a glamorous hotel or a farm in the mountains. Furthermore, you will also have to decide if you want the celebration to be indoors or outdoors.
4. Think about the format of distribution that you would like
The format of distribution that you want at your celebration will be key to know the dimensions that you need for the banquet space, for example, having a table distribution with guests on a U-shaped table is not the same as round tables laid out in the shape of a daisy. The same applies if you want a cocktail-style wedding, since this way you will need a lot less space.
5. Find out everything that is included in the space before hiring
Some wedding venues have everything included: they are so much a venue for the ceremony as for the reception, as well as providing rentals, catering and audiovisual materials. However, some venues are more simple and only offer the venue and the couple are the ones that will have to find most of their own rental and details.
It is not the first time that a couple has hired a venue under budget, but after they have realised that the interior doesn’t include furniture, the kitchen for catering, etc. This is why the budget increases after!
6. Consider the number of guests that you will have on your big day
Without knowing approximately how many guests you will have, you will hardly be able to choose a wedding venue correctly. This has to be thought about because if you like a small and simple venue, but you have 300 guests, you will be in for a shock. For this reason, decide the number of guests that you are thinking of inviting before signing the contract for a venue.
7. Think about the day that your guests will experience
From the moment they arrive until the end of the night, how will the experience be for the guests? Yes, it is something that also has to be thought about. Think about the temperature that the guests will feel, stairs for the disabled, the bathrooms, etc. Ensure that your guests will have the most comfortable experience!
8. Always visit wedding venues that you like
The venue visits, preferably accompanied by your wedding planner, are always a good idea. This is due to the fact that, if you reserve a venue without seeing it, it is possible that later on you will be surprised at what you would have found out if you had simply booked a visit. We don’t want any surprises! And it is very easy to ensure that this is what you want by simply visiting it.
9. Ensure that the venue has a plan B
This is an essential requirement for open air venues. Having a venue with the option of plan B is definitely an advantage, since if it rains, the guests will be able to take cover and can continue celebrating the wedding in an equally good way. For this reason, if you dream of an outdoor wedding, make sure that the venue has indoor spaces and ask how many are available.
10. Investigate the access that the vendors will have
Many venues have slightly complicated accessibility, above all if they are remote venues, with narrow roads or in the middle of a forest or in the mountains.
There are hotels that have loading lifts that help with everything, but it is possible that they only allow a few hours for the providers to put everything together. This is why you have to consider the venue access for the vendors that have to bring furniture, decor, lighting, etc. So that there aren’t unexpected problems at the last minute!
11. Consider sleeping arrangements and transport
Do you have a lot of guests coming from outside the city? If this is the case, consider putting up guests at the venue. There are loads of venues that can sleep the guests!
Furthermore, you also have to take into account transport to get to and from the venue, since at a wedding people usually drink quite a lot and so guests shouldn’t be driving cars. For this reason, if you would like to hire a bus service, think about the journey that the bus has to take to arrive at the venue.
12. Read the reviews of the venue
A great way to get an idea of the venue is by listening to what other couples have to say and how their wedding went at the venue, this will without a doubt help you to choose if you are in doubt.
Questions that you can ask to find your wedding venue
Yes. It is essential that you ask questions to the owners of the possible venues. Asking questions to the coordinator of the venue is also an excellent way of seeing how the venue will manage your requests in the future whilst you are in the middle of arranging the wedding. Are they communicative, flexible, hospitable? Or on the other hand, are they blasé? Asking questions to the venue coordinator will be a good indicator of how it will work with them.
Some of the questions that you shouldn’t leave without asking are: What is the time limit? Are there other events on the same day? What is the cancellation policy? Don’t miss this post where we have the best 20 questions for your wedding venue.
What you should avoid at the time of finding a wedding venue
If a wedding venue has some of these traits, it is better to turn on the alarm bells and take care before signing for anything. Don’t confide in everything you read or see!
- Locations that have very few reviews available online
- Venues that permit multiple weddings on the same day
- Difficulty with communication and interactions with staff from the beginning
- Complicated contracts with unclear language about the range of service and a lot of small print
- Not having any contracts to date
- Little or no experience of weddings
- Being blasé when asked about what they can and can’t accommodate
- Not being communicative with additional tariffs and surcharges that they find
- Lack of flexibility for innovative ideas
To avoid shocks, the best thing to do is hire a wedding planner service that will take charge of everything, like Perfect Venue. Nothing will escape us!
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