Finding and booking the right venue is one of the most pivotal parts of planning your wedding. The right venue will enhance everyone’s experience at the event and make your special day an unforgettable one. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most important features for selecting a wedding venue, including everything from flexible booking options to finding space for the amazing wedding DJ or live band you hired months in advance.
Choosing a wedding venue comes down to much more than style and size (though these are of course important). There are several more practical features to consider when you’re searching for the perfect match. In the end, choosing a wedding venue comes down to what feels right for you and your significant other. Even if you think you’ve already found the perfect spot for your ceremony and reception, you may still want to consider these tips for planning your special day.
Venue Capacity
The first part of planning your wedding is deciding who’s going to be there. If you want a small ceremony, then you’ve already narrowed it down significantly. On the other hand, if you’re planning to make the event a big party where everyone is invited, you’ve also already filtered out many venue options.
Don’t book a wedding venue first and then try to invite enough people to fill the seats. Instead, make a list of every person who you are planning to invite. Remember, the people are more important than the place.
A Perfect Style Match
If you’re planning a traditional wedding, you’ll likely want to find a venue style that matches these plans. For many people, the best traditional venue, for the ceremony at least, is still a church. However, these numbers are dropping dramatically. In 2019, less than 20% of marriages were held with the assistance of a religious institution, down from approximately 40% in 2009.
A hotel, country club, and banquet hall are also popular venues with a more traditional style. If you’re searching for a more rustic appeal, consider a bed and breakfast or a mountain lodge and decorate your table with Rectangular Tablecloths to add a more rustic look. If you’d like to host your wedding outdoors, the best option is often your local botanical gardens. Most of the time, the best traditional wedding venues don’t advertise their ability to host such an event, so you’ll need to call and ask personally.
If a traditional wedding isn’t quite the right fit, or if you both want a larger wedding, you might find these traditional styles too chintzy. Winery and vineyards are a popular option when hosting a party wedding, as are craft breweries. Additionally, consider hiring a wedding bartending service to ensure your guests are well taken care of throughout the celebration. Boats and yachts are also popular, though they often cost more than you might initially think.
If you’re looking for something that’s truly outside the box, you might even want to consider a warehouse, a modern art museum, or maybe even a planetarium. Choose the wedding venue style that suits your ceremony, and you’ll find it easy to create the perfect romantic atmosphere.
Accessibility
While it might sound pleasant to host your wedding up in the mountains or elsewhere that’s off the beaten track, you’ll also need to consider how everyone will get there. Venues with nearby accommodations are often a necessity, particularly if your family is coming from out of state.
If everyone needs to rent a car for several days just to get to the venue, you’ll be incurring quite a few expenses for your guests. If you’re planning your wedding in a destination that’s outside the country, you’ll likely have to narrow down your wedding guest list significantly.
Flexible Booking Options
Wherever you choose to host your wedding, you’ll need a venue that offers flexible booking options in case anything happens. In the era of coronavirus and travel restrictions, this is often an absolute must-have venue feature. Make sure to do the research about the venue well in advance. If you can’t find transparent information about the place’s booking options, you should obtain a physical copy of this information, in case you n ifeed to get your money back.
Room For Your Wedding Band
You’ll need to make sure the venue you’re looking at has enough room for both your guests and your wedding band or live DJ. Choosing between a wedding band and a live DJ can be tricky- sometimes, the size or structure of the venue necessitates having a DJ instead of a band.
Considering instruments, sound system, and stage setup, you might be surprised how much space a full band takes. Wedding DJs, by comparison, take up considerably less space and can more easily work with the venue’s existing sound systems.
Easy to Contact Venue Management
While it may not seem like a big deal when you’re signing on the doted line for a wedding venue, your ability to contact the venue managers is important for tackling any changes that might occur. If you have particular plans for the venue’s lighting or setup, this point of contact is essential. Like the flexible booking feature listed above, it’s easy to forget how important this feature is, no matter the venue.
Backup Plans Are Nearby
Many venues have a backup option for both the reception and the ceremony in case of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. This wedding venue feature is particularly important if you’re hoping for an outdoor wedding. Outdoor weddings at bed and breakfasts, country clubs, and mountain lodges are particularly popular for outdoor weddings, simply because there is a backup indoor space available as a part of booking the venue.
An Unforgettable Experience
Whichever wedding venue you choose, it’s important to make sure that it simply feels right for you and your significant other. Choosing a wedding venue shouldn’t come down to the practical feature- you should have a gut feeling about it being the right place. Invest time in the process of finding that perfect venue and you won’t find it difficult to create an unforgettable wedding experience.