Find me on
I’ve had a lot of engaged couples and friends ask me how to choose a wedding venue, especially since I just chose my own wedding venue. Today I’m giving you the answers, so you can make the best decisions about your venue. This is just Part 1, so stay tuned for Part 2 of How to Choose a Wedding Venue next week!
1. Choose Your City
This one’s kind of a no brainer, but maybe you have no idea where you want to get married. Consider the following when choosing your wedding city:
- Distance you have to travel (consider costs)
- Distance the majority of your guests will have to travel (consider their costs as well)
- Is the city special and meaningful to you? Is it just really beautiful?
- What will the weather be like in the city during your desired wedding month?
- Does the city offer the type of environment you want for your wedding (skylines, beaches, dessert, etc.)?
2. Set Your Budget
You absolutely must set a budget before your first venue Google search. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a venue that is far outside your price range. When it comes to venues, there are a few budgetary considerations:
- Does the venue provide catering and bar service? If so, your catering and venue budgets will combine.
- Factor in rentals. If you choose a bare bones venue, know you’ll have to increase your rentals budget.
- Will the venue you choose affect transportation costs? For example, if it’s not a hotel, you will likely have to spend money on transportation to and from the venue.
3. Create Your Guest List
Venues always have a maximum capacity, so create your guest list before your venue search to ensure everybody will fit. You also want to avoid choosing a venue that holds 300 people if your wedding will only have 50 guests unless you can afford draping or hedges to section it off. Doing so will ensure you don’t lose the intimacy of the wedding.
Here’s a more detailed explanation of why you should create your guest list before choosing your venue.
4. Choose a Style
It’s a great idea to choose your style of wedding before booking a venue. If you know you’ve always wanted a bohemian wedding, then you likely won’t be interested in hotel ballrooms or sleek contemporary venues. Dream of having a reception under the stars? You know you’ll need a venue that allows for outdoor receptions.
Those are just 4 different steps for finding your dream wedding venue. For more tips, stay tuned for Part 2 of How to Choose a Wedding Venue next Thursday!
You pointed out that creating a guest list is important when choosing a venue. My fiance and I just got engaged, so we want to get a head start on planning the wedding. We want to figure out the venue first and plan around that, so perhaps it would be a good idea to compile a guest list so we know how many people we’ll have to fit.
I think that’s a great idea! Having at least a rough estimate is really helpful for choosing the venue and for allowing them to create an accurate quote for you!