How to Find Your Wedding Venue
Your venue plays a huge role in your wedding day. From the overall vibe to the flow of the day, it’s all going to be dictated by the space. For that reason, couples often get stuck on this piece of the puzzle. It can be daunting to find a place that fits all of your needs.
While there are numerous factors to consider when venue searching, there are ways to make it easier on you and your S.O.
Date or venue—where to start?
If you have a date that is not flexible, that’s a great place to start. Getting married in December in New York? Great! An outdoor wedding is off the table. On the flip side, if you know you absolutely must have a garden party and are open to a number of dates, you have more options.
I don’t think one way or the other is better. Picking a set date can give people a sense of stability from the beginning and that’s not a bad thing when it comes to wedding planning!
What’s your vibe?
Get clear on the look and feel for your wedding. In my experience a lot of couples don’t have a clear vision for their venue from the beginning because they want to see it all. That can make it very hard to truly fall in love with one place.
Think about the type of photos you gravitate towards, aesthetics that you vibe with and places that make you say “that’s so us”. You could be a couple whose favorite activity is trying new beer gardens. Or maybe you spend every summer at the beach and can’t imagine tying the knot anywhere else.
There are a few questions you can consider when thinking about vibe
-Do you have a season in mind?
-Do you want a daytime or evening wedding? (morning ceremonies followed by brunches are in—just saying!)
-Are you ok with venues that have more than one space and therefore, multiple weddings in a day?
-Will noise restrictions be an issue?
Whatever it is, set the vibe from the start!
Location, Location, Location
Sometimes a vibe narrows down location quickly. Other times, you need to do a bit more thinking. How far are you willing to travel? Do you have a lot of guests coming in from out of town? Is it important to be close to an airport?
If you’re in New York for example, is it Manhattan only, or are you open to Hudson Valley and New Jersey? Picking your radius is just another way to ensure you don’t spend hours looking at venues that actually won’t work.
Time to Tour
Narrow your list down to your top three to five venues. Reach out to the venue managers and set up appointments. I’d highly recommend doing this even for public spaces so you can get all the information you need. If you are planning from afar and can’t book a trip to venue search, you can hire a wedding planner to help!
Make sure you bring a list of questions for your visit like capacity with a dance floor, rain plan options and any exclusive vendor requirements.
Keep in mind, a venue coordinator is not a planner. While their role in your wedding is crucial, they will not be there to execute on all of your details the day of the event. Their job is to make sure their venue rules are followed and no damage is done.
Contract Ready
Once you’ve toured the venues and gone through your photos and notes, you’ll be ready to make a decision and ask for a contract. Make sure you read the contract carefully!
After making your first deposit, I’d recommend starting a spreadsheet so you can keep your payments organized. Write down the total amount due, amount paid and date of following deposits.
If you don’t feel confident venue searching on your own, I do offer this service a la carte. I take care of making your initial list and then we’ll tour the spaces together (or I’ll go on your behalf if you’re out of town)!. You can reach out to me here to inquire more.
Happy hunting!