how to pick your vendors: venue edition
It’s likely the first venue you’ll book, it determines your date and the whole vibe of your event, it’s arguably the most important decision you’ll make: it’s your wedding venue! Here’s a few tried and true trips from a wedding planner and former venue manager on picking the location for your wedding.
where?
This one feels a bit obvious but can be a tough decision, especially if you and your fiance have moved around! Do you get married where you met? Where one of you has roots? Where you live now? What place holds significance to you both? You should also consider where the majority of your guests live, and there’s always a destination wedding! Remember, larger cities will mean higher vendor costs, and if your guests are traveling they will need lodging and/or transportation options.
What’s the vibe?
Once you’ve decided how you want the wedding to feel, it’s a lot easier to translate into something physical. For example, if you’re wanting something fun, casual, and light, a brewery or event hall might be your best bet. If you’re thinking light and romantic, consider a botanical garden or private estate. Once you’ve narrowed down the city and vibe, you have the keywords you need to begin the internet search process. If design isn’t your thing, this is a great time to have hired a wedding planner or stylist!
THEN WHAT?
Get to searching! The best places to look are The Knot/Wedding Wire, plain old Google, and social media. Wedding Wire and other sites allow you to compare venues side by side, and will quickly and easily display the important factors like cost and capacity. For other spaces you might have to dig a bit for the info, but make sure you rule out venues for nonnegotiables BEFORE you tour as much as possible—it’s no fun to fall in love with a space but not be able to make it work.
CHECK IT OUT!
The final and most fun step of the process—touring! Keep in mind, lots of places will only have weekday availability for tours because of weekend events. Do as much research on the venue as you can, and write out your questions beforehand. Here Comes the Guide has a great list of questions you should ask your potential venue here if you can’t think of any! Take photos on the tour so that you can remember the specific spaces, and save any materials they give you, too.
things to remember
It’s generally recommended to let your venue choice determine your date unless there is a specific date you’re looking for. It’s good to have a month or general season in mind, but you stand a better chance at securing a venue if you go into with multiple options. Of course, if you do have a specific date in mind, communicate that to your venue coming in so that you don’t fall in love with a space that’s not available! Also consider the staff of the venue—are they welcoming, accommodating? These are the vendors you will likely communicate with the most (besides a coordinator) so if they’re not communicative planning can be more difficult. But most importantly, have fun! This is the first big decision of the planning process, so take it slow, be present and thoughtful, and enjoy!
