You’ve set a date for your wedding and now you’ve got to make one of the most important decisions you’ll encounter surrounding the big day: the venue.
Selecting the right venue is the most crucial part of your entire wedding. We list a few tips to help you with your decision making:
- Set your budget
This needs to be clear from the outset: how much will you be spending on your big day? Break this number down into categories and set aside an amount for your venue. This should include the décor, food, drinks and venue hire.
- Define your wedding ‘theme’
Before you start the great search, you and your fiancé need to have a clear vision for the day: do you want a bush wedding, a beach ceremony, a casual setting, a formal one, an outdoor celebration, a forest wedding…? The list is endless, so decide from the outset what it is you want so that you don’t waste time at venues with the wrong look and feel.
- Think logistics
Next you need to think about the location. Decide whether you want a local wedding, one out of town but still close enough so that guests don’t have to stay over, or if you want a destination wedding. Bear in mind the additional expenses you may have with travel and be sure to factor those into your budget.
- Set your deal-breakers
You’re going to find tons of venues you love, so you and your partner need to set some parameters that you’re not willing to compromise on. Think of three to five things that you absolutely must have, and if any venue doesn’t tick all of these, don’t even consider it. Deal-breakers could include shut-down times, accommodation availability on site if it’s out of town, how many guests it can accommodate, noise constraints, décor constraints and so on. Do not compromise on these!
- Book your site visit
This is when you can start researching and booking appointments to visit the venues. Enjoy this – it’s meant to be fun, so don’t let the stress get the best of you. Just remember the other points, and do not compromise on them, otherwise you’ll be looking for the perfect venue forever.
