Choosing your wedding venue is one of the most important steps in your wedding planning process. As such, we came up with a list of 5 important things for you to look for when touring your wedding venues.

 

1. Layout for your events


It might be a bit early when your just starting off, but being prepared makes the wedding planning easier in the long haul. When touring your venue, be thinking of more than your decoration ideas. If you are planning on having your wedding at one location, think about where you will have your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. How will guests be getting to each of these areas? Will you need to flip (rearrange) the ceremony space to become the reception space? How will you do that? Where will you have your first dance? Is there going to be enough room for all your guests to eat and dance? Thinking about the logistics when touring will help you be sure you chose the right venue for your wedding. If your not sure about specifics or can’t imagine how the space could look, ask the venue representative for previous layouts and designs!

 

2. Weather Back up Options


Want part or all of your wedding outdoors? Be sure there is a weather backup option like a tent or pavilion for bad weather. If the venue is associated with an indoor reception space, make sure to ask whether they would have space for you in case of bad weather. If there isn’t an option available, see if they have a preferred vendor for tents. It might seem unlikely you will get rained on due to the time of year you chose but being prepared means a fun and stress free wedding for you.

 

3. Guest Bathrooms

When touring venues we’ve found many couples forget to check out the facilities. It’s one of the first things our planners look for when planning a wedding and you might want to think of too when you or your significant other is wearing a huge white dress and the stalls are too small or worse, the venue only offers porta-potties. Thinking about your guests on the night of, if you have 300 guests but only one co-ed bathroom, you might want to think about the line that will ensue.

 

4. Kitchen or Prep area

This one’s for you as well as your caterer. Did you know that some caterers charge extra if they have to bring their own prep stuff or work out of their van because the venue doesn’t have a space for them? Mind you, not all caterers do this but it’s something that we like to look out for when deciding on a venue. Knowing where your caterer can work out of and if there is a sink, counter or even an oven and fridge is something you will want to remember when looking into your caterer, especially if you are allowed to bring in any caterer you want.

 

5. Rentals or Packages

When you’re trying to keep costs down, finding a venue with rentals you can use with the venue rental can help! Not only does this help by not having to buy extra supplies like chairs, tables, and/or decor it also means you won’t have to pay another company for delivery, set up or breakdown of these items. The more rentals included in the venue price, the better we think.

 

Your wedding is a huge day for you, your significant other and your families. Making sure that you think about the details while choosing your venue is important but gut feelings and loving a space is just as important. Be sure to choose a place you love, that you feel comfortable working with the employees and that has everything that you want.

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Photo credit:  AggiePhotographyStPete

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