When planning my wedding, finding our dream venue was easily the most stressful part of wedding planning. When determining how to narrow down your wedding venue search, you might be totally lost like I was. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got you covered with my top tips below!
You absolutely must set a budget before beginning your venue search. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a venue only to realize it’s either out of budget or takes up too much of your budget and you have very little leftover for other priorities.
When determining your budget, do be mindful of a few possible logistical challenges:
Guest count should be determined in conjunction with your budget, as the number of guests at a wedding has one of the largest impacts on costs (rentals, meals, beverages, place cards, etc.). Additionally, knowing whether or not your guests will fit in a venue is imperative. On the flip side, you might not want a venue that’s too spacious for your guest count and thus feels empty and sparse.
To find venues, now that you know your budget and guest count, you can start with one of three ways. One: Hire a wedding planner for full-service planning and have them spearhead your search. Two: Ask friends and family for their personal referrals. Three: Do your own online research via Google or vendor guides like our Little Black Book.
Email or call the venues that catch your eye. Don’t be afraid to let them know your true budget, as they will quickly let you know if they can work with it or not. Most reputable venues are not going to inflate their pricing if it happens to be lower than your budget. By letting them know your budget upfront, you’ll save yourself and them a lot of time.
Schedule site visits with your favorite venues – preferably in the same season that your wedding would take place in, if possible. For example, seeing a winery in July might not give you an accurate look at what to expect for your January wedding. That way you’ll know better what the environment will look like with your venue. If that’s not possible, ask to see photos from the same month as your wedding so there are no environmental surprises!
During your site visit, ask about rental, catering, power, and getting ready room options. You can never ask too many questions and I recommend writing them down ahead of time and taking notes throughout the visit.
Lastly, take your own photos of the venue spaces as you’re touring. Not all venues have wide environmental photos on their websites that give a clear look at each space (they totally should!), so it’s best to have your own that you can reflect on the spaces after leaving. This will greatly aid you in making your final decision, which should be based on budget, availability, how well the venue fits your vision, how much you can envision your wedding there, and ultimately how right it feels in your heart.
Cavin Elizabeth is a wedding film photographer based in San Diego, California. Her wedding work has taken her all over the United States and abroad. In addition to being a photographer, Cavin is an educator and an avid blogger of wedding planning tips for brides and grooms. She authored the book A Bride’s Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding, which teaches couples how to make wedding plans that are best for photography.
