8 top tips for finding your dream wedding venue

Photo: Clare Tam[/caption]

Thank you very much to Helen Wood, from TipTopVenues who researched this article on top tips to help you choose the perfect wedding venue.

You’re browsing Bride2bride to find your perfect dress, but I’m sure you’re also thinking about and researching the perfect wedding venue – along with guest lists, photographers, catering… oh, and a fabulous honeymoon, they are all jostling for position at the top of your to-do list! It’s crazily busy, but for any newly engaged couples it’s the start of a very exciting journey. So we’ve put together our top tips for picking the perfect venue.

1. Be realistic and remember your budget

It’s so easy to get carried away when planning a wedding, a little bit more here, a little more spend there, and before you know it, you’ve gone way over! Figure out your top and bottom line and what you want within that cost, before you start looking.

2. Internet research

The internet is a key part to your planning! You can whittle down your options by viewing potential venues by location, and then scan through their photos of previous weddings and create a shortlist.

3. Open Days

If the venue has an open day this in an ideal opportunity to see the venue in full swing, meet their team and suppliers and get a real feel. If the venue offers appointments on the day, get one booked in and enjoy having a 1-2-1 tour around!

4. Check the logistics

What’s the venue capacity? Does the venue offer accommodation? Are you allowed fireworks? What time does the music stop? These are just a few examples of questions you should begin asking when considering a venue. You want as much information as possible!

5. The venue contact

With many venues, the person you have been working with on the run up to your wedding day, will often not be there on your wedding day. You need to find out who will be and ideally meet this person beforehand, so you can establish a relationship with them. Most brides and grooms, not only fall in love with the venue, but they become fond of the person organising everything for them, as there is a lot of trust involved.

6. Rules

Find out the venue rules. If you’ve been saving lots of boards on Pinterest with all your venue dressing ideas, make sure you discuss these plans with the venue. There may be some do’s and don’ts that you need to know in advance!

7. Date

You may already have a date in mind, be sure to double check that there’s no public holidays you haven’t considered that could affect your suppliers, hotel availability for guests or an up rise in costs.

8. Booking journey

How do you put a date on hold? Is there a deposit? When is final payment due? These are types of questions you need to ask so you can get these dates in your diary. Understanding the booking journey is important, this way you can plan your payments in advance, this saves the venue chasing you and it will make things much smoother as the wedding day approaches.

Have fun researching your perfect venue and all best wishes for your wedding day – it’ll be fantastic!