Finding Your Perfect Wedding Venue

Planning for the wedding venue

Wedding planning should be a happy and exciting period in your life. Sure, there’s going to be a few hiccups and stressful events along the way, but at the end of the day, if you start on time, the planning should go smoothly and you will end up with your perfect dream wedding. However, to make sure everything is in order, you should follow certain steps, the first of which being setting the date and finding your venue. But with a rainbow of venues at your disposal, which one should you choose? Here’s some advice to help you make your mind up.

Budget and wedding party size

The first thing you need to do to determine your venue is the guest list. You won’t be looking at the same venues for a party of 20 and a party of 200. Set your budget at a realistic point and see how many people you can host within the budget. Once you have an approximate number, go looking at venues. Make sure that you call in advance and ask for their average prices for a party of that caliber. Remember to check whether that includes catering and décor, or if you’ll have to pay separately for that. It’s important to call in advance, because if you go and fall in love with a venue you can’t afford – every other place you see after that won’t feel right, and you’ll end up either going way over budget or having your wedding at a location you aren’t in love with.

Use the best of your environment

Every city has something special about it, and you want to use as much as you can of what’s already there. Do you live in New York, the only place in the world with a green space like Central Park in the middle of the city, and with more than a few amazing wedding spots? Or maybe you’re in sunny Australia? Use the good weather and perfect views by organizing a garden wedding reception with a view as stunning as the bride herself. If you’re in a hip, urban environment, make it into a theme and hire local artists, performers and food vendors to make your party special. Or if you are in a small, quiet town in the hills of Italy, then a traditional cottage wedding will be just perfect, overlooking the pastures around you. Let your surroundings inspire you and find the perfect location that speaks to you. Keep in mind that if you’re having a church wedding, you will effectively have two locations, and you can make the trip from the church to the party venue a part of the ceremony.

Envision the space

When you walk into an empty hall or a restaurant that is set up for Sunday lunch, you have to keep in mind that that’s not what your wedding is going to look like. You have to look at the potential, not the finished product. It’s not a bad idea to bring someone with you to bounce ideas. If the venue is a popular wedding spot, ask to see pictures from previous weddings, to get inspired and see how other people used the available space. You can put the dance floor in the middle or to the side, arrange the tables however you like, create a picture backdrop for your guests to create memories or arrange a game for everyone to play during the party. You are the one responsible for making the venue your own, and you want to make it fit your vision. Setting a theme for the party can go a long way in helping you do that.

A good venue can make or break your wedding mood, but you have to remember that the venue itself is only the canvas. On the one hand, the work you put into it will determine the way it looks, and on the other hand, the people are the party. As long as everyone is enjoying themselves, you are going to have the time of your life. After all, weddings are about celebrating with the people you love, be that out on a field, in your own backyard or in the most exclusive villa; as long as you are all together – that’s all that matters.