How to Choose Your Perfect Wedding Venue: Tips and What to Consider

How to Choose Your Perfect Wedding Venue: Tips and What to Consider

Your wedding venue is a steppingstone toward all plans you make for the big day, from the caterer you choose to the number of guests you invite to the overall mood of the day. Read on to discover how to pick the perfect wedding venue, why it’s important to start early, and tips to make the entire journey easier.

Why is it important to choose a wedding venue early?

A lot of planning goes into your wedding day, between the culinary and libations, your unique color palette, decor – you name it. However, you can’t cross off most of this checklist without reserving your wedding venue first. Here’s why it’s important to choose a wedding venue far in advance.

• It influences how many guests you’ll have. Most wedding venues can only accommodate a specific number of guests. Therefore, booking your dream venue early can help shape your guest list.
• Your venue directly impacts costs. Pricing varies quite significantly from venue to venue. Size, location, day of the week, and time of year are some of the major factors that can affect the cost to rent your venue. Selecting a venue early on ensures you have a comfortable budget to allocate for thoughtful and trendy extras such as bridal party gifts, champagne walls, and getaway cars.
• Reserving a venue locks in the date. Once you reserve your wedding date early, it allows you to move on to all the exciting details. Keep in mind, your wedding venue is your first stop, because without your date, you cannot move on to securing great vendors, choosing your color palette, and selecting your design elements. When you reserve a venue that includes catering, rentals, and venue options all in one, you check so many things off your to-do list so you can focus on the fun and family.
• It sets the tone of your wedding. Whether you want a beachside vibe or a breathtaking garden party, your venue is the backdrop for the theme or desired look and feel of your special day.
• Reserving your wedding venue early gives friends and family more time to plan. The sooner you set your wedding date, the earlier you can send out save the date cards. When you give your guests plenty of notice with your date and time, this will accommodate your cherished family members and friends so they have time to plan and attend.

What you need to know before you choose the perfect wedding venue

Here’s what you need to decide before you begin your search:

Keep an open mind about your date

It’s OK to not know your exact wedding date when you visit venues. This flexibility and open mindedness will open up more possibilities. When you tour a venue without a specific date in mind, it allows for more dates, seasons and even days of the week for you to choose from to find your perfect venue.

In house packages vs. a la carte

Try to find a well established wedding venue or company that has options that include the venue, catering, bar, decor and event coordination, all wrapped up in a customizable package. This can greatly help the budget by not having to piece together a wedding by choosing separate outside caterers, coordinators and decor. This can incur unexpected fees and costs from each separator vendor or company when you choose to go a la carte.

Think about your theme

Your theme sets the tone for your wedding day, so it’s important to keep that in mind when choosing your ceremony and reception venue. Ideally, you want all your elements to be cohesive and aesthetically pleasing while reflecting your personal tastes and the overall mood you want to set. This helps rule out a lush garden wedding if your ideal wedding day is set against a scenic woodlands backdrop.

Take the number of guests into account

It’s hard to nail down exactly how many people are attending your wedding. While searching for a wedding venue, know that wedding packages vary broadly for different venues. Try to find a location that will allow for a range of guests rather than a venue such as banquet halls that charge for each guest or seat. This way, you don’t have to sweat the guest list.

Be specific when you search

Historically, couples have chosen their venue based on the bride’s hometown. However, that’s not as common nowadays; couples choose their venue based on their preferences.

 

Be specific when searching for the perfect wedding venue online. For example, if you’re searching for a tropical garden wedding venue, type in words like “San Diego tropical garden wedding venue” to help narrow down your options.

What to ask when choosing a venue

Here’s what you should ask and consider as you visit each space:.

Review the packages a venue may offer

Some[S16]  venues offer packages that include multiple services along with the venue rental. For example, certain venues may offer catering with all equipment, a DJ, and a photographer for one set price along with the venue rental. Others may only provide the venue itself so you’re responsible for everything that goes into the venue. Ask about all your options when you speak to a Trademark Venues representative.

Privacy and seclusion make a difference

There is a chance that your venue may host multiple weddings or events on the same day. If this is the case, make sure you ask in advance how separated your parties will be from each other. Sometimes venues allow you to book the whole space for total privacy for an additional fee.

If you’re leaning toward an outdoor location, also consider its privacy. Can strangers walk into the outdoor area and watch your wedding? If they can, are you comfortable with that? This can be concerning at some hotels, golf courses, and public parks and facilities that are not exclusively designed to host weddings. When searching for a wedding venue, it’s best to find a venue that is host to only one wedding per day, not one wedding at a time, to ensure complete seclusion.

Choosing vendors

Consider working with the venue’s preferred vendor list for key vendors such as DJ and photographer. These vendors will have an intimate understanding of the nuances of the specific venue spaces, since they’ve likely worked with the venue for many years. Contrarily, if you bring in an outside vendor, you could have issues with setup that may cause unnecessary confusion and delays. It’s important to note, however, that you should be careful when choosing venues that are too stringent with a preferred vendors list, because this can limit your creativity with florists, officiants, and other vendors.

Essential tips for the decision process

To make your venue decision process a bit easier, try these hacks to narrow down your options:.

Take notes

One venue can roll into the next and you can forget nuances. Take quick notes during each venue meeting to refresh your memory later when making your final decision.

Visit the venue in person

Some venues are offering self-guided tours. This can be helpful so that you can stroll at your own pace and discover every nook and cranny. 

Book a Venue Visit with Trademark Venues!

Trust your heart

Trust what feels good and makes you happiest! Look for a venue that makes you feel dreamy, content, and fulfilled when you imagine your big day there. If you leave the tour glowing, you know that’s the right venue for you.

Weddings within reach

If you’re searching for a wedding venue in San Diego, take a look at Trademark Venues’ unique collection of boutique garden venues from seaside to forest. Our expert wedding team will handcraft a custom package to fit your budget and desires. The wedding of your dreams is within reach!