What to Consider Before Choosing a Venue For Your Perfect Wedding
by Ann Keeler Evans, executive summarized by Andromeda
wedding-venue
Congratulations! You’re getting engaged. Go and enjoy that for a bit will you? It’s a lovely feeling that you should revel in! Spend some time being lovers and enjoying this magical state before you rush into the planning. There’s no reason to rush being married. (Unless someone’s deploying or you’re having an unexpected baby. But even then, you might just want to get the legalities attended to at the court house and have your ceremony and reception when it makes more sense.)
There, when you’ve had a chance to come down to earth, generally the first things people want to do is set a date and look for a venue. Before you do, here are some things to consider.
- Budget.
What kind of money do you really have to spend? What’s your budget like at home? This is even more crucial than ever when the economy is so tight. You need to be able to survive (and get married!) even if one of you is unlucky enough to loose your job. Are your families helping? Are you willing to go along with the strings that entails?
- Style.
What kind of people are you? What will make you comfortable? Are you formal folk, or really laid back? Do you want a picnic or a 10-course meal?
outdoor-wedding-venues
- Location.
Do you want to be married in the place where you’re living now? Would it make more sense to be married where one of your families lived? Or where you met? Or may be at some neutral locations? How about half-way between everyone or far away from everything?
- Size.
Are you longing for a blowout bash? Do you each have a kajillion relative? Have you always done things with a large group of people? Then you may be looking at a large wedding. Or are you very private people from small families? Do you wish to share this with just a few intimate friends? Then a small wedding may be what you want. Weddings, both large and small, can have price tags that run from reasonable to outrageous, so you’re not necessarily making price decisions on size. But venues are size dependent!
- Religious Requirements.
small-wedding-venues
Do you want to be married outside? Do you want a church wedding? Are there restrictions on the sorts of places you can hold the wedding ceremony? In that case, the rest of the wedding will be based on your ability to accommodate your religious/spiritual requirements. This is important as your wedding ceremony is the heart of the day and your wedding vows are the heart of your marriage to follow!
- Season.
Do you have a favorite time of year? And is there a place in the world you prefer to celebrate that season?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can begin to make some decisions about whether you want something
garden-wedding-venues
prestigious and elegant or funky and fun or something in another direction altogether. And given the way things go, I’d wait to find the venue before you settled in on the date. Think about the season you’d like, that’s helpful. And then consider whether you need a Saturday evening wedding or whether you want to explore the more affordable Friday or Sunday options. There’s a lot to think about before you settle on your venue! But all this thinking will make your wedding fabulous and set great precedent for your marriage. People who plan ahead (together!) do better.
Checkout my other guide on Wedding Rings
unique-wedding-venues