HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT WEDDING VENUE

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Coffee & Honeycomb

If you're like me, you had an exact vision of what you wanted your venue to look like before beginning research. Don't you guys remember my first post on getting wedding inspiration? For me, I wanted a really bright open space with maximal windows (or even better, outdoors), gold chivari chars, and I wanted to stay far away from a traditional ballroom. I had lists of themes, inspirational images, and photo opps. I was going to rock wedding planning's butt. Little did I know, once I actually started to figure out logistics, there were a lot of shock moments like: This venue costs HOW much? You have to pay more for chivari? This venue isn't available til 2050? Maybe an all-inclusive traditional ballroom isn't so bad afterall...

To avoid you the shock and any pre-mature work, here are some tips that may help you realistically find the perfect wedding venue for you:

BE OBJECTIVE
Before the venue reels you in with its complementary bridal gift or the top-notch view of the city, stay as objective as you can and do your homework. Do not bring your emotional giddyness into this. Wedding venues are expensive and will probably be where the bulk of your budget goes (venue rental, food, alcohol, decor, etc.) so be wise. Start with these basic questions to make sure this venue is feasible:
- Can we afford this? 
- Is it available for my date? 
- What is the max capacity? Can it fit my needs?
- What are the restrictions? (i.e. timing, decoration, weather, etc.)
- What is included? 

BE PRACTICAL 
When E and I first started planning, we both agreed to do a backyard wedding. Because how cute and fun and charming and talk about CHEAP would a backyard wedding be? Wrong. We quickly learned that there were a lot of extra hoops to jump through, fines to pay, and things to consider for the so-called cute/fun/charming/cheap backyard wedding. For example: we would need to rent a kitchen and generator for the caterer, fans, lights, and portal pottys for the guests, confirm appropriate landscaping and parking, on top of renting literally everything (tent, tables, chairs, silverware, etc.) The list went on. Don't get me wrong, some brides can rock the details and not break a sweat. For E and I, it wasn't practical considering we were planning long-distance and couldn't sort out those minor details nor did we want to worry about Grandma complaining about the heat, kids covered in mosquito bites, and girls heels all sunken into the grass. 

Now that story may not be relevant for you and you might be the bride who can rock a backyard wedding, but there will most likely come a point in time when you need to choose practical over something else. And that's okay, practical does not have to mean "no fun or cute ideas allowed." You can still have the wedding of your dreams as long as you choose to make the best of the situation (and you won't have the debt or rain or chaos to follow you after.)

BE NICE
Let's not forget that you have a fiance who also gets to have an opinion that may not be aligned with yours. Just because he thinks that ivory is the same thing as white (eye roll, men) or doesn't know what a centerpiece is, he is still allowed to provide input. Don't look at me, you're the one marrying him. Jokes aside, the last rule is to be nice. :) Consult with your fiance and bring him into the process! The extra set of eyes can help poke holes into places that are in your blind spot. Two is always better than one. Don't let a disagreement frustrate you, in fact that's a good opportunity to justify why you like your venue versus his. If you don't have a strong argument, maybe he's right...

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, MAKE A LIST
Pro/con lists are everything, especially when you are stuck between two really great options. Writing down the pros/cons for each venue can ultimately help you choose the best one - which is the best feeling ever and you can finally move on to the fun stuff! Here is a free printable you and your fiance can use when it comes time to make the final decision. 

Feel free to pin, print, and share as many times as you want!



XOXO,
JENNY

5 comments :

  1. YES! "What is included?" is so important. We looked at a gorgeous vineyard that required that we bring our own electricity and bathrooms-- no, thanks! Another good question is how reliable is the venue-- specifically if it's outdoors, what are the chances of rain?

    Good luck planning! :)

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  4. It really isn't just about getting just any wedding venue, you need to make sure that you find the perfect one. That way you know that it will work for you and that your ideas on it are realistic too. With the examples that you listed with being objective, practical, nice, and to make a list can make the search that much easier. These are the kind of things that are going to help out a lot of people and make finding a wedding venue that much easier.
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