How to Choose a Wedding Venue: 7 Tips for Finding a Wedding Venue You Love

August 29, 2022

Are you and your financé trying to figure out how to choose a wedding venue? If so, this blog post is for you! We know better than anyone how important it is to find a wedding venue you can transform into the beautiful, magical event that is your wedding day. However, we also know finding a wedding venue can be stressful. To help, use this guide to discover how to pick a wedding venue you absolutely love.

What is Most Important When Selecting a Wedding Venue?

While every couple is different, budget and availability are typically the most important things to consider. On a more personal level, couples think about the overall vibe or style of the venue and how it can aid in creating their dream wedding. While all of these factors are crucial in determining how to pick a wedding venue, it’s up to you and your partner to determine what is most important.

What Does a Wedding Venue Typically Include?

While this may seem like a straightforward question, the answer actually varies from venue to venue. Some wedding venues are all-inclusive and provide many amenities in their wedding packages. Others are entirely customizable, meaning you’ll have to rent your tables, chairs, and decorations, allowing for a bit more flexibility in how the space comes together. It is important to ask what each venue provides as you work towards finding a wedding venue you love. If you search for a venue on Venues Made Simple, we do the hard work for you! Every venue listing includes a checklist of the top amenities and accommodations each venue offers.

7 Tips for How to Choose a Wedding Venue

We know finding a wedding venue can be daunting, but we have compiled a list of the top seven things to consider when it comes to how to choose a wedding venue for your big day.

1. Choose Your Wedding Date and Location

Before finding a wedding venue, deciding on the location and general time frame in which you’d like to get married is important. By narrowing down these factors, you can start your search for the perfect venue and ensure they have availability on your desired date. Determining how to pick a wedding venue without setting the date and location can lead to too many options and unnecessary stress.

2. Set a Budget for Your Wedding

Another important factor in how to choose a wedding venue is to set a budget for your wedding. You may have an idea of the overall budget for your big day, but you need to know what percentage of that budget goes toward the venue. The average couple spends upwards of $12,000 or 45% of their total budget on the ceremony and reception venue. As you determine how much you are willing to spend, you’ll be able to narrow down your venue options based on what is in your budget.

3. Tour Your Favorite Venues

To ensure the space matches the vibe and style of your dream wedding, plan a trip to tour a few of your top venues. By seeing the area in person, you can visualize your special day and see if it can come to life at a particular venue. Not able to tour in person? Some venues now offer 3D virtual tours of their event space to accommodate more guests!

4. Fine Tune Your Guest List

When it comes to picking a wedding venue, it is important to know your guest count. While you may not need an exact number early on, you should have a rough idea of how many guests you’ll invite. Without fine-tuning this detail, you may book a more intimate space that ultimately can’t fit your growing guest list.

5. Consider the Guest Experience

Speaking of wedding guests, it’s always a good idea to consider their experience at the venue. When finding a wedding venue, think about what guests will do with their free time and what attractions and accommodations are nearby. Scoping out the area around the venue, either in person or virtually, will give you a good idea of the guest experience and what you can recommend they do in their downtime.

6. Ask Lots of Questions

Determining how to choose a wedding venue involves many questions, and you and your partner should feel empowered to ask them. If you haven’t come up with a list of questions yet, here are some to consider:

What’s included and what’s not included in your venue packages?
Do you have a list of preferred vendors?
Who is the point of contact at the venue should anything go wrong?
What’s the backup plan for bad weather if the venue is outside?
Are there any additional fees I should be aware of?
Are there any rules around catering, decorations, or music?

If you search for your dream venue on Venues Made Simple, you don’t have to worry about asking these questions because we’ve already asked them for you! All the answers to the most common wedding venue-related questions are listed on each venue listing. We know what’s most important to couples, and we make it easy to find the answers you need to the questions you have without spending hours emailing and calling venues.

7. Read Reviews and Look Out for Red Flags

It is so important to read reviews from past couples when working towards finding a wedding venue. While each couple is bound to have their own experience, it’s helpful to gain insights and spot potential red flags before booking.

One of the first red flags to look out for when finding a wedding venue is vague answers to any of the questions listed above. If the venue coordinator cannot answer these specific and essential questions, there’s likely something fishy going on. Another red flag to be aware of is difficulty communicating with your venue liaisons. Yes, they may be busy, but if you don’t hear back from them for long periods of time or they communicate in an unprofessional manner, it may not be the best fit.

How to Pick a Wedding Venue the EASY way with Venues Made Simple

Knowing how to choose a wedding venue for your dream wedding starts by researching various venues, asking essential questions, and looking out for red flags. To help you in your search, consider talking to your wedding planner, asking family and friends for recommendations, looking up wedding venues on social media, and using a website like Venues Made Simple. You can start your search for the perfect wedding venue on Venues Made Simple to get quick responses, answers to all your questions, and recommendations for the best wedding vendors from the top venues in your area!

Photo Credit: Stephanie Klotz Photo

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