Here’s how to find your dream Venue
Before you make an appointment to check out a potential wedding venue, chances are you’ll do a lot of online reconnaissance: Read every word on their website, click through photos and search for other couple’s reviews of the space. Here’s what you should keep in mind when doing your not-in-person first pass, and the details you can’t know outside of an in-person meeting.
Goals
A venue’s website or Facebook page often gives a taste of the location’s style and vibe, and it should include a lot of practical information that can help narrow down the search.
“It’s very important for a bride to know exactly what type of atmosphere and environment she wants for her wedding before looking at venues,” says Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, a Dallas-based party and lifestyle expert and author of “Wedding Inspiration: Ideas & Advice for Your Perfect Wedding” (Gibbs Smith, 2012). “It’s also important to know details like how many guests you’re aiming for, and if you want a venue that allows outside caterers or if you’re happy with one that takes care of every element of the event for you. These factors help a bride know what to watch out for and what to ignore.”
The price and availability also are key elements to search for, as there’s no point in visiting if it’s way over your budget or you aren’t able to adjust your wedding date, says Marsha Heckman, a San Francisco-based wedding planner and floral designer, and author of “A Bride’s Book of Lists: Everything You Need to Plan the Perfect Wedding, Revised and Updated” (Welcome Books, 2013). In addition, Heckman advises seeing what they say about available parking (do you have to pay a valet service?), noise restrictions, cleanup and what, if any, furniture, linens, dishes, etc., are included in the price.
Before you make an appointment to check out a potential wedding venue, chances are you’ll do a lot of online reconnaissance: Read every word on their website, click through photos and search for other couple’s reviews of the space. Here’s what you should keep in mind when doing your not-in-person first pass, and the details you can’t know outside of an in-person meeting.
Online Goals
A venue’s website or Facebook page often gives a taste of the location’s style and vibe, and it should include a lot of practical information that can help narrow down the search.
“It’s very important for a bride to know exactly what type of atmosphere and environment she wants for her wedding before looking at venues,” says Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, a Dallas-based party and lifestyle expert and author of “Wedding Inspiration: Ideas & Advice for Your Perfect Wedding” (Gibbs Smith, 2012). “It’s also important to know details like how many guests you’re aiming for, and if you want a venue that allows outside caterers or if you’re happy with one that takes care of every element of the event for you. These factors help a bride know what to watch out for and what to ignore.”
The price and availability also are key elements to search for, as there’s no point in visiting if it’s way over your budget or you aren’t able to adjust your wedding date, says Marsha Heckman, a San Francisco-based wedding planner and floral designer, and author of “A Bride’s Book of Lists: Everything You Need to Plan the Perfect Wedding, Revised and Updated” (Welcome Books, 2013). In addition, Heckman advises seeing what they say about available parking (do you have to pay a valet service?), noise restrictions, cleanup and what, if any, furniture, linens, dishes, etc., are included in the price.