Congratulations on your engagement! Before you start calling every venue in town, stop and take the time to consider the 3 items that are going to affect your search process and will save you time and stress by discussing before touring.
1) BUDGET
2) GUEST LIST
3) DATES
BUDGET – Your Budget is going to be the biggest piece of the puzzle in starting your venue search process. Chatting about finances always makes people feel awkward. Now put together two families that are pretty much strangers and things can really get uncomfortable. But to make sure you don’t exceed that “heart attack” number for your event – we have to make sure that you select a venue that doesn’t consume all of your wedding budget. Who pays for what – and how to determine how much to spend will be a discussion for another BLOG post.
GUEST LIST – The venue you select needs to be able to accommodate not just your guests but also the necessary staff and additional vendors that you will hire to make your day amazing. When compiling your guest list make sure that you ask all the VIP family members for their respective lists. They will have a list, and if you don’t factor them into the overall total, you will find yourself stressed out and trying to cut your own friends. I often hear couples say – “there is a percentage that are no-shows”. As a Master Certified Wedding Planner my advice is this – only invite the number of people that the venue can hold, and that you can afford to pay for. You do not want to panic when those RSVP’s come and you are praying for a NO.
DATES – Why dates? As in multiple. Because the time of year and day of the week can vary in cost. So before you start contacting venues compile a list of options you are open to, knowing that your most desirable date might already be booked. If you complete an online request form and only ask about 1 date, you might be walking away from your dream wedding venue before considering all the options they might have available.
Now that you have your Budget, Guest List, and list of desirable wedding dates in hand you can start making a list of venues that you want to reach out to. Don’t know what to ask while you are doing the venue tour? We can help #planstressfree
