If you're one of the millions of Americans who are about to wed, you'll understand how difficult wedding planning can be. You need to organize parties, buy or rent clothes, and, of course, you need to peruse a long list of wedding venues to find the best one for you and your spouse-to-be.
The right wedding reception venues can have a huge impact on your wedding. Pick a magical venue and your photos, reception, and the entire experience will be even more special.
Yet what do you need to consider when choosing a venue? While you might have thought of some factors such as budgetary limitations or the venue's size, there are a whole host of others that you probably haven't considered.
In this guide, we're going to take a look at the most important things that you need to keep in mind when choosing a venue. Put these tips into practice and you'll be able to secure a fantastic venue that's perfect for your wedding.
Are you ready to learn more? Then read on!
1. Consider Your Budget
Before you start searching for your dream wedding venue, you should consider how much you can afford to spend on the venue. On average, around 50 percent of a couple's wedding budget will go on a venue. This means that if you've got a budget of $20,000 for the wedding, you should feel comfortable spending around $10,000 on the venue, including food, catering staff, and other typical venue expenses.
You should be aware that this amount also doesn't cover flowers, a band, lighting, and other expenses.
When you've decided on a budget, you can start your search by finding out the price of various venues, such as The Wimbish House or The Georgian Terrace Hotel.
2. How Many People Are Coming?
Each venue will have a certain capacity limit. These are in place to prevent serious problems like stampedes and will also limit issues with evacuation in the case of a fire or other danger.
Think about the guest list that you've created: how many people are on the list? Are there any people who will be coming to the ceremony but not the reception? If so, how many people?
When you're browsing different wedding venues, you need to find one that has the right capacity. Choosing one with a higher capacity than you need may also result in higher costs.
If you've got a very long guest list, you may want to consider outdoor wedding venues, as these will often have effectively unlimited capacity, so long as you have the budget.
3. The Wedding Vibe
Getting married in a high-end hotel may not be appropriate if your wedding is going for a laidback vibe. When you're perusing different wedding venues, you need to keep your particular aesthetic in mind.
Hotel wedding venues will often cater towards more refined experiences. For instance, if you want a wedding that makes you feel like a princess, a venue like the Grand Hyatt, coupled with the refined sounds of a harpist may be a perfect choice.
If you want to go for a party vibe, complete with a DJ and a huge range of fantastic pop tunes, you will want to consider a wedding venue that offers a more laidback feel.
Depending on your wedding entertainment choices, you will also want to make sure that the venue doesn't have restrictive noise rules in place. If you need to be quiet after a certain time, this venue isn't the right choice for a wedding party that will go on all night.
4. What Services Does the Venue Offer?
No two venues are the same. Some venues are only event spaces, which means that you'll need to find a catering company to provide the food and the like.
Other venues are almost all-inclusive, offering food and other services such as setting up lighting and a PA system for your band. When you're checking out the prices of various venues, take these additional costs into account if the venue doesn't offer them. You may find that a venue that seemed more expensive will actually save you money on other services.
5. Is There Parking at the Venue?
No one wants to have to park miles away from the venue. When you're choosing a venue, you should make sure that it has enough parking for you and all of your guests.
If the venue itself might not have enough parking for your guests, ask the venue if they can recommend affordable parking near the venue. This is particularly important if you're considering venues that are in downtown Atlanta, as parking spots can be hard to come by.
6. Is the Venue Accessible?
If you're inviting guests with disabilities, you should make sure that the venue is easy for them to access. Make sure that it has ramps as well as stairs, as well as accessible toilets and other facilities.
If the venue doesn't make these kinds of accommodations, your guests aren't likely to have a good experience.
7. Is the Venue Available?
Different venues will have different levels of availability. If you're looking at a very popular venue, availability may be quite hard to come by. Set a date for your wedding in advance so that you can find a fantastic venue and get it booked to avoid disappointment.
Procrastinating for too long about which venue you want can make it much harder to get that dream venue.
Choosing Wedding Venues Made Easy
We hope that you've enjoyed this guide on how to choose wedding venues. While it may seem like a monumental task, it doesn't need to be an intimidating job if you break it down into some core fundamental needs as we've done today.
If you want to make your wedding reception even more special, why not hire some top-quality entertainment? We have an array of fantastic musicians, magicians, comedians, and more that you can hire for your wedding. For more information, take a look at our website or contact us today!