I hope you guys are all doing well.
This week, we turn our attention selecting the best venue for you both.
Choosing a venue should be one of the first things you do once you get engaged - you can't set a date without a confirmed venue!
Your venue should be the driving force for all of your wedding planning decisions - it should set the scene for the day. And it should make your life & wedding experience as stress free as possible.
I'm based in Sydney, Australia & there are literally HUNDREDS of wedding venue options, just in the metro area. Once you get out to the mountains, the south coast, the Hunter Valley & many other regional areas, there are hundreds more! It's insane. It's so easy to get swept up in all of the excitement of planning a wedding & into all of the wedding packages that you get from all of the prospective venues that you forget what you actually want. Or worse, how much money you are working with.
On top of the extensive options, you also have to consider what you are signing up for. I have worked in hospitality & events for a long time now & I love it, but holy shit are there some places that give my industry a bad name! You need to make sure your venue's event planner has their shit together (& is responsive to your emails & calls), that the catering is good, that the decor suits you (& in some instances that the venue doesn't imply the decor is included in the price only to find out that it isn't closer to the date), that the expectations from both sides are clear, plus many more things. As well as all of these considerations, you also must factor in that there is a high chance that you haven't done this before & could probably do with some guidance haha.
There are so many variables & every couple is different so it's hard to find a one size fits all approach to finding the perfect location.
Here's how I recommend choosing the best venue for your wedding.
1. Talk about what you want
I talked about this in my first wedding checklist - if both of you write down your top 3 requirements & then discuss to create the ultimate top 3, you know exactly what you are looking for in a venue. With these in mind, you will notice that you eliminate a lot of options. For us, I was looking for somewhere that would allow us to have fire (if you are from Australia, you will know how much of a mission that would be!), a venue with a country view (ruling out everything in a city) & a venue that was all inclusive for the most part, but allowed us to personalise it to fit us as a couple. As an additional thing, we wanted to make sure that it was accessible for our guests & accommodation was close by for everyone.
In doing this, you also know what vision you have & what venue you need to do that. Whether that be a vineyard, a church, a farm, a harbourside restaurant, a beach. Refine your search to only venues that fit this vision.
2. Have a rough guest list before you start getting into venues
All venues have a max capacity, so know a rough number before you start shopping venues. It would be so heartbreaking to find the perfect space for you & then realising that you have 300 guests in a venue that can only hold 100. I am a huge advocate for a small wedding, but if a really big day is more your style, then make sure you know that going in.
3. Shortlist to no more than 5 & visit all of them
Noone needs to shop around more than 5 shortlisted venues. You have already picked your top venues based on your requirements, so trust those instincts. That being said, be super critical of every venue when you go & visit. Have a checklist (my checklist coming soon for this) & ask the same questions to every venue. Make sure you aren't going to be blindsided later by hidden costs you didn't ask about upfront.
I would also strongly recommend getting a quote from your shortlist before you visit them. Ask them all for exactly the same requirements so their quotes are comparable. It is good to pop all of this info in a spreadsheet so you can see everything at a glance.
When you do all of your site visits, also make sure that you take pictures of all of the important areas (cocktail hour, reception space, ceremony space if its on the same site, anything that's important to you) so that you can remember what everything looks like when you get home to discuss options. I have visited my venue twice now & I still can't remember all of the areas...
4. Think about inclusions
It might seem like a great idea to customise your own day & DIY everything. And if that really is for you, that's amazing - there are many venues out there that provide beautiful spaces for exactly this. But it can get expensive & can be a lot of work, so keep that in mind.
For me, I will go to the ends of the earth to DIY everything for someone else's wedding. I really do love planning events & weddings! But for my own day, I really wanted somewhere where I could rock up, do the thing & leave without worrying about doing anything at all! I went for an all-inclusive option, off a shortlist which had 2 DIY venues, 1 mostly-inclusive option & then the venue I chose.
5. Keep your budget in mind
It is definitely helpful to have an ideal total figure in mind for your wedding before you start shopping venues. Stay away from venues that price you out from the beginning so you aren't disheartened later. The venue will be your biggest expense - for me, I'm actually spending 55% of my budget on my venue (which includes most decor, all food & beverage, as well as accommodation for 2 nights for my entire wedding party). I'm spending a lot in this area (40 - 50% is pretty normal), but I am not spending a whole lot on anything else (I'm not having flowers & I'm using as much of the venue inclusions as possible).
6. Consider the guest experience
Yes, your wedding day is yours & it has to suit you as a couple. But you do have to consider your guests at least a little bit. Think about the location (how far do people have to travel), possible accommodation options for guests, transportation options, accessibility (specifically surrounding elderly guests, or those with accessibility issues). Also think about the season of your wedding & whether the venue will be hot or cold & what you will need to do to make sure everyone is comfortable (think water, fans, bug spray, sunscreen, or fire, heaters, blankets etc.).
I have a winter wedding in the mountains this July... It's definitely going to be cold. And I want an outdoor ceremony. But I have ensured that I have fire pits & blankets available, along with having a super relaxed dress code so people can dress appropriately.
After our wedding day in July, I will share all of the details about our wedding venue; for now, I hope this list makes sure that you choose the best venue for your wedding day!
Until next week.
Hx
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