Choosing the Perfect Place to Hold Your Wedding

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Planning a wedding is hectic. There are all sorts of different things that you really need to bear in mind throughout the process. But one of the biggest tasks to check off your list is booking a wedding venue. You should do this first and foremost, as it will allow you to get the ball rolling with the rest of your wedding - you can announce a date, send out a guestlist, and start preparing flower arrangements and catering according to how the venue is laid out. Here are a few areas to focus on in order to choose the perfect place for your wedding!

Availability
Before you start looking for venues, it’s best to double check that any venue you are remotely interested in has availability on your set wedding date. You don’t want to go through a process of elimination and set your heart on a given venue, only to realise that it’s fully booked for the foreseeable future when you make an enquiry. Remember that some high-demand venues are booked up for years and you will really have to get in at the right time to secure the date.

Viewings
You should also make sure to actually visit and view any venues that you are interested in. Of course, the internet is great for getting an initial idea of what different venues look like and offer. But being there in person will ensure that you definitely like the feel of the space. Remember that photographs can be very misleading - they may portray a venue in an overly complimentary light or a poor light in comparison to what it actually offers. If you're hoping for a luxurious wedding venue you don't want to be disappointed on your actual wedding day if you're seeing it for the first time and it doesn't live up to your expectations. So, book in and take a look around!

Close to Home or Overseas?
One of the first major decisions that you need to make about where to host your wedding is whether you want to hold your wedding close to home or overseas. The country that you hold your wedding in will have a profound impact on the day in general - it can determine the weather (including temperature and atmosphere), it can determine the types of food that are easily available, it can determine what flowers are easily available… the list goes on and on. If you want somewhere hot with stunning scenery and close proximity to the sea, consider a beautiful overseas location like Hawaii - you can learn more about this at https://sweethawaiiwedding.com/wedding-packages/. If you want a winter wedding with snowy scenes, you could head somewhere like Iceland or Austria might cater to your preferences a little better. The location of your wedding, perhaps most importantly, impacts who will be able to attend. If your friends and family are all local and you hold your wedding locally, chances are that the majority will be able to attend. If you hold your wedding in an exotic and luxurious overseas location, chances are that there will be people who can’t afford the expense, who can’t get time off work, or can’t find someone to look after kids and pets. Weddings close to home tend to be preferable for those of us who want a huge event with an expansive guestlist. Weddings further afield are better for those of us who only want our nearest and dearest present.

Venue Price
Once you’ve determined whether to stay close to home or whether to venture further afield, you can start seriously browsing venues in your chosen location. The next determining factor that will help to whittle down your options is price. Make sure to lay out a budget before planning any aspect of your wedding and determine how much of your overall budget you can dedicate towards a venue. Once you know how much you are able to spend, you can eliminate a host of excessively cheap or excessively expensive venues from your list. Make sure to stick to your budget. While it may be tempting to overspend for the venue of your dreams, you may face problems paying off your dues later down the line. You don’t want unnecessary pressure placed on your finances and your relationship due to overspending on your big day.

Venue Size
Now you’ve got a selection of venues that fall into your chosen location and price bracket, you may want to give a little thought to size. Now is the time to draw up a guest list of everyone who you want to be at your wedding. You need to make sure that your chosen venue accommodates a similar number of guests comfortably. You don’t want to find that you have to uninvite people or have people absent because you’ve chosen a venue that is too small - you will miss them and they may take it personally. On the other hand, you don’t want to find that you have a sprawling venue with just a few guests - this will make things feel empty and can create a distant and uncomfortable atmosphere.

Venue Features
By this point, you will have a few venues that are likely to meet your needs and now the decision between them will fall down to little individual preferences that can put one venue ahead of another. Determine which venue is best for you by comparing different features. Some venues have rooms attached that mean guests travelling from afar can have somewhere to stay. Some venues have in-house catering departments, which can alleviate pressure on finding caterers from outside. Some venues have more natural lighting. Some have prettier aisles. Whatever it is that you want, you can come to a conclusion of which venue offers the closest match when it comes to desirable features.

These are just some basic steps that you can take towards finding the perfect venue for your big day. Of course, it’s going to take some planning, time, and effort. But everything will be worth it by the time the big event rolls around!