10 tips on selecting your wedding venue
Follow these 10 top tips and you'll get the best wedding venue deal for your money!
- Check availability
Locations can get booked up to two years in advance. Before you visit your venue, check that the date you want is available. If your heart is set on an unavailable location, then maybe consider changing your date to secure the place of your dreams.
- Think about capacity
If you have a guest list of 50 but are viewing a huge country house, think carefully about what you do with the extra space. It’s not easy to hide. If you’re having a smaller wedding, you might want to think about down sizing, even if you’ve set your heart on one particular location. - Ask about photography
Double check that wedding photography is allowed throughout the venue at all times and also if your photographer can make a pre-wedding visit to check out the best locations to shoot in case of bad weather.
- Make maps
If your location is tricky to find, a good tip is to make maps to the locations for your guests. You don’t want half of them to miss your wedding because they took a wrong turn!
- Ask the money question!
Probably one of the most important questions that needs to be asked during the early stages of your planning. Does your chosen venue fit in with your wedding budget, and what is included in the price or package? You want to map out exactly where your budget is being spent, and if that means paying separately for bedrooms or for the table linen then you need to know up front. Also ask how they expect you to pay, and when.
- Ask about booze (and corkage)
Find out if alcohol is included in the overall budget and if you need to pay for corkage separately if you are supplying the alcohol yourselves. You don’t want to be left with a hefty corkage bill after the big day.
- Think about fireworks
If you plan to wow your guests during your wedding reception with a fireworks display or Chinese lanterns, ask the venue if they allow this activity – some don’t.
- Check on confetti
If you’re after the classic wedding photograph of guests throwing confetti over the bride and groom, make sure that the venue allows this. Because of the mess some confetti can create, some places don’t allow it on the premises.
- Make a sound check
Find out whether or not the venue has an automatic sound monitor installed by the council. This could mean that any music played too loudly may be automatically switched off.
- Make a plan B
How flexible is your venue going to be if you end up changing your mind on certain arrangements? Is there any leeway in the plans once your deposit has been paid?