After your engagement is official and you have set the date for your wedding, one of the most important tasks at hand and one that will require a lot of thought and consideration will be choosing your wedding venue. Because the venue is tied into so many aspects of your wedding, you will not be able to make many concrete decisions until your venue is booked. The wedding industry is a big business, and there are only so many available venues around. Many, but not all, locations need to be booked well over a year in advance. If your date falls on a long weekend you will need to decide on your venue even earlier since long weekends usually get snapped up first.
In the early stages of planning your wedding there are several factors you will have to juggle at the same time. That can be a little stressful so the earlier you get started the better off you will be. The decisions you have to make early are the most important ones, so making certain they work in harmony with each other is paramount. Your wedding is going to be the most special day of your life and by perfect planning, or at least as close to perfect as possible, the day will run smoothly. Having the day run smoothly will make the day more enjoyable, and ultimately you will be able to relax and have fun and not worry about all the details.
The style and location of the potential venue is very important. Your choice of your dress, the theme of your wedding, and the colours will all have to be thought of in close collaboration with each other and with the venue location. Once these major decisions are made, a lot of the pressure will be lifted and you can start working on the fine details.
When initially choosing your venue, location may not seem all that important; however, if you get married in a large city, keep travel times in mind. Consider all of the stops you must make on your wedding day, from your starting point, to your hair salon, back to your starting point (if necessary), to the church, to your photo location, and then finally to the reception site. Choose locations for all other services (including ceremony location) that are relatively close to your venue. If budget is a concern and you don't have too many out-of-towners coming, you may want to consider having your wedding on a Friday. There are venues that are a little less expensive on Friday compared to Saturday, however, manipulating traffic is always more difficult on a Friday. Your wedding day is a carefully orchestrated stage of events and you really don't want to waste any precious time in traffic getting to and from places, for you or your guests.
Besides the location, another important issue is the style of venue and what type of space appeals to you and your partner. Before narrowing down your search for the perfect venue, it will be very beneficial to decide what type of wedding you want. Today, weddings are held everywhere from the beach, parks, converted school houses, to hotel ballrooms, restaurants, castles... the list really is endless. There is a wealth of information on wedding venues on the internet as well as in bridal magazines. Doing a little research beforehand will be a good start to help you decide exactly what it is you are after, whether it's a casual and comfortable reception site, or something more formal. I suggest setting up appointments to visit four or five venues. Most places will have a co-ordinator who handles that sort of thing and it is a good idea to bring a list of questions with you to the various appointments. There are ten important questions you will want to ask at each venue you visit. Once you and your partner see the venues in person and have the answers to the questions you will be better equipped to make your decision.
THE TOP TEN
1. DATES - Is their space available for the date you and your partner have decided on, or another convenient date close by? You would hate to go through all the details only to find out the date you want is already booked. It may sound silly to even make this a question, but you would be surprised with so much on your mind how easy it is to think about less important details at first. It is easy to get off topic so having a list will keep you focussed and allow the process to unfold.
2. WHAT IS INCLUDED AS FAR AS SPACE GOES - Questions two and three and a few others for that matter are somewhat related. I will start with question two. The day you view the venue you will be shown around the property. You will want to ask if what you are being shown is exactly what is included in your rental contract. Many venues have a number of rooms they rent out to different parties on the same day so don't take anything for granted. You need to know all the details of what is included with each venue you visit.
3. COST - What is actually included in their quoted cost? No one really enjoys talking about money when it comes to weddings, but the reality of it is weddings are very expensive and you really need to know what you are dealing with. For example, some venues will have a separate room for greeting your guests as they arrive and will have another room for the dinner. You will want to ask if parking, the coat check, a bridal room (where you can slip away to for a quiet moment), and the guest tax are all included in the quote you are supplied with. Also find out when the down payment and balances are due. It's better to ask everything up front to avoid surprises.
4. SIZE - You will want to know how many people the venue is equipped for. This is very important as it is illegal to have more people than the venue is licensed for.
5. CATERING - Another priority is whether the venue has their own catering or do you have to hire the caterer. Some venues may have a list of caterers they have pre-approved, but will often have a minimum amount per plate that they impose on the caterer. Ask all of this up front.
6. TIME - Ask what time can your vendors set up and what it the latest possible time you have to be off the premises.
7. LICENCE - Does the venue have it's own liquor licence or do you have to apply for it?
8. FURNITURE - You will want to ask if the venue provides chairs, tables, and if there are more than one option regarding both.
9. LINENS - Does the venue have their own linens, does this come with the caterer, or is this your responsibility? Is there a choice in linen colours and styles?
10. SOUND - Ask the co-ordinator of the venue if they have all the proper electrical outlets needed for your sound system. You don't want to find out the day of your wedding that the venue does not have the proper set up for the sound system. Once you hire your DJ or band talk to them about any issues they may need clarification of as far as the venue. After you have met with the DJ or band go back to the venue to make sure everything is in order.
Hopefully deciding on your venue will be a pleasant experience and one that will get the planning off to a good start. If you are prepared with questions and you get all the answers, it will make everything that much easier. Ultimately the venue is a big part of the memories the couple and their guests will take away from the wedding, so it's important to make the decision wisely.
**If and when you book Pink Rhapsody Designs to help find your dream venue, we will then talk with you extensively and give you suggestions on which venues we think will best suit your wedding and budget. We will also set up appointments and bring you and your partner to see the top three or four venues you are interested in. The search for your venue will be very rewarding and we would be pleased to help you with this important task.
Watch for a detailed list of our services and related consulting fees coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment