How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Venue

One of the biggest decisions you can make when planning a big day, is choosing your wedding venue, so let’s make sure it’s perfect!

Photo by Jeremy Wong from Pexels

If you’re in the first stages of engagement (congrats!) it’s more than likely that you’ve got a million things going through your head right now, in terms of planning, researching and booking your big day. Your dress, the flowers, music, cocktails, wedding stationery… the list goes on. But there is one booking that must come before any of these other things, that perfect wedding venue. Finding, and securing the location of your nuptials is key because it affects every other supplier you book subsequently.

When you find that perfect wedding venue you’ll be able to actually plan your theme and colour palette because before that, you won’t know if your venue styling may dictate your overall look.

So, how do couples find their dream wedding venue, and the perfect backdrop to their big day? Well, today we’re going to guide you through just how to do it, and hopefully inspire you to make that big decision.

How to Find the Perfect Wedding Venue

How Many Guests Are You Going to Invite?

This is a major factor in where you can tie the knot, and your perfect wedding venue style/size will depend almost entirely on the number of guests you’re planning to invite. If you’re considering over 150 for example, your options will be limited, and you will need to take your pick from large hotels, event spaces and marquees. For less than 100, and closer to 50, your options are obviously a lot more broad, and in fact you may be able to celebrate in your favourite local restaurant, if you keep the numbers down.

Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels

Know Your Budget

Before you book a visit, or even start browsing venues. Discuss, decide and stick to a wedding budget. Agreeing on this early, and knowing where your hard-earned funds are going to be allocated will drastically help you narrow down your perfect wedding venue search. Because your venue will probably be your largest expenditure, so you don’t want to get that wrong! Imagine booking this incredible venue, with all the bells and whistles, only to realise you’ve got no budget left for a cake, or a dress! Disaster!

Photo by Natasha Fernandez from Pexels

Is Your Perfect Wedding Venue Actually Available?

Right now, wedding venue availability is at a premium, for obvious reasons. So now, more than ever, checking if a venue is actually available on your desired date/s should be high on your priority list. Otherwise, you may find your dream wedding venue is booked for that perfect, sweet spot weekend in July you really want, for the next two years! Ask early, and avoid heartbreak.

Photo by Keenan Barber on Unsplash

Keep Your Theme in Mind

If you’re one of those couples who knows early on just how you want your big day to look, don’t let that slide while you’re viewing venues. If your perfect wedding venue has a boho, festival vibe. Only look at locations that fit that theme. It sounds obvious, but many couples choose a venue based purely on cost, location etc and think they can just twist the space to match their desired theme. That is an uphill battle, and one that ultimately ends up costing you more, and heaping more stress on your shoulders.

Unsure of your wedding theme? Check out this blog post sharing just how you can figure it out…

Can You See Yourself Celebrating There?

When visiting a venue, try and think of it like viewing a house. Imagine yourself there, on the big day, surrounded by your friends and family. Where would the welcome sign go? Is there room for a dance floor? Does the overall vibe of the space reflect your vision for the day? If it’s difficult to imagine yourself there, or you’re both struggling to picture where everything could go, don’t force it, its probably not right for you.

We hope we have informed, inspired and hopefully influenced your hunt for the perfect wedding venue! Feel free to check out our other wedding planning posts, and if you’re in need of any DIY ideas/tips, head over to our tutorials page and get creative today!

Let me know in the comments if you have chosen your venue yet!