Congratulations on your most recent engagement! Oh, the joy and light headedness you feel when you first become engaged’ the romance’ the thrill’
And then comes the wedding planning.
Wedding planning can be a complete headache to most brides, which is why a lot of brides end up with the unfortunate nickname ‘bridezilla’. But can you blame them’ Between choosing the cake, the decorations, the colors, their dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, trying to get the groom on board and, most importantly, the venue, the whole ordeal would stress even the most patient of people out!
The best place to start with wedding planning is choosing the right venue for you so that you can start to set the theme and tone for your wedding. Everything else will fall into place after that. Here are some things to consider while you begin your wedding venue hunt:
How Many People are Coming?
Venues can only hold so many people, so if you are thinking on having a wedding that has over 200 people your choice of venue could easily be cut in half. You don’t need an exact guest list, but begin thinking about who you are inviting, and tally up some rough numbers in your head. You should be able to view a venue and be able to say, ‘I’m inviting about 150 people’ so you can not only see if the venue can accommodate you, but also figure out how much that will cost you.
Should the Ceremony and the Reception Be in the Same Place?
A lot of couples prefer to separate where the ceremony and the reception is taking place, since separating them allows for some time after the wedding to take pictures with the family without the other guests interrupting. Then again, having them both at the same place can get you a discount and your guests don’t need to be driving from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’.
Even if you plan on getting married at a church, there may be a reception area on the same property that you can choose if you want the ceremony and reception to be close together.
Indoor or Outdoor?
Depending on where you live, an outdoor wedding may not be possible all year round. This can severely limit the time in which you can hold your beautiful outdoor garden or beach wedding, which also means that the venue will be booking up faster than if it is an indoor wedding venue. Book any outdoor venues as soon in advance as possible.
Near or Far?
More brides and grooms are traveling abroad to get married in exotic locations, which does offer a lot of benefits and drawbacks. The benefit is that you are on an instant honeymoon, you’re getting married in a beautiful setting, and it’s often far less expensive for the bride and groom to pay for these weddings. On the downside, your guest list will be cut down exponentially as far fewer people will be willing to take a week off of work and pay for a trip to Mexico for your wedding.
Tags: wedding venues
Categories: Budget and Basics, Reception