Wedding Venues and Questions to Ask

Wedding Venues - decisions

Your choice of Wedding Venues is likely going to be the most important decision regarding the wedding preparations, apart from choice of partner of course! You will have some decisions to make prior to your choice that will determine what to include in your short list to visit.

First, you have to decide whether you want a church or a civil wedding. That will be a start to narrowing down your choice of Wedding Venues. If you are to be married in a church or chapel, then unless the reception area has a chapel your reception and ceremony will be at different venues. This is the traditional way, though it is now common for the ceremony and reception to be carried out in the same wedding complex.

Wedding Venues - timing

However, having made that decision, you should start seeking the venue at least a year before, and are probably best to make your first moves at around 15 months if you have that time between the engagement and the wedding. That will give you enough time to visit a few venues the book your choice a year before. Most Wedding Venues are booked a year in advance.

You must first decide on how many guests you intend inviting. Many ceremony venues are limited in the number of guests they can accommodate, and it is not unusual for the most intimate friends and relatives to be invited to the ceremony and others to the reception afterwards. Do not assume that each will the same: make up your list first, and then check the capacity of both the ceremony and reception Wedding Venues.

Wedding Venues - advisor

Once you have decided on your numbers, you can start looking for suitable venues for the ceremony and the reception. The internet is a good place to start, or if you are hiring a professional advisor, they will have a list of Wedding Venues that they can recommend. Tick off the venues that can hold your guest list.

Parking is also important, and you must ensure that there is enough parking space for your guests. You might not deem this so important, but it might be for your guest who has had to park over a mile from the Wedding Venues… especially if it raining! You should review the venues for the ceremony and the reception separately. Combined complexes might have a beautiful chapel but a poor reception area and vice versa, so check them both and make sure that both are acceptable to you.

Wedding Venues - separate

If your ceremony and reception are completely separate, it makes it a bit easier to choose, since you will have more choice of each. Many people prefer to choose different Wedding Venues simply because they can opt for the best of each rather than what they want in the venue for the ceremony, and then what comes with it for the reception.

Find out the requirements of each venue, ceremony and reception. Are flowers supplied, if so can you arrange your own, or must you provide and arrange your own floral displays. Some Wedding Venues provide the florist and allow you to make arrangements with them, while others will already have it decorated for you. How about the caterer? Does the venue you have chosen for the reception provide a caterer? Some country houses, museums allow receptions, but you must do your own catering. Beach weddings are often provided as a package with cliff-top or gazebo chapel and catering provided, while others provide the venues only. You have no such problems with hotels or restaurants.

Wedding Venues - requirements

Are there any noise restrictions at the Wedding Venues that affect your choice of band or music? Do they have their own resident band or DJ, or do you have to hire your own? Does the band have to stop playing at a certain time and are there any restrictions on alcohol? Will the caterer set up the cake or will your confectioner have to do that? These all seem obvious questions, but you have to ask them. How about insurance: make sure insurance is offered in the case of a cancellation. It is unlikely to occur, but expensive if it does.

Finally, once you have your short list visit them all and make sure they fit in with how you visualize them. Most brides have a lay-out in their minds, and like their Wedding Venues to fit that as much as possible. Check out the distance between the venues for the ceremony and the reception, and also for settings suitable for the photographs. The wedding photographs are important and you want them to be taken in a nice setting. Check out the bar prices when you visit and any other aspects of the venue that you are able to during your visit.

Wedding Venues - preparation

Finally make your choice of Wedding Venues. The visit is important since you don’t want a shock when the wedding party arrives. It would also be useful if the venue provided a helper for the day, looking after only you and your wedding. It is a tremendous help if somebody from the venue is there to take charge for these little things can go wrong on the day.

If you do your preparation and homework properly, you should end up with fantastic Wedding Venues for your ceremony and reception, and you and your guests will have a marvelous time.










Wedding Venues

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