Ok so your engaged – congratulations!! It’s all so exciting and overwhelming at the same time and now you’re thinking where do I start?! The main one is where do we get married? Once you find the venue the rest seems to fall into place. But with so many out there, all offering different options, food, pricing and unique experiences what do you look for? Here are some tips..

Have a vision of a venue in your head

When you picture your wedding are you in a modern building like a gallery or hotel? Are you surrounded by trees and countryside? A venue with a view? By the sea? A unique location? Having an idea will definitely narrow the search down and help you find your dream spot. Look at venues that will work well with your theme and give you what you need from the space.

Have a theme/colour scheme in mind

Ideally you should have a rough idea of what you want so that when you go to see a venue it should (with a little help and imagination) come to life in your mind. You wouldn’t for example want the colours in the venue clashing with your colour scheme or not have the space to enable you to do the things you really want to do i.e. games or photo booths.

Great communication

The last thing you want with a venue is feeling left in the dark with unanswered questions. You want to deal with people that are passionate and keen to chat to you and really try to help understand what you want for your special day. Communication is key, you’ll need people on your side wanting to do everything possible to make it amazing. When you submit your initial enquiry ideally someone should be touching base with you, making sure you have all the information you need and answering any questions you might have.

Know your guest numbers

This is a massive and probably obvious one because some venues can only cater for a certain number of guests. It’s so easy to underestimate how many people you’ll end up inviting so make sure you sit down with your partner and have at least a rough idea of numbers so you don’t waste time visiting venues that can’t cater for you – let’s face it no one wants to fall in love with a venue and be told it can’t be done so this will definitely save you the heartache.

Budget

Knowing how much your total budget is another big one to consider. It’s not just the venue costs, consider if you need to hire the tables and chairs too.

TIP – make sure you know what’s included in the venue price, small things such as lighting, arbour, napkins, cutlery – will they do they set up for you? etc.

Also take into account the costs for food and drinks, table decorations, floral arrangements, photographers etc. if you know your overall budget it makes it easier to know what you can afford for the venue, you don’t want to blow your budget on the venue meaning you have to scrimp on everything else.

What are the food options?

I would always suggest looking at menu options when choosing a venue as food is a big part of any wedding. I personally love the idea of a share style menu or even a relaxed BBQ or buffet style option as I guess not everyone wants to eat as much or at certain times (this is also why grazing platters are amazing) It’s really handy to figure out what food options you’d prefer and see if the venue can cater for you.

TIP – If the venue is also a restaurant go for lunch or dinner and suss it out beforehand.

Location

The venue might be amazing but just some things to consider – is there accommodation options for your guests nearby? Is it easy to find or get to? Are there transport options for guests to get home? Is there enough parking? You’ll need to take all these things into account before locking it in. Definitely ask the venue as they may have options or recommendations for you.