Venue choices.
When looking for venues for your wedding, think about all aspects before making your decision final. Are they a seasoned wedding venue? Have they catered for the number of people you will be having at your wedding? What are they surroundings like? Is there safe and secure parking for you and your guests? What does it look like inside? Are the walls and ceilings dark which will make the place look dreary and run down especially in your photos? Do they have a generator for instances of a powercut? Where will you get dressed? Is it pretty and with lots of light? (for both make up artist & photographer)
Remember to ask the relevant questions. What are the extras involved in the cost? Often the hire of a venue does not include such things as catering, waiters, bar and sometimes even extra tables and chairs need to be hired. As long as you know this when you book, you will not get a nasty shock when faced with the inevitable hiring of all the extras.
Something I find important is exclusivity. Will your wedding be the only wedding held on that day at that venue? And can they guarentee it? I have done a few weddings where it almost seems like a sausage factory. The venue starts to pack up and “push” the guests and bridal party out the door so the next wedding can start. This is sad because each and every wedding is unique and so should their day. Another occurance is where two or three weddings happen at the same time at the same venue so it almost feels like you’re in Vegas with seeing so many brides in one place. If you’re ok with this, at least know it’s going to happen. Don’t be shy to ask the questions.
Look at the grounds and surrounding areas? Where would you like photos? If the grounds aren’t great, perhaps you can take a drive around the area to see the possibility of photos in the area.
Important – remember the season that your wedding is in and the season you’re looking at it…if it’s summer but your wedding is in winter, don’t be disappointed that it’s not green and luscious when you see it again.
Good luck venue hunting! :)
These are good tips Lan- sure Tara’s benefitting from your advice!