You’ve gotten engaged and the first thing on your mind is where in the heck you’re going to get married. Then, you realized there are a ton of venues to get married – now what to do, what to do? The nice thing is that everything in a wedding is really just optional. If you don’t want to do something the traditional way – then don’t!

Choose the location

These days, weddings can be held in any number of locations rather than just your families’ home towns or where you currently reside. You can pick a favourite travel spot or a destination you’ve just always wanted to visit, or stick close to home by having your wedding in your current city! Some things to think about are:

• How convenient will it be for you and your guests to get there?
• What kind of backdrop will it have for photos?
• What kind of weather that area usually has at different parts of the year (think – hurricane season, winter, flood season, hot summers etc).

Decide Your Style

A large deciding factor of the venue you will eventually choose is what kind of style you like! There are options of modern vs rustic, vintage versus country style, outdoors vs indoors, traditional vs unique. It’s good to narrow down a couple of styles you would be happy with.

I once assisted with a wedding that held the ceremony at the Ontario Science Centre . It then moved to a big restaurant for the reception! The couple loved that they could take pictures in the museum after the ceremony since they both had a love for science. They were allowed to bring in chair covers and ribbon to create a fancier setting in the ceremony room, overlooking a beautiful outdoor scene.

“There will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right. ”

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (J.K. ROWLING)

Settle on Your Budget

Setting a budget for your venue may be a hard task! If you’re questioning if the number you have in mind is remotely feasible, don’t be shy about asking your wedding planner or friends that have gotten married recently. Don’t forget that having a budget for the venue could also include the catering, decor, and other rentals if the space you pick doesn’t provide those things! If what you’ve envisioned involves a ton of floral garlands + greenery on each table but you’ve only allotted $200 for all of the table decor, you might need to take a step back and redesign. Another option is that you could also look for a more affordable venue.

Know Your Guest List

The other part of your budget is going to be decided by how many guests you’re inviting. In many cases, couples will only invite the amount of guests that fit into their budget to the ceremony and reception. Generally, people will understand if you’re not able to invite everyone and their plus one!

Having an idea of the guest list ahead of time saves you from stress and headache later on. If you end up choosing a venue that is small and you have a lot more RSVPs saying yes than you anticipated, you’ll be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Pick Your Date

Or dates! Hurray! You’re setting the day for your big day! Keep in mind that if you’ve chosen one day that is special to you, it might make it harder for you to find a venue. Depending on how soon you want your wedding, some venues might already be booked out. If you just want a certain time of the year, you can be flexible with your dates in case your venue doesn’t have it available. This way, you’re not stuck choosing venues that have that one singular date.

Come up with a few dates before reaching out so you can get some concrete answers!

Check The Perks

Some venues have some awesome perks to booking with them. They may have a bridal suite with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne so you can get ready there. This way you won’t have to book a hotel if you’re just sleeping at home the night before. Or if it is a hotel/large property, they may have discounts for guests to book rooms. When you’re considering the guests’ experience, not having to find transportation to go to multiple places makes it easier for them to not get lost and also just head up to bed when they’re ready to take off their dancing shoes. 👠 👞

How Flexible Are They?

• What times are the last call and closing time?
• Is bringing in your own alcohol allowed?
• Can you have open flame candles or sparkles?
• Can set up be done the day before?
• Is rehearsal time included in the the cost?
• Is there an in house caterer that must be used or can an external one be brought in?
• Can photos be taken all around the property?

You’ll want to see if a venue has a couple things that fit your needs better than the next and that could be the deciding factor between venues. Cheers!