booking your wedding venue - bride

Is there a right and a wrong way when booking your wedding venue? This is a question I get asked a lot by newly engaged couples. Where do we start, I don’t know where to begin, help what do we do? 😳😯🤦‍♀️😂

And hey this is perfectly normal. Because chances are this is your first time. It’s crazy that people think you’re suppose to know what to do.

Here are 5 steps you should be doing before you book your venue or vendors.

5 things to do before booking your wedding venue

1. VISION

Think about what you would like your day to look like. This might mean checking out Pinterest for some inspiration but also thinking about some logistics like indoor/outdoor ceremony, sit down/cocktail reception, big / small wedding, eloping. There are so many options and none of them are incorrect.

2. BUDGET

This is the one a lot of couples struggle with. How are you suppose to create a realistic budget when you have no idea how much things cost in the wedding industry. Start with how much you are prepared to pay for each service as a very rough guide until you start getting quotes back.

2 brides kissing at their wedding venue

3. DATE

Select a day for your wedding. Have a think about what time of year, if you’re a person that doesn’t do well in Summer then perhaps pick a time where you won’t be dying in the heat. Pro Tip: Have a couple of date options that you both like, this will make finding your perfect venue easier.

4. GUEST LIST

The first thing a venue is going to ask you is what are your approx. guest numbers. Create a rough first draft of people you would like to invite. You can always cull this list later but it’ll give you a rough idea of numbers.

bride and groom in front of venue

5. RESEARCH

Start researching venues and vendors that fall into the vision of your day. This does not mean start booking left right and center. We are in research mode. Start stalking their websites and socials to see if you think what they offer and most importantly them as a person would be a good fit for your day. I believe it is super important to really click with your vendors as these people are going to be apart of your most special day, essentially as ‘guests’, in most cases you don’t invite people you don’t like to your wedding (in most cases 😂).

Well there you go there are my 5 steps to take before booking your venue. If your thinking man oh man we may have overcommitted, we don’t have the time to be drawing up budgets, or if all of this is in the ‘too hard basket’ then perhaps hiring a wedding planner is in the cards for you.

I offer a no strings attached Virtual 2 hour Power Planning Session to get you on track with all of your wedding planning ideas and questions.

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bride and groom in a field