You have the ring, you have a date, now what?! A good place to start is finding your venue. It sets the tone for your big day and you can carry the design aesthetic through the entire process from invitations to thank you favors.
With so many options out there, the task of choosing the “perfect” venue can be daunting. We have had a lot of experience looking at venues over the years and want to share a few tips with you. We’ve outlined several steps below to help in your wedding planning process:
1. What is most important to YOU? Be thorough while thinking about this question and specific in your answer. A fun atmosphere isn’t specific enough; instead think about what would make it fun: “A venue that allows an open bar” or “A venue that allows a firework send-off”. Other ideas may include budget, location, design, vendor options (or restrictions).
2. What is most important to others involved? Sometimes there are influences outside of you are your fiancé that you need to be taken into consideration. There may be a family tradition or a specific imported wine that HAS to be at every family celebration. Whatever it is, if there is pressure for it to make a showing at your wedding, write it down.
3. List your top five venues. Make a list of venues that meet the criteria you set in steps one and two.
4. Check availability. Venues book months, even years in advance so before you get your heart set on a specific location, make sure it’s available. If the venue is available, ask them to hold the date for you until you are able to do a site visit.
5. Schedule a site tour This step is very important and should not be skipped. While you can get a good feel for a venue by seeing pictures, it’s still important for you or your wedding planner to meet with the venue.
6. Book your venue! Once you have visited all of the venues on your interest list and decide on your perfect venue, book it! Most venues will require a down payment.
As mentioned above, finding a venue can be very daunting. Hiring a wedding planner who knows the specifics about each venue can be very beneficial especially in saving you time. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask: info@canvasweddingsandevents.com or see our Chat option in the bottom right-hand corner.