How to Choose a Wedding Venue
Choosing a top wedding venue, is one of the hardest things when it comes to your wedding. This is especially true for all the picky women out there that want this day to be just perfect! One of the best ways you can figure out the best wedding venue for your needs is to make a short list. In order to do this you need to find 5 venues which meet most of your needs and then work your way down from there. In order to do that, we have compiled a list of different options available to you as well as pros and cons, price variations, type of "feel" to each venue, and other tips and information that will hopefully help you pick the best venue for your special day!
Hotel Venue
You probably think that a church is a good venue for your wedding celebration, but really a hotel might just be the best option! Not only is a hotel a great place to have your reception because they all offer different prices, but they are also a good idea for people with a large wedding list, people that aren't interested in doing things like set up and decorating and for people that just want to enjoy their day and not have to worry about anything else.
Positives of Hotel Venues
- Package Deals: Most hotels will offer a package deal, especially for a wedding venue. This means that they may offer bonuses if you book with them, but it also means you could be saving some money for that venue.
- Coordinators: At some of the nicer hotels, they might have an in house wedding coordinator. They will set up the entire venue for you, organize it and call whomever needs to be called; florist, cake decorator, etc.
- Reviews: Hotels are great because you can look at any hotel or travel site and see just how good or bad their reputation is.
- Recommendations: Most hotels can give you a list of suppliers and distributors that they have a loyal and trusted relationship with.
Negatives of Hotel Venues
- Restrictive: Some hotels are very strict about what they allow, what decor changes you can make and what types of menu changes you can make.
- Boring Rooms: Some hotels, especially because of strict decor changes, are bland and boring. If you have strict instructions not to change the decor, it might be very "blah" for your special day.
- Suppliers: Some of the hotels have a strict guideline that you must use their suppliers. This might be good, this might be bad. But, if you want flexibility, it might be a better choice to find a hotel that does NOT do this.
Exclusive or Private Venue
In the same way you can rent vacation homes when you go on vacation, you can actually rent exclusive or private venues for your wedding. This could be from the extravagant Castle, to the relaxed and laid back Vineyard in Tuscan and everything else in between. There is one thing you can guarantee; a beautiful location that is unique, expansive and pretty darn amazing. If you want to find the top wedding venue for an exclusive or private venue, consider these facts.
Positives of Private Venue
- Privacy: if privacy is an important aspect to you, a private venue is exactly what you need.
- WOW Factor: Private venues are usually very beautiful and tend to be unusual venues with a lot of character.
- Personal Touch: because most private venues only have a few weddings a year and it is a private venue, usually the owner will let you decorate the room(s) as much as you need to.
Negatives of Private Venues
- Expense: As one would expect, a private or exclusive venue is going to cost a tad bit more.
- Restrictions: If a private venue has a specific food, wine or appetizer menu, they probably won’t allow you to change or add in anything.
- Space: In some cases, like a private home setting, you will only have one small to medium room for your wedding party and guests so this might not be a good option for bigger parties or bigger guest lists.
Restaurant Wedding Venue
If you know of a nice restaurant or one that you have heard really good things about, it might be a good idea to call them up and see if they have a Marquee or have a banquet room for your venue. Restaurants may be a less traditional option, but they are becoming the more popular option for the reception. Plus, these days, more and more restaurants are opening up rooms for private parties and wedding receptions which means you will probably have a lot of quality options available to you.
Positives of Restaurant Venue
- Food: Obviously the food is a huge benefit to any wedding reception. Especially if it’s good food!
- Intimate Ambiance: Most of the time if you get a venue at a restaurant it’s going to be intimate, classy and cozy.
- Decor changes: If you pick a restaurant where you already love the decor, it’s one less thing you have to spend money on.
Negatives of Restaurant Venues
- Lodging: Most restaurants, unless it’s a B&B will not have accommodations for guests on site. Instead, you will have to find hotels nearby that offer discounts for large parties.
- Early To Bed: Most restaurants can only serve beer and other alcohol until a certain time of night.
- Music: Since it is a restaurant and they do have other guests, you may not be able to have loud music, a DJ or a band.
Hotel Venue
You probably think that a church is a good venue for your wedding celebration, but really a hotel might just be the best option! Not only is a hotel a great place to have your reception because they all offer different prices, but they are also a good idea for people with a large wedding list, people that aren't interested in doing things like set up and decorating and for people that just want to enjoy their day and not have to worry about anything else.
Positives of Hotel Venues
- Package Deals: Most hotels will offer a package deal, especially for a wedding venue. This means that they may offer bonuses if you book with them, but it also means you could be saving some money for that venue.
- Coordinators: At some of the nicer hotels, they might have an in house wedding coordinator. They will set up the entire venue for you, organize it and call whomever needs to be called; florist, cake decorator, etc.
- Reviews: Hotels are great because you can look at any hotel or travel site and see just how good or bad their reputation is.
- Recommendations: Most hotels can give you a list of suppliers and distributors that they have a loyal and trusted relationship with.
Negatives of Hotel Venues
- Restrictive: Some hotels are very strict about what they allow, what decor changes you can make and what types of menu changes you can make.
- Boring Rooms: Some hotels, especially because of strict decor changes, are bland and boring. If you have strict instructions not to change the decor, it might be very "blah" for your special day.
- Suppliers: Some of the hotels have a strict guideline that you must use their suppliers. This might be good, this might be bad. But, if you want flexibility, it might be a better choice to find a hotel that does NOT do this.
Exclusive or Private Venue
In the same way you can rent vacation homes when you go on vacation, you can actually rent exclusive or private venues for your wedding. This could be from the extravagant Castle, to the relaxed and laid back Vineyard in Tuscan and everything else in between. There is one thing you can guarantee; a beautiful location that is unique, expansive and pretty darn amazing. If you want to find the top wedding venue for an exclusive or private venue, consider these facts.
Positives of Private Venue
- Privacy: if privacy is an important aspect to you, a private venue is exactly what you need.
- WOW Factor: Private venues are usually very beautiful and tend to be unusual venues with a lot of character.
- Personal Touch: because most private venues only have a few weddings a year and it is a private venue, usually the owner will let you decorate the room(s) as much as you need to.
Negatives of Private Venues
- Expense: As one would expect, a private or exclusive venue is going to cost a tad bit more.
- Restrictions: If a private venue has a specific food, wine or appetizer menu, they probably won’t allow you to change or add in anything.
- Space: In some cases, like a private home setting, you will only have one small to medium room for your wedding party and guests so this might not be a good option for bigger parties or bigger guest lists.
Restaurant Wedding Venue
If you know of a nice restaurant or one that you have heard really good things about, it might be a good idea to call them up and see if they have a Marquee or have a banquet room for your venue. Restaurants may be a less traditional option, but they are becoming the more popular option for the reception. Plus, these days, more and more restaurants are opening up rooms for private parties and wedding receptions which means you will probably have a lot of quality options available to you.
Positives of Restaurant Venue
- Food: Obviously the food is a huge benefit to any wedding reception. Especially if it’s good food!
- Intimate Ambiance: Most of the time if you get a venue at a restaurant it’s going to be intimate, classy and cozy.
- Decor changes: If you pick a restaurant where you already love the decor, it’s one less thing you have to spend money on.
Negatives of Restaurant Venues
- Lodging: Most restaurants, unless it’s a B&B will not have accommodations for guests on site. Instead, you will have to find hotels nearby that offer discounts for large parties.
- Early To Bed: Most restaurants can only serve beer and other alcohol until a certain time of night.
- Music: Since it is a restaurant and they do have other guests, you may not be able to have loud music, a DJ or a band.