Getting the Most Out of Your Wedding Venue: 7 Pro Tips
In today’s saturated and overpriced wedding market it can be extremely overwhelming to select your wedding venue and the vendors who are going to execute your wedding day.
What many brides don’t realize is a lot of the costs associated with the wedding start with the selection of your venue. If you aren’t careful, your budget can blow up quickly due to your wedding venue not having everything you need.
Today, I am sharing with you some of our pro tips on how to get the most out of your wedding venue and what to consider before signing on the dotted line.
Pro Tip #1
What all is included in your venue price?
While many more venues are becoming full-service venues and are including just about everything, there are some venues out there that don’t include the whole enchilada. Ask for a copy of the rental agreement and of the venues inventory. See how many chairs and tables come with the venue and more importantly what they look like. If you are going for a farmhouse look and want wooden tables and farmhouse style chairs and your venue has plastic folding chairs and tables, you might want to consider what the extra cost will be to bring in those additional tables and chairs. If they don’t have exactly what you are looking for, make sure they allow you to bring in rentals and there are no additional fees for the removal of the venue’s tables and chairs.
Pro Tip #2
Does the venue allow candlelight?
Y’all this one is tough! So many venues these days do not allow real candles. And while there are so many nice fake candles out there, this sometimes can be a deal breaker for couples. My biggest piece of advice is be sure to read through the contract before signing. If this is really important to you, you may want to consider going elsewhere. But keep in mind this is becoming more and more common. If your venue does not allow real candles, you are looking at potential higher costs for the purchase and or rental of really good fake candles! And keep in mind that is not something that the venue will budge on due to liability!
Pro Tip #3
Is there a space for the girls and guys to get ready in on the day of the wedding?
Sounds like a no brainer right? Wrong! While again, many venues provide a space to get ready in, not all of them have dedicated space to do this in. If you are not local to the area and there is not a space dedicated for you to get ready in or the guys, this will cost you a couple hundred – five-hundred dollars to reserve two hotel suites big enough for you to get ready in. This is an added cost you don’t want to get hit with!
Pro Tip #4
How much time is included?
This is a big one that many people overlook and honestly forget to ask! Be sure to ask how much time you get the venue for on the day of. If they only include a couple hours before your ceremony start time and a couple hours after the event, you may end up having to purchase more hours due to the vendors needing more time to setup and breakdown. If you don’t get the space for the entire day, ask if there is availability to purchase more hours and if so what they cost. If you can, purchase them from day 1 because I promise you, you will need them!
Pro Tip #5
Where and when do you have access to on the property?
When it comes to getting your wedding photos, you want to know where all you can go on the wedding day! If you are getting married at a golf course, consider that you might not be able to use certain locations until later in the day because of the golfers. You should also ask if the venue provides help with getting you around the property when you are taking photos, depending on how large the property is! And while this is well before your wedding day, ask what the policy is on coming out to do your engagement pictures before the wedding day. Some venues require additional fees if you want to use the property on a separate day!
Pro Tip #6
Learn about their storage options for your wedding items.
Find out when you will be able to bring in your wedding day items. Most venues will allow you to bring it in the week of your wedding if they don’t have other events, but that is not always the case. Even weddings who don’t provide many day of items themselves have a lot of stuff. Finding out when you can get that off your hands will be important the week of the wedding when you have a million other things going on. While this won’t cost you extra money, it is a headache that you might not want to deal with!
Pro Tip #7
What is the ceremony back up plan?
If you are looking at hosting your wedding ceremony outside, ask questions about what the backup plan might be. Some event venues have spectacular options while some fall short. If it’s not an ideal setup, consider what you will want to do to the space. If you think you will need to cover a wall or put up draping of any sorts, get a quote for it. This way you know what you might have as additional costs rather than waiting until the week of your wedding and getting hit with extra costs.
Photo 1: Lindsey Lyons Photography
Photo 2: Magnolia Photography
Photo 3: Sarah Street Photography
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from the owner:
Hey girl! Jess here. Here at Wedding Company of Williamsburg we truly are here to make your wedding vision come to life and allow you to actually be a guest at your own wedding, along with your family and friends.
What we do is truly a privilege and we are so honored to have served over 450+ couples over the last fifteen years.
Let us be your voice in your planning from the heart of where you'll start the rest of your lives.
