Now that you have locked down the love of your life you get to plan your dream wedding! The first and one of the most important things is choosing your venue. There are more and more wedding reception venues popping up every week, picking one can be a little overwhelming. So where do you start? We came up with five helpful tips to help make things a little less difficult when you are choosing your perfect venue.

 

 

1. Start Early!

The first tip we can offer you is to start early! You will be amazed at how far out some venues book up. Locking down your date should be the first thing you do after you get engaged. This will be the first question all your vendors ask to make sure they are available. I would also suggest unless a certain date has a very significant meaning to you and your fiance I would let the venue guide your wedding date. Have a month in mind and then see when the venue of your dreams is available to help decide your date.

2. Get an Idea of Your Guest Count.

Something you will need to know going into the venue searching process will be how many guests you intend on inviting. You will need a nice roundabout number, this will weed out quite a few venues from your list. Make sure you come up with your number that you aren’t just assuming certain people will not make the trip some people will surprise you how far they will travel to celebrate you.

3. Location, Location, Location.

Next, you will need to decide where you would like to get married. There are many things to consider here, one of the most important is where your loved ones will be willing/able to travel to. The best thing about your wedding day, besides marrying the love of your life, is sharing in the excitement of the day with the people you hold closest to your heart! Whether you decide on your childhood home’s backyard or another country this will set the tone of your the entire style of your wedding.

4. What is Your Style?

Now that you have an idea on where, when, and how many guests you will be inviting you will need to decide on the style of your wedding day. This will play a big factor in your venue choice. There are so many different styles of venues to choose from; rustic, industrial, classic the list goes on and on. Any kind of bride can find exactly what she wants!

5. Budget

Last but definitely not least, the budget. This has to be the most important thing you take into consideration when searching for your perfect venue. You will have to be realistic about this one, make a list of your priorities for your wedding. Designate different percentages to each category and this will give you an estimate you can spend on your location. When you are making your rounds touring venues make sure to ask about any hidden costs. Check to see if taxes and service charges are included in their price, if not what are they? Also, see if you can bring in your own vendors or if you will have to use the venue’s approved vendors, this will make a huge difference in what you will need to spend later on.

Now you should be ready to go out and find your dream wedding venue! But if you are still feeling overwhelmed by the number of venues out there then check out our post on our top 5 wedding venues here in Houston!