How to shop for the perfect wedding venue
When shopping for wedding venues some of the things you are looking at are very obvious. How do you feel about the space and how much does it cost? These things can be easier to see and are already at the top of your mind when you go to tour the spaces. You have to love the space and be excited to bring your friends and family there to celebrate. There are however a few other factors that should play into your decision making process that have an effect on the overall price of each venue. This post will help you know what to ask about when you tour or research a venue.
How long are you renting the venue for?
The first thing to pay attention to is what is the window of time you have to come use the space. Many venues will advertise a price that gives you access to a certain window of time, maybe a morning half day time slot or an afternoon. Check to see what is allowed and expected in that time slot. If you book it for a half day of 3-10pm can your vendors have access to the space earlier in the day to drop off a cake or set up florals? Some wedding venues give you an all day rental but what does that mean? Even with an all day rental there will still be a start time that you are allowed to come and an end time that you will need to be out by. Usually there are extra fees that you can pay for early admittance or even night before set up if there is not a wedding the day before your event.
What amenities come with the space?
Amenities are the next big thing to pay attention to. What comes with the price of your venue rental. Does the venue have their own chairs, tables, linens, lighting, AV equipment etc? If they do not include these types of things you will need to factor them into the overall price of your event. Renting anything from a 3rd party vendor can also have hidden fees and headaches involved. Usually rental companies will charge anywhere from $1.50-$25/chair but there can also be hidden fees like drop off and pick up fees and sometimes they won't want to pick the chairs up until the next day. If this is the case you will need to coordinate with the venue to see if they have a place to store the chairs until the rental company can come get them and then arrange for someone to be there to let them into the venue and show them where the chairs are. All of these extras usually will have a price tag attached to them.
Are you restricted to using their preferred vendors?
The next thing to look at is if the wedding venue has vendors that they require you to use. Some venues will have special partnerships with a specific type of vendor like caterers, florists, photographers etc. The venue will usually do this and charge the vendor a percentage or fee for each wedding that uses this service. The vendor will take the fee going to the venue into account and put a little uplift on their pricing. Remember to ask about vendors when you are on a tour and see what the venue's policy is. They may have very good vendors but if they require you to use them they may not be providing their services at a good market rate.
There are of course many other factors that go into selecting the best spot to celebrate your special day. This is however a great place to start when you are looking at comparing the price of different venues that you already like the look and feel of. Two venues that look similar in price might start to separate as you dive into the window of time you are renting, what amenities are included and their vendor policies. In many instances, these factors can account for thousands of dollars in savings that you could spend on what is important to you and your guests. These factors are not always obvious from a website but if you go to your tours armed with the right questions you can get the right information to help you find the perfect venue!
