Choosing the perfect wedding venue
Jump to Topic: Venue Ideas l Venue Types l Finding Local Venues l Selecting Your Venue l Questions to Ask l Signing the Contract
Bridge Street Weding Chapel,
Grand Ledge, MI
Photo Credit:
Holmes Photography
After saying "Yes", often the first question that needs to be answered is, "Where?" Finding the right location for your dream wedding requires more resources, luck, skill and time than many couples realize. It's also a critically important component of your wedding planning. The right venue can turn an ordinary wedding into an unforgettable delight, while the wrong venue can make your wedding something that you and your guests would rather forget. This article will attempt to help you gain some general information that will help make the process of finding the perfect venue for your needs easier on everyone.
While many couples choose to reserve and coordinate two venues; one for the wedding ceremony and another for the wedding reception, others will prefer to simplify their planning and host both the ceremony and the reception at the same venue. This option saves time, money and transportation hassles for you and all of your guests. Of course, Kya Rose is always happy to perform weddings in any venue you choose.
No matter what options you choose, finding the perfect site for your dream wedding is a lot of fun, but it's also can be a lot of work. To maximize the fun aspects and minimize the work aspects, start the process with a brainstorming session. Consider your budget, your theme, your circumstances, your values, your interests, the feelings you want your wedding to evoke and the size of your guest list.
Let the following list of general ideas for venues help you get your list started:
Auditoriums - Can often be rented (I've performed movie themed weddings in local theatres before. Very fun!)
Ball Rooms - Will typically offer a full-service package
Beaches - May require a permit
Bed and Breakfasts
Campgrounds - Either at a campsite or in a hall rented on the grounds
Club Houses - Many apartment dwellers have access to these
Country Clubs - Most will offer full-service wedding packages
Conference Centers - Either rented or booked with a full-service package
Convention Centers - Either rented or booked with a full-service package
Gardens - Public gardens (think "botanical gardens" or "arboretums") or private gardens can be delightful venues
Gazebos - Public or private, may need a permit for public ones
Grounds - Historical sites, estates, resorts and hotels may allow ceremonies on the grounds, even without renting the venue itself
Halls - Typically for rent
Homes - Yours or someone else's. I've performed many a beautiful backyard wedding!
Hotels - May offer discounts on rooms for your guests as well
House of Worship - Local churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, ashrams, etc. While many of these venues are only available for the ceremony, some offer access to dining areas as well. You may need to be (or know) a member to use some of these
Mansions or Estates - Full service venues
Museums - Ask if your favorite museum has a "party room". Some museums have been known to help with certain themes
Parks - May need a permit
Patios, Terraces - Some restaurants have large outdoor spaces for rent or with a full-service package
Ranches - Typically rented, but may offer full-service
Resorts
Stadiums - May be rented (when not in use)
Yachts or Cruise Ships - full service venues
You can certainly come up with other ideas. Bowling alleys, hospital chapels, hot air balloons, etc. have all been perfect wedding venues for other couples in the past.
Let your instincts guide you and start making a list of ideas the two of you like and want to pursue further.
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Types of Venues
Some of your options include venues that specialize in hosting weddings. They will offer you packages that include everything you could possibly need (and typically more). Some of the options may offer nothing at all and you'll need to arrange for every last item to be delivered, set up, monitored, taken down and returned on your own. Think carefully about how much money and/or work you and your guests are willing to put into the arrangements before finalizing your list of options.
Wedding venues typically fall under one of the following categories:
Full Service Wedding Venues
These venues can take care of every last detail relating to both your ceremony, your reception and sometimes even your accommodations or travel needs as well. The only items you'll still need to acquire would be the clothing and possibly some other wedding accessories. They may even provide you with an officiant. Wedding experts will go over a detailed list of options with you to help you design your wedding arrangements in the style the venue typically provides.
Rented Wedding Venues
Many wonderful wedding sites are available to you on a rental basis. Some will provide you with the space only, leaving you to make all the other arrangements. Others may provide tables, chairs, linens, tableware, flatware, glassware and/or decorations as well. Some sites partner with caterers and/or other vendors and can help you select trusted florists, bakers, DJs, etc. from their contacts. It is uncommon (but not entirely unheard of) for venues of this type to offer you the services of a professional wedding planner (as a full service venue might), so you'll need to make sure nothing is forgotten.
Public Wedding Venues
Public parks, gardens, beaches, campgrounds, etc. For the right couple and the right wedding, these public sites are often ideal places to hold simple weddings. Most of them are free, but you'll need to make sure you ask if you need to reserve them for your chosen date or obtain a permit for use. Unless you choose to hire a professional wedding coordinator, you'll be on your own when it comes to planning and contracting with vendors, but you'll have more freedom to plan an unconventional and memorable event.
Private Wedding Venues
Not merely the so-called "living room" or backyard" weddings. Many apartment complexes, condominiums, mobile home parks and gated communities have club houses or community rooms available for their residents´ use. Again, you'll need to hire someone or do your own wedding planning, but family and friends are often honored to help the newlyweds out with small wedding related tasks, so the costs of these weddings can be extremely low.
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Finding Local Venues
Photo Credit:
Variations Events
Once you've decided on the type of wedding venue you're looking for, it's time to do some research. Some typical ways to find that elusive, perfect venue include:
Asking family, friends and colleagues for recommendations. Have they been to weddings in places that sound like what you're looking for? What did they find memorable about various venues?
Attend bridal shows.
Check out local editions of Bridal magazines like The Knot or watch your local paper for special wedding supplements, many venues advertise there.
Search the yellow pages under: Weddings, Halls, or another appropriate heading.
Check the internet for local wedding venues and go to any web sites you find.
Call promising facilities and request a brochure specific to weddings.
Bookmark the web sites that look promising.
Place the brochures in a folder until you are ready to choose a few favorites.
Unless there is one and only one location that will satisfy you both, narrow your list down to your top 4 or 5 desired venues and prioritize them.
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Selecting Your Perfect Venue
Now it's time to shop! Call each of the venues you're interested in and ask if you can set up appointments to tour the facilities. When you're setting appointments be aware of the feelings each call evokes in you.
It is never too soon to take notes!
Consider:
- When calling (or emailing), were you greeted warmly?
- Were your questions answered thoroughly?
- Were you able to obtain the information you needed?
- Were you given clear directions to the venue, if you needed them?
- Were the people you spoke with helpful? (or overly helpful and pushy?)
- Did you get the name of the person you'll be meeting with?
- Did you feel welcomed and comfortable or did you hang up feeling more anxious than you did before dialing?
Schedule your visits when both the bride and groom will be able to attend.
Bring your folder of ideas, a note pad and at least one pen. Write down any important information, impressions or questions that come up during the interview.
You should expect to leave each interview with the following:
- A business card for each person you may be working with within the facility.
- A brochure clearly explaining what the venue offers, the fees involved and any exclusions, rules, regulations and options.
- References. Contact information so that you can talk to real people, not merely a list of testimonials.
- Phone number and email address (if applicable) for your main contact person.
- A basic understanding of the layout of the facility and a sense of how comfortable it will be for you and your guests.
- All information available on special packages or other wedding deals.
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Good Questions to Ask
(A partial list to get you started)
Because only the best will do, don't worry about being "picky". Don't rush the process.
Ask all of the questions you have and don't accept partial, vague or non answers.
Questions to ask Full Service Venue Providers:
When are the facilities available for my wedding?
How long have you been providing wedding services? (This question is for the person and the facility)
How many weddings have you arranged?
Do you have an in-house wedding coordinator?
Do you offer any guarantees?
Do you offer any discounts?
Do you offer a bridal package?
What are your rates for the different packages and what are the options available?
What additional fees might be charged?
How much will we need to put down the deposit?
When is the deposit due?
Do you provide an insured and bonded baby sitting service?
Can you recommend wedding vendors and service providers your customers had a good experience with?
What is the latest possible date for making changes to my services?
Will you provide us with a written contract?
If the answer is no, run away!Does the contract include a 3 day cancellation clause?
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Questions to ask Rental Venue Providers:
Any of the above questions - plus:
How many wedding clients have you served?
What additional items or vendors might we need to bring in?
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Questions to ask Stewards of Public Venues:
Are there bathrooms on the premises?
Are there waste receptacles on the premises?
Are there electric outlets on the premises?
What are the hours available for a wedding?
Is there parking close by?
Will you provide us with a written contract?
Again, this is not really optional, don't work without oneDoes the contract include a 3 day cancellation clause?
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Signing the Contract
Photo Credit:
Thomas Ward
Once you have made your final selection, you will need to contact your representative at the venue and request a reservation. Return to the facility to review and sign your contract there.
The contract should include a detailed listing of all of your responsibilities and all of the responsibilities of and guarantees offered by the facility. If it does not, ask that another contract be drawn up that does.
Buyer beware! Read any contract over very carefully before signing it or paying a deposit. Be certain that you fully understand and agree with all of the terms. If you have any questions, concerns, or difficulty with any of the clauses or terms, make certain that they are clarified, corrected or removed before signing anything.
If something goes wrong with the contract signing remember, in most parts of the US you have 3 days to examine the contract and cancel without penalties.
Good Luck!!
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More Information
My Couples Say:
"Sister Rose,
We very much appreciate your services performed on Oct 24th 2009. We had a beutiful Wedding Day in large part to your caring nature and your profesionalism.
The service you provided, gave us piece of mind. We cannot thank you enough for ensuring that all went perfect.
Thank You."
Dan and Linda Wallace -
Married October 24, 2009
in Lansing
My Couples Say:
"Kya,
Thanks so much for conducting our ceremony.
Especially on such short notice.
We appreciate it very much!
Blessings,"
Greg and Lynn Kiter -
Married July 7, 2007
in Grand Ledge
Blessing for a Marriage
May your marriage bring you
all the exquisite excitement
marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also
patience, tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another -
not so much to fill your emptiness
as to help you to know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley
to be complete;
the valley does not make
the mountain less, but more;
and the valley
is more a valley
because
it has a mountain towering over it.
May you need one another,
but not out of weakness.
May you want one another,
but not out of lack.
May you entice one another,
but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another,
but not out encircle one another.
May you succeed
in all important ways
with one another,
and not fail
in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise,
often say, "I love you!"
and take no notice
of small faults.
If you have quarrels
that push you apart,
may both of you hope
to have good sense enough
to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery
which is the awareness
of one another's presence -
no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near
when you are side by side,
and warm and near
when you are in separate rooms
or even distant cities.
May you have happiness,
and may you find it
making one another happy.
May you have love,
and may you find it
loving one another.
- James Dillet Freeman
The Art of Marriage
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In the art of marriage the little things are the big things...
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
It is discovering what marriage can be, at its best.
- Wilferd A. Peterson
Touch Each Other Often
Touch each other often
As a symbol of your love and presence.
Say, "I love you" without hesitation -
To assume the other knows is to play the part of a fool.
Be open and truthful in all your communications -
It will enhance your trust for one another.
Be willing to forgive or ask for forgiveness
When you feel hurt or have been hurtful.
Remember that only those who respect others
Will be given respect in return.
Love each other with the same intensity
That you would like to be loved yourself.
Hold each other often during seasons of joy
And the strength will be there during seasons of sorrow.
Enjoy and value similar pleasures together
But allow for individual differences apart from each other.
Be creative in the ways you show that you care
Lest boredom creep into your relationship.
Nurture your marriage as if you were stranded on a deserted island
With only each other for love, joy and sustenance.
Remember that love
does not just die -
We kill it with indifference and lack of commitment.
Take the risk of sharing your vulnerabilities -
Be gentle with each other in accepting them.
Take time to exchange gifts of love
Whether it be a single rose or a listening ear.
If tragedy comes, don't close your heart to the other
For sorrow shared is sorrow diminished.
The bonds of marriage are only as strong
As your commitment to nourish and grow together in love.
Forgive all those for the injuries they cause you
And forgive yourself for not being perfect.
Remember that life is like a beautiful rose -
To enjoy the beauty you risk some thorns.
With love as the motivation for your words and deeds
You will share harmony in your relationship.
Enjoy your new life together
In peace, joy and serenity.
- Elaine Fealy
I Like You
Exerpts from the book
by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
I like you and I know why.
I like you because
you are a good person to like.
I like you because
when I tell you something special,
you know it's special
And you remember it
a long, long time.
You say,
"Remember when you told me something special"
And both of us remember
When I think something is important
you think it's important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny,
you laugh
I think I'm funny
and you think I'm funny too
If you go away,
then I go away too
or if I stay home,
you send me a postcard
You don't just say
"Well see you around sometime, bye"
I like you a lot because of that
If I go away,
I send you a postcard too
And I like you because
if we go away together
And if we are in
Grand Central Station
And if I get lost
Then you are the one
that is yelling for me
I like you because because because
I forget why I like you
but I do
So
many
reasons
On the 4th of July I like you
because it's the 4th of July
On the 5th of July,
I like you too
Even if it was
the 999th of July
Even if it was
August
Even if it was
way down at the bottom
of November
Even if it was
no place particular
in
January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over
and
over
again.
- Sandol Stoddard Warburg