Your Menu for Picking the Perfect Venue
Photo credit: www.ushnakhanphotography.com
With so much design inspiration floating around the Internet, nowadays a bride and groom planning their wedding have very specific and wondrous ideas in mind for their most special day. They know the style or vibe they want to exude. They ruminate over the design elements they must have in their hall. Many even know the colors and types of flowers they want. After all, each wedding event is an expression of who the bride and groom are so it’s no wonder they are incredibly invested in this process. But before they can really let their imaginations run wild with all of the details, a couple really must first select a venue where all of this magic will take place since the wedding venue is the canvas where wedding dreams are painted into reality. Without this starting point, you can’t begin to build out a design and decor plan. Since there are so many important considerations to keep in mind in choosing where your wedding will take place, we have compiled a menu of the essential factors to keep top of mind when selecting a wedding venue.
1. Determine Your Style: Again, many couples have a very good idea of the look, feel and style that they want for their wedding events. You'll obviously want to narrow down your venue choice by this factor, first and foremost. Are you into a bohemian barn-style outdoor wedding or are you all about urban rooftop romance? Do you want a luxurious over-the-top ballroom style look or an intimate modern affair? Your venue should have the ability to really reflect your style. You’ll obviously be hiring an event decorator who will be able to provide style-appropriate decor and floral, and they will help design the space for you, but before booking the venue you want to make sure the space will suit the style you’re going after.
2. Book your Venue or Venues (plural) well in Advance: Many couples have come to realize that ideal venues book up a year or more before the actual event will take place. Book early if you’re set on a popular venue. And, if you have your eye on a particular place for your ceremony and a separate space for your reception, you will need to make sure to coordinate the booking for both of these events. Many couples will set their wedding date around the availability of the venues they've booked because the more flexible you can be on your wedding date, the more venue options you'll have available. Even if you're using the same space for both of your events, you will need to book early. If you’re set on using a certain decorator for your wedding decor and floral then make sure to coordinate with them at this point to make sure they are also available on the date you are booking your wedding.
3. Location: Not only do you want your wedding event venues to be convenient for yourselves, but you need to think about your guests. Make sure locations are convenient for most guests and easy to find. If you have multiple locations on the same day, will guests have adequate time to get to both venues?
4. Capacity: You’ll want to make sure your venue can accommodate the amount of guests you want to invite considering the way you would like them to be seated (rounds, rectangular/family style tables) and factoring in a stage, head tables, sweetheart table and dance floor. Will you have an aisle? Is there enough room for your DJ to have their equipment? All of these special elements will reduce the amount of people you can fit into the room. You also don’t want to book a space that will be too large for your guest count as your room will look empty and misshapen. These are considerations you may want to think through with your event designer/decorator before booking your venue. They can help you to know if your space will be large enough for your guests and all of the decor elements you envision.
5. Budget / Packages / Food: Many venues offer packages that include catering, service and some decor items such as linens, basic centerpieces, etc. Inquire about the types of packages the venue offers and make sure that the food selection options will be suitable. Here, in Chicago, we have a lot of South Asian clients who book venues where they know they can get the most desirable catering options. The food you will be serving your guests is a huge consideration.
6. Decor and Floral: This is where a company like us, Siblana Events, comes into play. Booking your venue is incredibly important but equally important is how you will customize that space for your special day. The decor and floral you select and all of the details, both large and small, will create the dream wedding you desire. Book your event decor and floral designer well in advance as busy and popular designs begin to book nearly a year in advance sometimes. Keep in mind that decor spans an enormous range of elements that you should consider including such as: stage, dance floor wrapping, head tables, sweetheart table, overhead lighting, uplighting, aisle and entrance decor, centerpieces, and specialty tables or carts for desserts or other fun event elements. We suggest getting a proposal for everything you would want and then you can always remove items here and there if you find the estimate has gone over budget.
7. Event Curfew: This is especially important for late nighters. Some venues have restrictions on how many hours you can have the room, how late your party can go, timing for set-up and take-down of decor, and noise restrictions. If your party will be outdoors you’ll want to make sure you can have the noise level you desire for as late as you would like, especially if there’s entertainment involved.
8. Transportation: We’re located in the suburbs of Chicago and some of the venues we work with are located in the city. Our clients make sure that there is adequate transportation factored into their guests ability to to get to and from the venue and/or adequate and reasonable parking. This is especially important for urban weddings where parking can be limited.
9. Back-up Plan: You never know if you’ll get rained out or if something could happen to your venue where they simply will cancel on you. Make sure you have some kind of back-up plan in place. Your wedding planner can help you come up with some options but also check with your venue on what their policy is for refunding your deposit or accommodating you for another date or location.