Finding your dream wedding venue is your first and most significant task following your engagement. Your whole wedding day is planned around your wedding venue so it’s important you are happy with your choice. Your dream venue should tick all your boxes, here are some tips to make sure you find the one that does just that:
Where do I start looking?
It is vital to make sure you know what you are looking for before your venue research begins. You might think that you don’t know what you are looking for but answering the below questions will automatically reduce your pool of venues making sure you don’t waste any time viewing venues that won’t fit the bill.
- How many guests will the wedding venue need to cater for?
- Do you want to host a one-day event or have a pre and/or post-wedding party at the venue also?
- Do you need accommodation at the venue for your guest and if so approx. how many rooms will you need?
- What is your maximum budget per guest?
Tip for Calculating your Wedding Guest Numbers
Write out your guest list to get your total number of guests and don’t forget to include yourselves. If you are getting married in Ireland rule of thumb is to minus 10% of the total number to allow for those that won’t be able to attend (this would vary if you were getting married abroad).
What are your non-negotiables?
Once you have answered all of the above I would delve a little deeper and ask yourself what are your non-negotiables, examples might include:
- The venue must be within two hours drive from home.
- I want to have our wedding ceremony at the venue.
- It must have a sea view, a golf course, etc.
Now you have a clearer picture of your dream wedding venue you will be able to start your venue search. There are lots of websites such as One Fab Day that are very helpful in that they allow you to search and filter through lots of venus on one site. I would use this to help you build a short list of your top three venues, then make an appointment to visit with the wedding coordinator. Hopefully, you will only have to visit two or three before you find the one! Wishing you the best of luck!