Your venue. The place where your “You may now kiss the bride” moment or where your first dance as a married couple will happen. The place where family and friends will gather to celebrate your union, and the place where they will imbibe on delicious foods and drink. The place that will be the background of all your photos, and most importantly, the place where the best day of your life will happen.
Hyperventilating yet? 😉 Overall, your venue can play the biggest part in setting the scene for your big day, so it’s a decision you want to put adequate time into researching. This is why we recommend Omaha brides to have their venue researched and booked up to a year-and-a-half in advance of the big day. This might seem like a crazy timeline to follow, but you’ll be so happy to have this large decision out of the way, and it will help other decisions to fall into place.
All that being said, here are a couple lists of questions to help you prepare for this ever-important decision!
Questions to ask yourself and the future spouse when looking into a venue:
Do we want an all-included experience or a blank slate to make our own?
There are venues that provide everything right down to the napkin rings, and there are others that only provide the space (and you bring everything else). Think about how much work you are willing to put into planning and sourcing the decor and setting up your venue (or if you’d be wanting to hire a planner for this!).
How much are we willing to spend?
How many guests are we expecting?
What kind of “feel” are we going for?
Where are we thinking, location-wise?
If many of your guests will be from out-of-town, it may be important to you to book a wedding venue with various hotel options nearby.
Are there any cultural or spiritual requirements that we wish to or need to meet?
Make-or-Break questions for the venue:
What’s all included in the initial price?
Do these prices include tax?
What is the capacity of the space?
Sales tax and gratuity might not seem like much as a percentage, but it really adds up when you’re dealing with thousands of dollars.
Are there any decor restrictions such as no lit candles, no hanging decorations, etc?
Does the space have preferred or exclusive vendors?
If the venue you choose has a preferred or exclusive caterer, for example, that caterer is the only one that can provide the food for your wedding. This type of strict guideline can make your life easier (then you don’t have to put in time and effort into researching caterers), or it might not be for you (if you had your heart set on a caterer that is not on your venue’s list).
Can all cultural or spiritual necessities be met?
Most wedding venues are completely understanding of these types of requirements– you just have to ask and make sure the venue representatives know what you need!
This post was written to include a couple of ceremony and reception venue questions! If you are looking for those venues separately, definitely use the questions that are appropriate for the venue.
Venues contribute a lot to the mood of the event and take up a large chunk of the budget! Choosing a venue wisely is one of the first, and most important steps in wedding planning!
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