Selecting Your Event Venue

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So, you finally got the ring and now the planning can begin. What’s the first thing you need to do when planning a wedding or event, you wonder? After you decide what type of event you want to have, select and book your venue immediately.

Typically, a wedding and reception venue should be booked 12 months in advance. Locking in a contract with a venue early will ensure you have a variety of dates and times to choose from in your preferred event month. However, if your timeline is a bit more condensed, book your venue at least 9-10 months in advance.

There are a variety of tools out there to help you pick a venue that’s perfect for you. Wedding and event planners are great resources. All you have to do is give them some information about when you want to have your event and the type of setting you want to have your event in, and they’ll do all the leg work for you then come back to you with a handful of recommendations. If you decide to go about it on your own though, ask family and friends if they have any recommendations, turn to a search engine like Google, or take advantage of websites like Project Wedding or Wedding Wire that have listings and reviews of wedding and event venues in your desired area.

Once you have your short list of venues, arrange for site checks. Pictures can be very deceiving, so I always recommend that clients schedule at least an hour with the venues on-site catering or event manager to take a walk through of the location. This is your opportunity to ask any and all questions needed to narrow your list down to your top choice, including:

• What does the venue rental fee include?
• How long can the venue be used for that fee and what are the overage charges if the event exceeds that time period?
• What are the insurance requirements?
• Do you have to use the venues preferred vendors, or can you bring in your own outside vendors?
• What is the parking capacity at the venue and is parking included in the rental fee?
• What time can you access the venue on event day to begin setting up?

These are just a few examples of questions to ask, so make sure to bring something to write with, take copious notes and plenty of pictures to ensure you have all details needed to make your final selection.

Once you’ve made your final choice, review the rental contract carefully to ensure everything you discussed with the on-site manager is included within the agreement.

After you sign the contract, the on-site manager will be a vital part of your “wedding planning team,” so feel free to contact them regularly throughout the planning process to ask questions, make additional arrangements, schedule another walk through, etc. They are there to help you and you’re paying them a lot of money to do so. 

*Wedding Venue Image from La Venta Inn. Photo by Sean Azul Photography