How Should You Scout Venues For Your Wedding?
On most wedding platforms, one point will be repeatedly emphasized throughout all the advice they give – no matter the wedding you want to go for, be that traditional or non-traditional, the venue really does matter. Even if it’s just being hosted in an open field, that field needs to be accessible, safe, and within relative proximity to comfortable, clean amenities. For this reason, it’s good to scout a few places before you get married. Don’t worry, you can always do this with your partner, it’s not as if you can’t see the building before the big day, like you might hide the wedding dress before your partner sees it.
So, how should you scout for weddings venues, and determine which one is most appropriate for your needs? In this post, we’ll discuss a few categories to consider:
Visit At The Same Time Of Day As Your Event
A venue can look completely different at 2pm on a Tuesday than it will at 6pm on a Saturday, and you need to see it when it’s going to be dealing with the same lighting, traffic, and general atmosphere that your guests will experience. You can’t predict weather of course, but you can think about how natural light changes throughout the day, or if the nearby road is terrible to drive on during rush hour, potentially encouraging you to ask for a later arrival time.
If your reception is planned for evening, go check out the venue during evening hours to see how the space feels when the sun goes down too. It might change your perspective, perhaps even for the better.
Ask About Noise Restrictions & Hidden Fees
Wedding venues do advertise their base rental rates, but the final bill can sometimes include additional costs that nobody mentioned during your initial tour. If you can make sure to ask specifically about setup fees, cleanup charges, service fees, overtime costs, and whether you need to pay extra for parking, because these add-ons can double your venue budget without warning.
Noise restrictions matter more than most couples realize, especially if you want live music or plan to party late into the night.That means some venues have strict cutoff times for music, limits on amplified sound, or neighbors who complain about noise. Be mindful about that before you hire.
Understand The History Therein
Every venue has a story, and knowing that story helps you figure out whether the space fits with the kind of celebration you want to create. Places like St Osyth Priory bring centuries of history that can add incredible depth and meaning to your wedding day, but you want to make sure you understand what that history includes and whether it’s something that connects with you o not. If it does, that’s great! Some couples love the idea of getting married in a space where countless other love stories have come and gone, after all, and if you want to share that romance, that can be wonderful.
With this advice, we hope you can feel confident scouting venues for your wedding.