You’re engaged and now its time to shop for wedding venues! But oh jeez, there’s so many. Barns, ballrooms, gardens, warehouses, venue only, all inclusive, semi inclusive.
WHERE do I begin?
Greetings my newly engaged friends. The post engagement flow has worn off and its time to get into the nitty gritty of wedding planning. Everyones first stop?
The venue.
Shopping for the venue is usually one of the more daunting things on your lists of things to do once you get engaged. They’re expensive, there’s an overload of information and there are TONS of them to choose from. Where do you begin?
Decide What You’re Looking For
This may seem obvious, but it is honestly vital. If you’re dreaming of a gorgeous barn with fields all around you and a big gorgeous oak tree to get married under (shameless plug here ;) that’s us) then start with looking at event barns in your area and go from there. Make a list of what is truly important to you and weed through your options. If something isn’t fitting your vision, don’t be afraid to say no.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT be Overwhelmed by Prices
Sticker shock is real friends. But, once it subsides, take a look at what is included in that price. If you’re looking at venue only packages, what does it include? Does it include tables and chairs? If so, renting tables and chairs could cost you up to $2500. So, by getting married at that particular venue, thats $2500 that you won’t have to spend that you may have to spend at another venue that may be cheaper. Don’t be afraid to ask about the values of the things that are included to help you justify and see where your money is going.
Venue Only? All Inclusive? What’s the difference?
So, besides the radical difference in costs, here’s the difference and here’s why All Inclusive isn’t just a ploy to get you to spend more money. These explanations are based off the differences between our venue only and all inclusive packages. But typically, this is pretty standard industry wide.
Venue Only: A venue only rental is quite simply just the venue. Usually this includes the physical venue for 12 hours, a venue representative, an hour for rehearsal the day before (or morning of), two hours of clean up after the reception is over and sometimes tables and chairs.
All Inclusive: An All Inclusive venue is your one stop shop for weddings. Typically, these packages are in the 15-20k range, however, that price covers 87% of your vendors. Most all inclusive packages include: the venue, catering, DJ and ceremony sound, florals, lighting, drapery, rentals (linens, glasswares, special furniture), decor, planning and coordination and your wedding cake + grooms cake. So the money you're paying your venue, is paying all of the vendors I just listed above. Outside of your all inclusive package, your only major expenses are photography and your alcohol + bar.
With that, your all inclusive package is more money up front, but it truly covers almost everything. This is great for those who are not your natural born planners and want the convenience of someone else handling it for you. This is also great for the brides who aren't interested in vendor shopping and are happy with using your venue's preference in vendors. However, if you’re interested in vendor shopping and want to hand pick each of your vendors, then a venue only option is definitely for you.
I think I’ve Picked a Venue. What now?
Woohoo! You’ve found the place you want to get married! That’s wonderful. Your next step is to let your venue know, get your contract, read it, sign the dotted line and send your deposit in.
Picking out your venue is a much simpler process than it seems. Its not quite the undertaking that you’d expect it to be. Enjoy going on tours, remember to ask questions (even if they feel silly) and remember to stick to your list of what you’re looking for and don’t divert!
Happy venue shopping!