Wedding Wednesday - Venue Shopping

WE PICKED A VENUE…And you guys are going to think I am crazy… but I had tabs saved on my computer of my favorite venues so that when I got engaged I could immediately go look. There were a few times where I almost made appointments to go look at venues before I was even engaged and then I kept thinking how weird it would be when I got there to tell them I wasn’t even engaged yet…just wayyyyyyyyyy too excited to start planning.

I got engaged on December 28^thand on Decemeber 29^th I started reaching out to multiple venues to come tour. On the 30^thI was already out visiting three choices. Two of which had been saved on my computer and one that was not my style, but a friend recommended to me.

Our first venue we toured is actually where we are getting married. Firefly Gardens was the most beautiful venue in all aspects and made me emotional when they opened up the doors to show the main room. It has floor to ceiling windows, exposed brick along one wall, multiple outdoor ceremony spaces and the most special people running the building. Before I tell you some questions to bring with you when venue shopping and what questions you should be prepared to answer, I want to tell you that we not only loved the pricing, interior and exterior of the Firefly, but the owners are unlike any other venue we toured (which mattered to us). They told stories the entire tour of what different brides and grooms had done including: “a slip-n-slide for the groomsmen and a full pool day on the property” and “our last bride made it snow in here”. These funny anecdotes were so important when we were weighing the pros and cons of two amazing venues because they told us they want it to be the most special day and they will do what they need to in order for that to happen. That was something so memorable and really pushed us to go with Firefly over our second option.

I really didn’t know where to start in the planning process, and that is why I am writing this blog post for you. So that you know what to have decided before going venue shopping and some questions to have on hand that they may not answer (and that you may not think of if you don’t have a planner yet)!

Things to have decided by the time you tour a venue:

Roughly how many guests are you having? You’ll want to know this so that you can ask questions about how many tables will fit in the reception space. For us, our guest list was much smaller than every venues maximum so we didn’t have to worry. If you’re planning to have 250+ I would definitely have a general idea because some venues don’t hold more than 250.
What is included in the cost? Some things that we looked at after touring the Firefly: are tables and chairs included? Cake table/entry table included? (some charge extra for those kinds of tables that they have). Are linens included, if so, what colors?
Are bartenders included in the price? If not, how many do you have to have based on the # of guests you have. For us it was 1 bartender for every 75 guests and they provide 2. This is okay with us because our guest total is around 150. Can you have an open bar or is there a limit on how many different types of liquor you can provide for your guests?
How long do you have the venue on the day of your wedding? This one is important because the timeline of your day revolves around these times. If they don’t let you in until early afternoon, you may have to have your girls/guys start to get ready in a different location. You also have to think about clean up time when thinking of your ending time. If you want your send off to be at 10:45PM, then you will need your venue until midnight because you have to allow an hour for cleanup of rentals/floral/trash/etc.
Is insurance included? This is a random one that I didn’t even factor into my budget, but you have to have insurance. It’s great if your venue includes it into their pricing, but make sure to ask how much coverage you need (usually 1 million) and then you can look into different companies who offer it.

I think one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you so far in planning is that so many people are going to be coming at you in every direction for opinions and advice and with your venue you really have to do what feels right to you and what makes you happy! I am so so glad I had family and friends to help me make the venue decision and I cannot wait to meet Al at the altar of the Firefly. 😉

Let me know if you have any questions! I always respond to IG DM’s!