It can be easy to think that finding your perfect wedding venue can be straightforward, dreamy and above all, quick. For some, perhaps it is. But only if you’ve always known where you’re going to marry. But for many, it’s a long drawn-out process that can become stressful and incredibly time-consuming.
There are lots of resources out there to help you find your dream wedding venue in the perfect location. The venue is likely to host the photographs which are the visual reminders of the day. Here are some essential tips for finding the perfect wedding venue.
Perfect Wedding Venue – Beware the glossy website
Websites and social media are great (and are incredibly important) but they tell a story and are sales tools. You need to look beyond it and sales teams who are after your booking, and research the different types of wedding venues.
Perfect Wedding Venue – See it with your own eyes
We very rarely put forward a venue to a client unless we have personally visited it. And by visiting it, we mean a full show round to really delve. Not just into the surface facilities and the visual (which are no doubt stunning) but the team who create the magic. Make sure that you have a really good show round with a member of the wedding team (so you can meet who your contact will be) but also stop to enjoy the facilities some more, independent of the venue’s wedding co-ordinator if you can.
Perfect Wedding Venue – Prioritise great service
In most cases, we try to spend some proper time at any venue we work at to enjoy a meal (a coffee at the very least) in order to see and understand how the venue feels, how the staff interact and much more. I’ve been lucky to have been invited (for more than 13 years) to lots of venue launches, showcases and more, to see venue’s dressed and operating in an event capacity. This is something I really prioritise and do regularly to keep my knowledge relevant and current.
If you’re venue searching on your own, try to book in for a meal at the venue or perhaps an overnight stay. Or make a point of attending one of the venue’s showcase events to really get under the skin of the place and see it come alive. You might like to visit at a similar time of day to your wedding and, if you can, return when the venue is dark to get the feeling of it then.
Perfect Wedding Venue – Knowing the owners
In small venues, we spend lots of time getting to know the owners/managers and their plans for the venue, so that we match the most-suited clients to the location. Whilst it’s not usually possible to meet the owners of larger locations, do try looking at the team structure serving you and be sure you are comfortable with it.
Perfect Wedding Venue – Keeping it local
All of the above and my commitment to really knowing the venues we work in is the main reason why we don’t generally operate globally. I’ve planned events across Europe and Asia in my past working worlds and, as much as I still love to pack a suitcase and explore new places, it’s impossible for me to really do a location justice and know those venues and associated services in the same way that I know the venues and teams around my Surrey and London base.
Planning a wedding deserves the utmost attention to detail and the very best in my view. Make sure that any resource you’re using to help you really has the knowledge you are expecting and needing.
