Planning #103: How to choose a venue: don't be surprised, it will be too late!

Pretty much the first thing brides and grooms look for as soon as they are ready to start planning their wedding is the venue.  The reason for this is that everyone else will ask you what date you need them for, and until you have the venue, or the reception venue and the church, you can’t answer their question.

From a privacy perspective there are two kinds of venues: private and shared. A private venue is one where your event is the only event taking place, whereas at a shared venue, other activities will be taking place. If you choose a hotel, a golf course, a community center, a party room next to a restaurant, you will have to contend with other people walking by, or walking in, with their level of noise, or with your guests wandering off to the other bar, old dudes wearing weird golf pants, kids running to and from the pool, and so on. By and large, a private venue is likely to be more expensive because it is dedicated to your event, whereas at a shared venue you will have to contend with a host of unknown variables.

Dance Floor: Can you dance anywhere? If not, then either the venue brings one out, or you have to go rent one. How large? Is that included or extra? Is it big enough for your group or do you have to take turns on a 20x20 dance floor?

Heating and Air Conditioning… because not every day is 72F with low humidity… and if the venue is cold, or hot, or humid, your guests will leave hours before the end you imagine for the party. Listen: a tent or a barn without air conditioning are great when the weather is perfect: not hot, not humid, not windy, not cold, not rainy… all other days suck. Especially wearing a suit or a nice dress… how often would you spend 6 hour in heels and a dress in hot weather. After all, there is a reason we moved out of villages and into towns and cities: comfort!

The next thing to consider what the venue provides: linens, food, beverage, and other services. If you go with a venue that provides less, then you will be in charge of everything they do not. That gives you flexibility of style, but, more style generally means more money, likely, a lot more money, and also time you have to spend managing and coordinating multiple vendors, and a chance that anything that is missed, it is on you to figure out and deal with. For example, in the early days of our venues, we allowed outside caterers. One time, the “caterer” showed up with the food in soft aluminum pans, dropped it off, and left. There were no serving utensils, no chafing dishes to keep the food warm, no plates or silverware, no napkins, and no staff to replenish the buffet line or answer questions.  We did not have that stuff either… so the couple looked at me incredulously: now what? Inside my head, I also said “now what”, but because I’m a sucker, I gave my credit card to one of our employees and sent them to Cub Foods to buy serving spoons, paper plates and napkins, and plastic forks and knives. By the time the second half of the group was served the food was getting cold because there were no warming (chafing) trays. We sort of saved the day, but still, it was not what they had envisioned… and that was the last time I allowed outside caterers.

Back to choosing a venue – first, make yourself a list of all things reception: tables, chairs, linens, napkins, china, silverware, glassware, food, soda, alcohol, restroom facilities, security, DJ, coordination, cake cutting and plating, and event staff. Ask, for each, how much of each do you get and for how long. I’ve been a guest at weddings where the staff is gone as soon as dinner is served… and the place gets messier and messier as the evening goes on. It’s just you and the DJ, and their job is nothing outside playing music and a few announcements, maybe. So anything and everything else is your job or your mom’s… and so, you get to be on duty on your wedding day.

Get costs for all these things and add them up, then add sales tax and service fees, and only then will you have a clue what things will cost… maybe, if you did the math right. Oh, and don’t forget food and beverage minimums… which are in place because you are not likely going to reach them.

So there. And now, time for my sales plug, from the shameless marketing division of Fab Weddings: at all our venues we will give you a complete, detailed quote for your all the services you want, spelling out all that is included and that is not included, accurate to the penny, with no minimum. No surprises.

So that’s all I have to say about that… and remember, I am biased, and not very smart… and if you disagree with me, it is because you are right, and I know nothing.