4 aspects to consider when selecting wedding venue
When you’re thinking about selecting a wedding venue for your big day, it can be a bit overwhelming. In fact, roughly 47% of couples felt that finding the right wedding venue was by far the most important ‘to do’ on their list, according to the New York Post.
Make things Easy on the Guests
First, it’s important to make the arrival and departure to the venue easy for the guests. Many times guests will find themselves in a position where they have to walk a long distance to the venue, perhaps there is no handicap parking, or the venue simply doesn’t have the facilities to have a real parking lot to begin with, using a field for example.
If you want to make a great first impression for your guests, you need to have an area that is well-lit, easy to park, and easy for them to leave as well, not all venues have that!
Catering Easy-in, Easy-Out
One thing you need to make sure of is the catering company and the ability to load in and out of the venue without being seen if possible. Something that Bob Johnston explains in the video below is that if guests see a catering company packing up after the dinner service, it sends a signal to the guests that perhaps it’s time to leave and they will want to leave.
So, make sure the catering company has its own load-in and load-out zones away from the guest views.
A Flawless Rain Plan
No matter where you get married, make sure that your wedding venue offers a rain plan and allows you to practice it at the rehearsal. Believe it or not, most venues will not allow you to practice the rain plan should there need to be a change during the wedding day.
In addition, you’re vendors, like the DJ, photographer, and planner should all be aware of the rain plan and be able to make a switch in a matter of seconds if needed!
Have a Venue Manager at All Times
Many venues will simply hand you the keys to the kingdom and wish you well on your wedding day, but truthfully, you will want to have a venue manager on-site during the entire wedding day should something go wrong.
This is different than the wedding planner or coordinator, the venue manager will be able to help with things like the power going out, setting up the firepits, making sure there is toilet paper in the bathrooms, accommodating guests, and other general services too. They are there to help make sure things are being operated smoothly while the wedding planner is focusing on making sure that everything on your list goes according to plan.
Watch the short video below to get additional information on each of these things and put them into practice when searching fo your perfect wedding venue!
