Hi everyone!
This blog post is the first in a series I plan on doing which will detail things to keep in mind when deciding upon important aspects of your wedding day. As I complete my own wedding checklist, I will write up a brief (or not so brief – haha) summary regarding things that are vital to consider when you begin planning yourself. So without further adieu, here we go!
One of the first things you should find out about any prospective venue is how many guests it can hold. This is extremely important as it will help you to easily eliminate a venue that may be too small or too big for your wedding.
Another vital piece of information you need to obtain is whether or not the venue provides a caterer or if you need to do the legwork to find one. If the venue does provide a caterer, you should consider the following: what are your food options? (plated or buffet dinner / types of food available), is there a minimum food purchase? (Most venues will require a specific dollar amount in food to be served at your wedding), and finally, what does the venue do with leftovers? (Some venues will allow you to take any leftover food with you since you paid for it. Just make sure to find out if you need to provide the containers to store the food in).
The next item to ask about is also food related: cake. This is what some people look forward to the most when it comes to weddings! Maybe you have a family member or friend that is a terrific baker, and you would love them to make the cake for your wedding. However, maybe your family member or friend just bakes for fun and doesn’t work in a licensed bakery. This may unfortunately end up being a problem as some venues require that your cake is from a licensed bakery. Usually if a venue has specific requirements when it comes to the cake, they will tell you up front, but just to be safe, make sure to ask if you must have a cake from a licensed bakery.
Additionally, it is important to find out if your venue provides a full service bar. Some people will opt to have a cash bar versus an open bar because of limited funds. No matter what someone may say to you, you do not need to have an open bar at your wedding. If you can afford it, that’s great, but do not feel like you have to. Ask the coordinator at your venue what kind of options they have for their bar. Many locations will offer cash, open, or a mixture of both.
You should also be sure to ask if your venue provides any decorations. This information will come in handy when deciding what to purchase to make your event more festive and personalized. Some venues will supply you with items to help decorate your tables (mirrors, votive candles, bubble bowls, vases, etc); by asking you will know what you will have at your disposal to work with. Another thing you should find out is if they supply any lights and draping for the ceiling and any decorative up lighting (usually at an additional cost). If your venue does supply the lighting and draping, you should be sure to find out if they do the set up for the decorations for you or if you will have to arrange to have that done yourself.
One of the last things you should ask about is whether or not the venue has a DJ that they have contracted to work in their venue. If they do, find out how much their DJ will cost. Also, it is important to find out if they would be flexible and allow you to use your own DJ if you decided to.
Last but not least, you should be sure to find out if your venue provides security for your wedding. If they do, this will hopefully prevent wedding crashers from entering your event. Another benefit to having security is that they can keep an eye out for people leaving with your weddings gifts. As crazy as that sounds, it unfortunately can and does happen.
So that wraps up my first Things to Consider blog! If you have any questions or comments regarding my post, feel free to leave them as comments, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Hopefully you found my suggestions helpful and will use them as you start looking for reception venues!
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