Getting Started
First off, take your time. Just because you are engaged doesn’t mean you have to start planning the wedding. Wait until you’re ready. When you are ready, here are the first couple of items to think about.
Establishing a budget: Your budget will help drive what venues you can and can’t see. This can be a tough conversation, but make sure you have it before you get too deep.
Wedding size: Put together a range of how many people you and your partner would like at your wedding. Do you want a small wedding? Under 50 people. Do you want a medium wedding? 100-150 people. Or do you want a large wedding? 150-200 people or 250+. You don’t necessarily need to put your guest list together yet, but having AT LEAST an idea of how many people you want will also be a factor in what venues you can see.
Time of year: Decide if you only want to get married at a specific time of the year or if you are flexible. Summer dates typically fill up first and are more expensive. If you want to get married on a specific day it could be challenging to find a venue that is available that day. Make a decision on how flexible you are before seeing venues. Also consider, the time of year and the location you want. For example, if you are getting married in a place that snows in the winter, consider how much snow there will be during the winter months and at that location, especially for out of town guests.
Location: You don’t need to have an exact location but be open and talk about if you want something in particular like downtown, mountains, beach or destination wedding.
Style/ Vibe: Think about what style/vibe you want of your venue and your wedding as a whole. Everyone has what is important to them, this may not be as important to you. However, if you and/or your partner have a strong opinion on the style you want, then talk about it. The style/vibe can dictate where you start looking at venues and what venues to look at. Some different styles/vibes can include black tie, mountain/ mountain rustic/ outdoorsy, Barn wedding, boho chic, industrial, etc. For example, I wanted of of a more castle and princess style and my husband wanted more of a rustic mountain style. We needed to find a venue that could provide an in between style.
Making a list about what is most important to you: I would recommend you and your partner make a list separately with what is most important to each of you. Then come together and determine what is most important together. These items can help you gauge what to spend time, money and resources on and also help you navigate next steps. For example the style of venue, an outdoor ceremony, a band instead of a DJ, an open bar, etc.