Getting Started: Your Wedding Venue

For our final piece on “Getting Started with Wedding Planning” we’re diving into your venue search. 

Finding a venue can be quite a process.

If you’ve been following along on this series, at this point you know the first steps are to decide on some key factors like guest count and what you’re comfortable investing. 

Now think about the feel you want for the physical space of your wedding. Do you want to be by the water? In the mountains or nature? In a large grand ballroom? In a historical building with outdoor space? Maybe a library? A family private estate? Do you want to be close to home or travel to a destination for the weekend? Keep in mind the season and weather in those areas and months you’re looking at. 

Do your research on venues.

You want to have a general idea about the ambiance, availability, spaces, amenities, level of service and pricing before you do a site visit. Don’t visit a venue unless you love what you see and if it checks your boxes. Most importantly: you should love the Plan B! If the weather is inclement, will you love that too?

You should be limiting site visits to about 5 venues because decision fatigue is real and you’ll start to get confused. (This applies to all decisions, we always recommend choosing from a pre-selected list of curated and limited options). 

And finally, ask questions on your site visit!

There can be a lot of terms and conditions and hidden clauses. Some venues don’t allow rental cars, some don’t allow food trucks, some don’t allow applying anything to the wall, some don’t allow real candles! Are fireworks important to you? Is there an end time for outdoor music? Is partying all night important to you? 

We’ve created a list of questions to ask your venue that will help you fully understand the capabilities and limitations.. get it here!

And when it comes to dates: don’t forget to look up holidays, marathons, food and wine festivals and local events near to your intended wedding venue on the date you are considering!

What type of venue do you think you want to explore for your wedding day?

Other Posts in this series:

• You’re Engaged, Now What?
• Your Guest List
• Determining Your Overall Investment
• When to Hire a Wedding Planner

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We love providing full planning and complete design assistance to our couples. If you’re looking to invest in a planner that can bring your vision to life while seamlessly planning your wedding or wedding weekend, we’re here for you! Inquire here to set up a time to speak more.

Ness McGovern Events & Design is New-Jersey based wedding planning company, specializing in full-planning and design services, we service New Jersey, New York City and up and down the northeast coast. We’ve had the pleasure of guiding couples through wedding planning in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and New York City, Vermont, Cape Cod, and Rhode Island.

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