Choosing Your Wedding Venue
The first step when wedding planning is deciding where your wedding is going to be! Booking your venue secures your date, meaning you can start securing other vendors. There are so many factors that go into choosing the best venue for you, including some you might not have thought of!
Location
What type of setting do you want? This might seem like an easy question, but it can be hard deciding what type of location is the best fit! Do you want a garden wedding? Forest? Industrial? Barn? Waterfront? The greater Seattle area has SO many different and beautiful options, and the choices can be overwhelming. I recommend touring a few different types of venues, even if you don’t think they’ll be for you. You might be surprised with what you end up liking best!
Vendor Policy
What is the venue’s vendor policy? Some venues have open vendor policies, meaning you can bring in any vendor you would like. Others require that you use specific vendors (usually caterers and bartenders). There are pros and cons for both. For example, using the venues preferred caterer ensures that the staff knows the venue well and can work seamlessly. But, you may have a specific caterer or type of food you really want at your wedding. If that’s something that is important to you, then you may want to choose a venue that allows you to choose your own vendors.
Safety and Security
This topic is unfortunately one I learned from experience. We sadly had items stolen from the groom’s suite at our wedding, and the venue didn’t have anything in place that could have prevented it or at least to catch the person on camera. And even more unfortunately, the same thing happened to another couple a year later, and we learned that the venue had not taken proper measures to ensure their clients’ safety and security (despite us being told that they would). Situations like these can obviously happen anywhere, but it is important to ensure that your venue takes their security seriously. How accessible are the suites? Do they have locks? Are there cameras on the property? You can even take a step further and check records online to see if any instances of theft have happened at the venue’s address that you can ask about.
Values
This goes for any vendor you are choosing, including your venue. It is important to many people that they are giving money to a business that aligns with their values and beliefs. Is the venue affirming of LGBTQ+ couples? Even if you are in a heterosexual relationship, you may still want to ensure that this venue is safe and affirming for any loved ones who will be attending your wedding. This can sometimes be easy to find out by looking to see if there are photos of queer couples on their website or social media. And if you don’t see any, don’t be afraid to ask! If they say no, then you’ll be relieved that you didn’t spend money on a business that doesn’t align with you.
There are obviously so many more factors that go into choosing your venue, but I hope that these tips can help inform your decision making process!