Finding a venue for your wedding can feel like an overwhelming task, and it’s one of the most important parts of wedding planning! It needs to be done early, because you don’t really have a wedding date until you have a venue, and you can’t easily hire other wedding vendors until you have a date. Here are my tips for what to look for in a wedding venue.

Scroll to the end to download my free venue questionnaire!

Always compare multiple venues

If you truly want to be smart about your wedding budget, you must compare venues! There are so many wedding venues out there, and they all handle their pricing differently based on their own business needs. The only way to know that you’re getting the best fit is to compare them. You don’t have to compare a hundred different venues, but I strongly recommend you visit at least three.

TL;DR here’s the video version

The obvious wedding venue requirements

The two most basic and important wedding venue requirements are whether they’re available on your date and whether they can accommodate the number of guests you want to invite. That’s why it’s important to draft your guest list before you begin your venue search!

Some venues also have guest minimums, which can vary depending on whether it’s a Saturday versus another day of the week, or an evening versus an afternoon. If you’re planning a smaller guest list (under 100 people) find out if there are minimums.

I recently wrote an entire post about how to choose your wedding date, but the more flexible you can be, the easier it will be to find a venue that’s available when you are. Reminder: many venues book a full year in advance!

What else is included with the venue

Venues can be expensive. What are you getting for your money? Is it just the space, or are there other things included? Tables and chairs are the most common inclusions, but find out what the tables and chairs look like.

Most venues, if they include tables and chairs, are going to include the basics: a folding table that has to be covered with a tablecloth and white padded folding chairs. Those are totally fine if that’s the look you want for your wedding.

But if you want nice wooden farm tables with wooden cross-back chairs, you’ll have a harder time finding a venue that includes those. If that’s the route you want to go, then a venue that doesn’t include tables and chairs (and therefore doesn’t charge as much to rent their space) might be a good option for you.

It’s also important to note how many tables and chairs are included. If the venue includes tables and chairs for 150 guests, but you’re inviting 200 guests, you’ll have to rent tables and chairs to make up the difference. Factor that into your venue comparisons.

How nice are the restrooms?

Are the restrooms inside or outside? How elegant are they? Do you need to bring in your own restrooms? Does the venue provide restroom amenity baskets or do you need to supply them? (Think mouthwash strips, hand cream, mints, feminine products, hairspray, tissues.)

Is there space for the couple to get ready?

This is especially important if the venue is out in the country and not close to any hotels. Where is the couple going to get ready? If you are two brides or two grooms, is one of you going to end up in a space that’s clearly meant for the other gender? 

Is there enough space for your bridesmaids or groomsmen to be with you? Is there ample room and natural light for your hair and makeup team (and for your photographer)?

Is there an additional fee for the getting ready space? Or a cleaning fee?

What do the grounds look like?

Think about your photos ops. Are you doing a first-look photo session? What about wedding party photos? Family photos? Does the venue or property have the type of scenery you want for those photos?

Inquire about sunset—which way is west, and what are the sunsets like there? Use location tagging on Instagram to help you out here. Search for your venue and see what photos have been posted. I personally tag the venue in all of the real wedding photos I post to Instagram to help others with this type of research.

How late can your wedding go?

Noise ordinances vary by city or county. If you want to party into the wee hours of the morning, this is going to be an important question to ask at your venue visit. Most venues will have a contracted end time of 10 pm or 11 pm. Some will allow you to go later for an extra fee, but for some it’s a hard cut-off with no room for negotiation.

In the same vein, how long is the rental period and when do you get access to the space? Some venues give you access all day, some all weekend, and some have specific times. For example, maybe you don’t get access until noon, but you’re having a 3 pm ceremony. You’re probably going to need to do hair and makeup off-site and then maybe just get into your wedding gown at the venue.

You’ll also want to find out when they usually hold rehearsals. If you’re getting married on a Sunday, you’re not going to be able to do your rehearsal Saturday afternoon because another wedding will be going on. You might have to hold your rehearsal Saturday morning, or even Thursday afternoon.

If you’re getting married at a winery, you may have to work around their tasting room hours or their other special events. 

If many of your family members and wedding party members will be coming in from out of town for your wedding rehearsal, you’ll want it to be as close as possible to your wedding day to ensure that they can all attend.

Is catering done in-house or not?

If your venue does catering in-house, that means you will not be able to bring in your own caterer. So you need to make sure that their food meets your expectations, if food is important to you. Keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to schedule a tasting until after you’ve booked your wedding there, so you’ll have to rely on other people’s opinions.

Check their online reviews to see what people are saying about the food. Ask your wedding planner if she is familiar with the venue and their food. (Generally speaking, the planner, DJ, and photographer are always fed at weddings, so while they may not be getting the exact same meal as the guests, they probably have an opinion about the venue or caterer’s food.)

Do you know anyone else who has gotten married at this venue, even if it’s a friend-of-a-friend? Ask them what they thought. Put out a call on social media. Do what you have to!

If you already have vendors in mind for other services, it’s also important to find out whether you must use a venue’s preferred vendor list or if you can bring in your own vendors. Most venues are fine with you going off the list for planners, florists, and photographers. They get more particular when it comes to DJs (because of electricity requirements) and caterers (because of insurance requirements).

You also should find out whether or not you can bring in your own alcohol. Some venues will let you do this, no problem. Some will let you do it, but they’ll charge you a per-bottle fee (called a “corkage fee). And some won’t let you do it at all. Buying your own alcohol can be a huge money-saver for you, so this is an important question to ask!

Free Download!

I created a venue questionnaire for you to use when visiting venues. You can download it for free here!