Hello! Hello! I hope you’re all doing well!
Last time, I touched on the first three things one wants to do after they say YAASSS which are create a budget, start writing your guest list and create a Pinterest board (or two).
After you have completed these three things, the next thing you want to do is find a venue. It is hard to really plan towards the big day if you don’t have a date and a venue.
When looking for venues, people usually ask two questions. The first is where do I even start when looking for venues? The second is how to get the most bang for your buck when looking for wedding venues? So let’s chat about these real quick.
How do I search for venues?
1. Wedding Venue Search Engines
There are so many different search engines to help you find a wedding venue! Here is a list of some of my favorites:
Please keep in mind that most of the venues (and vendors) listed on these websites have to pay for their account. This probably means that they are serious about their wedding business and know what they are doing. Reviews are always great, but don’t be bound by them. If a company just started their account on one of these sites, it’s possible they haven’t gotten a lot of reviews yet. So check it out and make your own decision.
2. Non-Traditional Search Engines
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Airbnb– If you’re looking for a homey or mansion feel, you may want to check out Air BNB as an option for venues. I especially recommend Air BNB for all of my African couples looking for a location for their traditional celebrations.
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PeerSpace – Peerspace is a search engine for unique spaces and venues. You are put in direct contact with the owners or managers of the space to work out the details!
3. Referrals
Please, please, please don’t be shy to ask a past bride or groom for suggestions on wedding venues. A venue could be beautiful on the outside but they could be very hard to work with, so get this information from the source.
Also, most couples check out a few venues before they make their final selection. There may be a venue they visited that didn’t work for them BUT can work for you.
How do I get a great venue for a cheap price?
Because weddings tend to carry a hefty price tag, people are always looking to get the most bang for their buck. Here are a few tips on how to get a “lower” priced venue.
1. Get married any day but Saturday
If you are looking at a venue that has a lot of weddings or does a lot of weekend business in general, Saturdays will likely be the most expensive day of the week. Moving your wedding to a Friday or Sunday will generally bring the cost per person down a few dollars.
If you’re looking at a hotel that does a lot of convention business, Saturdays may even be a lower priced option.
So on this one, I would say don’t be afraid to ask the venue, but also do you research. .
2. Off-peak seasons
Every city has a popular wedding season. In the SF Bay Area, we have Indian summers meaning September is generally the warmest month of the year. As a result September and October are the most popular times of the year to get married. On the East Coast, people tend to stray away from winter months because of harsh weather conditions.
In 2018, the 10 most popular wedding dates in the United States were in August, September, and October. So once again, research is key. Figure out what the peak season is in your city and choose a different season.
Once again if you are looking at a hotel, peak wedding season may not play a role. Hotels are generally looking to fill holes between conventions with social business.
Additional Resources on Wedding Seasons
https://www.brides.com/story/are-there-cheaper-months-to-get-married
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/22/picking-an-off-peak-wedding-date-can-be-a-risky-way-to-save.html
https://www.theknot.com/content/is-there-an-off-season-for-weddings
Once again, these are just my suggestions. What I’m suggesting here, may not work for you and that’s okay! Do you boo boo! BUT be considerate… think about your guests! (more to come on this…wink)
Keeping dropping those comments and sending me DMs with your topic requests!
Toodles for now, SugarBees! <3
