I found this very useful informative article on how to choose a wedding venue - thought i'd share it with you - 

Choosing a Wedding Venue

When preparing for your wedding, you will soon realize that choosing a wedding venue can be a very difficult task. In this article we will take a look at some of the important things to consider and hopefully help to make this decision a little easier for you.

The first thing you need to take into account when considering wedding venues is whether you would like to have the ceremony and the reception at the same place or not. Some venues cater only for the reception, while others have facilities for both and depending on your preference this will already narrow down you list of choices considerably. Some couples prefer to get married in a church and then move to a separate venue for the reception, while others prefer to have the whole wedding in one location. There are pros and cons to both options, so it's important to discuss both options and come to a decision about this early on.

The second thing to consider is the number of guests that will attend your wedding. Each venue has a maximum number of people they can cater for, so it's important to have a clear idea on exactly how many guests you will have before starting to look for venues. Some wedding venues can cater for 160 people at the reception, but only 100 or less at the ceremony and it's crucial to enquire about these limitations up front to avoid any misunderstandings later on. Once you have done this you can eliminate the venues that don't have enough capacity from your list.

The next thing to take into account is the extra services and facilities that the venue offers. Are you going to arrange your own catering or do you want it to be included with the venue? Should the venue have accommodation for guests who are from out of town? Do you have any other special expectations for the venue? Some wedding venues offer a complete package that include the catering, flowers, wine etc, while others only offer basic facilities, so it's crucial to decide what exactly you expect from them before you start searching for appropriate venues.

Another important thing that will determine which venues go onto your shortlist is their availability on your planned wedding date. The popular wedding venues are usually booked way in advance and depending on the time of year you plan to get married it may be difficult to get the venue you want on the day you want.

The last (and probably most important) thing to look at is cost. By the time you start looking for a wedding venue you need to have a very clear idea of the budget you have, because this is one of the most expensive components of your wedding. There is no point in wasting time on venues that you can't afford, so eliminating the ones that are out of your budget will save you a lot of time.

Once you have taken the above 5 things into account you can create a short list of possible candidates to consider. You can then focus on choosing the one that both bride and groom feel most comfortable with.


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