For a lot of our Full-Service Clients, we work with them from the very beginning of the planning process. Many times, this includes the ceremony and reception venue! So how does the process of finding the perfect venue work?

• I have my clients fill out a venue search questionnaire. This will reconfirm the overall wedding budget; what style venue they are most and least interested in (tented, rustic, traditional, etc.); time of year; day of the week; estimated guest count (needed for capacities!); preferred city, area, or region; and venues that have been seen with their feedback. This allows me to start round one of the search!
• I go to my “rolodex” of venue options and start reaching out for availability in the preferred timeframe and updated rental fees and/or food and beverage minimums. These numbers are important as they have to fall within a certain percentage of the overall wedding budget. I won’t recommend an option if the combination of venue rentals and F&B is taking up too much of the overall budget.
• I put all venue options into a spreadsheet that lists the venue, website, rental fees and/or minimums, a real wedding example (so important to see what the space could really look like!), dates available, and a lot of notes about what’s included in the rental fee. It makes a big difference if a venue is a total blank canvas versus if they have tables, chairs, place settings, heat lamps, etc. available. I want my clients to have all of the necessary information to make an educated decision.
• We’ll review round one on the phone which allows me to get a sense of which direction (style and location) my clients are leaning in.
• Once we have some favorites, we’ll set up site visits to see the venues in person! This of course depends on the location and where the client lives. Say we’re in driving distance, I’ll create an itinerary to see as many venues as possible in one day-trip or overnight. If it’s a destination, we’ll create a multi-day itinerary to maximize the trip to your wedding destination.
• We’ll repeat this process until we have a winner! Sometimes this happens after the first visit and other times we change locations completely and start fresh. Regardless of how long it takes, we’re going to keep searching until you find the one that feels perfect and fits your vision for the dream day.

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