Reasons to elope by Brittany West Photography

Where to Start When Searching for a Wedding Venue.

So if you are planning a wedding without the aid of a wedding planner, your first concern should be to find the reasons to elope.

Naturally, the style of venue directly impacts on the style of wedding for it will shape the entire style, theme and décor of the whole day’s proceedings. So after having set a date and a budget (actual or approximate), you need to decide what style of wedding you are after. No doubt some brides (and grooms!) will have been dreaming about their wedding for months or years before they are engaged and will have an idea about the style of wedding they want.

Determine your style.

A casual affair with outdoor elements, or a formal soirée at a grand hotel? Downtown chic or a lakeside retreat? A rustic country feel or modern urban ambiance? Determining the style of your wedding is the first step in deciding which venue fits your vision best. Every couple is different and will have a unique list of qualities that they are looking for in a venue. Once you nail down the style and feel you are looking for, you can contact venues that fit that description.

Pick a season.

A summer wedding in July or a winter wedding in December – you need to decide on the time of year you’d like to have your wedding so that when you contact venues they can let you know what dates are available in that particular month. Most weddings happen in the summer months, but autumn is also becoming a popular choice for couples to tie the knot. The month you choose to get marry in will help determine the best fit for a venue. Depending when you want to get marry, you might have to be flexible with your date as good venues book up at least a year in advance.

Come up with a budget.

This is the biggest factor when choosing a wedding venue. When you contact venues, ask them what the average cost is to have a wedding at their location. Costs vary greatly, and you want to make sure the venue fits within your budget before you go on a site visit. Otherwise, you may just be wasting your time, or fall in love with a venue that you can’t afford. Anyone contributing to the cost of the wedding should go along on the venue tours so that everyone has all of the information needed when making a decision on booking a venue. Make sure to get all of the information in writing so that you can review everything later and compare each venue properly to ensure they fit within the budgeted costs.

Determine the number guests.

You should have an idea on the number of guests you will be inviting to your wedding so that you can make sure the venues you visit can accommodate the number of guests you will be inviting. Always book a venue that can accommodate all invited guests – don’t book a venue hoping you will have fewer guests that can attend. Just in case most of the guests RSVP yes, you want to make sure your venue can accommodate everyone comfortably.

Do you want the ceremony and reception at the same location?

If so, you need to choose venues that can accommodate both. If you’d like an outdoor ceremony, does the venue have outdoor space to hold a ceremony and what is their plan B in case of rain? Will you need time in between the ceremony and reception to flip the room? Is there an extra rental fee to have the ceremony on site? If they don’t offer ceremony space, can they recommend a location close by that provides this service?

What are your expectations for food and drink?

This is often the most important part of the wedding – some couples can be very particular on the style and quality of the food and drink that they serve their guests. Generally speaking, the higher the quality and service, the higher the price. What kind of food and beverages would you like to serve at your wedding? If you have a certain idea in mind – let’s say food stations or family style service, a casual bar-b-que feel or a gourmet five-course meal – you will need to make sure the venue can accommodate your requests. If not, will they allow you to bring in your own caterer? Do they have set menu packages and can they customize a menu for you? Do they provide a menu trial dinner? Will they provide the alcohol or do you need to provide it yourself and apply for your own permit? Will your expectations require extra servers and fees?

Combine the venues of the wedding reception and ceremony

You could save a lot of money if you have your wedding ceremony and reception at the same place. Don’t forget that you have to be mindful of the number of guests invited; especially if the ceremony and reception is held in an enclosed area like a chapel or hall. However, you could always avoid this restriction by having a beach wedding!

Cheap wedding venues that are just right for you

Once you have determined your wedding date and the number of guests, you can start looking through a list of cheap wedding venues and pick the one that suits you best. The following cheap wedding venues can offer you a unique and cheap wedding with the right planning:

• At a park –

Start from the list of parks you two are familiar with. You would usually have some special romantic memories in one of these parks so it would be especially meaningful to get married here. This option will also save you the expenses of at least the facilities hiring fee.

• By a river –

A riverside wedding is quite special and unique. A River Foreshore is so beautiful that your wedding will be romantic for you and enjoyable for your guests. Remember to check with the local council for any restriction to have your wedding at the river foreshore. You can also choose to have your wedding on a River Cruise liner. This unique experience may become the highlight of your town.

• At the beach –

Many of you dream of a beach wedding. The crashing waves and sand beneath your feet; everything is just so naturally and amazingly beautiful. The beach is one of the most popular cheap wedding venues. You could make this experience even more memorable by having a sunset beach wedding ceremony followed by a simple wedding reception, which would also definitely cut down your wedding expenses. Keep in mind that getting married at a public beach or a private beach may have different restrictions. Confirm and adhere to these restrictions as part of your wedding ceremony and wedding reception plan. Make sure to include cleaning up after the event as another part of your plan too.

• Your backyard –

When you decide to have a private and small wedding, a backyard wedding is at the top of the list. The savings will include wedding venue expenses and also food and beverages. Your backyard would already offer beautiful and natural floral arrangements. All you need to add is a bit of party decor to make it even more beautiful. Your choice of food could be from catering; or you could mix it up and do a wedding barbeque or even a tea party! Of course, having your wedding in your backyard may involve a lot of work. However, with careful planning and a bit of creativity, you can turn your backyard into the fairytale wedding of your dream. It is definitely well worth the effort.