Have you ever watched House Hunters on HGTV? The premise of the show is that a couple sees three houses and chooses one to purchase. There is usually something one of them likes in each house, but each house doesn’t necessarily have everything they want–unless it’s way out of their budget!
Searching for a wedding venue is a lot like House Hunters. There are some basic elements in each episode, including:
- Wants/Needs
- Location
- Style
- Budget
Wants/Needs
You should know the basics of what you’re looking for before you even start looking. With a house, you know if you want 3 or 4 bedrooms, a large or small yard, and a garage, right? For your wedding venue, you should know if you want one large open space or several smaller rooms for different parts of the day or whether you will need onsite parking. These wants/needs will be different for everyone. What is important to you? Discuss this with your partner and make a list so you don’t get swept up in the hunt and forget about your basic wants and needs.
Location & Style
When you look for a house, you probably know what are you want to live in and what style you like. Farmhouse? Contemporary? Colonial? You should think about the location & style of the wedding venue you want, as well. Some popular styles in the Metro Detroit area are Industrial, Ballroom, & Rustic. Knowing the location & style you like will significantly decrease the number of venues you have to consider, which will hopefully make your choice easier. Now, make a list of the venues you want to inquire about!
Budget
You have a wedding budget, right? If not, stop right now and go make one! There are several budget breakdown suggestions online (and if you’re my client, you have a Budget Google Sheet already!). Use these suggestions to determine how much of your budget should be used for your wedding venue. Email each venue on your list and ask for an information packet. Some venues will send you pricing upfront and some require a tour first. If the price is way out of your comfort zone, you can cross them off your list.
After this, you have a list of venues to schedule tours with. Keep in mind, just like on House Hunters, you and your fiance may each like and hate different things at each venue. The key is COMPROMISE. Look until you find a venue that has a little something that each of you loves and includes as many of your basic wants & needs as possible. Of course, if you need guidance through this process, reach out to me!
I realized wedding planning was my passion when, after working a 12-hour wedding day, I came home and was so energized that I couldn’t go to sleep. I had just worked an entire day, on my feet, and was ready to plan the next event instead of heading to bed! In former careers, an 8-hour shift would leave me exhausted. This new-found energy around my work was very welcomed! Now I plan weddings all around the Metro Detroit & Ann Arbor areas.