Destination Venue

Check on reviews, and customers’ uploaded pictures. Check their vendors’ reviews too. Your wedding is in over a year, at this point you have a good opportunity to book the date and time once you know which venue you like. My venue only asked for $150 deposit to secure the date and time. The rest of the cost a month prior to the date. I like this flexibility.

Do you know which state you want to do the wedding in? Or at least an idea? You could look up venues on here and google as well and contact them directly. I know that some venues have been doing virtual tours. Definitely ask their cancellation and postponement policies.

I once had a friend have someone she knew tour it in person and facetime her throughout the entire tour

Definitely check as many reviews and look at as many pictures as you can! Don’t just rely on their website. Read reviews anywhere you can find them online. Check out their Instagram page for photos of real weddings (especially photos that others have tagged them in). Previous couples who have had weddings there and vendors who have worked there before are going to be the best sources for accurate photos. When speaking to the vendor, find out what all will be included in the price of having your wedding there. The more all-inclusive you can get, the less vendors you need to work with and the less stress for you planning a destination wedding! I would ask if they provide a day of coordinator- lots of venues now have this option available. I would also ask about any decorating restrictions they have (ie, no open flame policy means you cannot have candles lit at your ceremony/reception... some places say you cannot have a sparkler send off or hang anything from walls or ceilings, etc.). It’s good to make sure their decorating policies will not interfere with your plans. And, with the current pandemic state of the world, it’s important to make sure you find out what their policies are when it comes to canceling/postponing. In the event you have to cancel/postpone your wedding due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, you need to know if there will be any fees associated with it. Also, will you be allowed to reschedule to a weekend date in the future (there have been a lot of brides on here whose venues have made them reschedule to a weekday). Make sure you have it all in writing in your contract so you are protected just in case.

As someone who venue hunted remotely, definitely look at reviews and the associated pictures, but realize many people don’t give honest reviews and most venues have nearly 5 stars. (Note some vendor contracts prevent bad reviews and also this is a fantastic day for most people so they are happy with their choice- even if several things fell short.)
Honestly, the best way to figure out what is important in a venue is to see one. Maybe tour somewhere you like that is nearby or look at a public one and walk through with fiancé noting what works for you and what doesn’t. What is the getting ready area like, how do you get from dressing room to the aisle without being seen, how many bathrooms, how accessible are locations to set up a bar or buffet, do they have an ice machine, are linens included, are you responsible for trash removal, what is parking like, how long do you have the venue for, what are their restrictions on outside vendors, do they host multiple events in a day/weekend. And of course, ALWAYS read the contract (ask for contracts before you make the mental decision on a place so that if it has really bad terms you aren't swayed into signing anyway!)

Decide on an area and browse Eventective.com for that location.