Venues

We were also between two venues at the end. We ultimately ended up with the one that was slightly better in price but was much closer to our home (about 20 minutes) than the other (about 45 minutes-1 hour). The closer venue also allowed for a bit more customization as it is the venue only and only required the use of their required caterer while the other was all inclusive. I preferred to have more options with my vendors than just going with the venue's vendors. What is it about the two that is making it hard for you to choose?

View Quoted Comment That makes sense, so the closer venue rents its venue plus catering from selected vendors. I loved the reception area as it's more elegant and they also have the option for outdoor ceremony which is quite beautiful with the view. So far customer service was good specially since I came in without an appt. The other venue is all inclusive but seem to be willing to work with us in regards to menu, have options for outdoor cocktail hour, they are pet friendly which is super important for us and honestly so far best customer service. Oh and did I mention I will have a long isle (runway in my opinion) to show off my gown also outdoors. But the reception room is more simple and I'm not in love with it. So I guess I'm torn between more elegance or more relaxed and possibly better customer service.

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I would make a list of pros and cons (if you haven't already) and lay out everything you love and dislike about each venue. Maybe in doing that, you'll find yourself being pulled toward one of the venues versus the other.

What's included? tables, chairs, coordinator, night stay, on site bathrooms bring my own booze
Place to get ready on site.
Location, how close is it to home and where most are traveling from.
Is it with in my budget?Am I able to set up day prior.Did we feel that spark when visiting the venue.

We chose a venue that we absolutely fell in head over heels in love with for it's spaces, charm, history, price and all inclusive packages. Having an AI wedding venue has been the best thing to happen to our wedding planning. We only had to bring in additional vendors for music, floral and invitations/paper products. Honestly, go with the one that feels for both of you and the rest will fall into place.

We chose our venue based on

1. Price ($1600 for a ballroom in a community centre)

2. Space: It's a huge room with beautiful fixtures such as two fireplaces

3. Location: It's in a city very close to where we live, and very convenient for local guests

4. It's a DIY venue, essentially we have to bring everything except tables and chairs. Also includes bringing our own alcohol + catering which is nice. They have a designated bar spot which is awesome. Also two private bathrooms that are separate from the community centre's main public bathrooms.

I would suggest drafting a rough list of must haves, nice to have, and not necessary when looking for a venue and then start your search from there.

Thank you ladies! I will start a pros and cons list and see what happens

Apart from all the reasons listed above...Which one can you really picture yourself getting married in? We loved one venue until we toured the one we ultimately booked and right away knew it was the one.

For us, our families don't usually get to really dress up. We're casual ppl with casual lives. Sooo were having a complete bling and sequin reception at a gorgeous country club (somewhere we don't usually frequent) and all be served while looking out over beautiful views and the ceremony will be outside under a beautiful pergola in a garden of flowers. Our families will be awed.

We were between two as well. One was purely for price. We ended up with the second option that was more expensive because it was just a lot nicer aha

Thank you everyone for your advice! I picked the very first one I saw, the all inclusive, outdoors with a long isle (runway), and that allows my pup to be a part of our big day, I just couldn't picture our wedding anywhere else!

We looked at three venues in person and went with the one that excited us most. The biggest factors for us were:

1) Experience. The venue we went with was super professional, had great customer service, and nothing but 5 star reviews from extremely happy couples. They definitely had the wedding thing down.

2) Floor. We wanted an outdoor wedding and the venue we picked has a barn specifically designed for weddings with a poured concrete floor that we will use for our reception, and the barn can be used for our ceremony as well in the event of inclement weather. The other two venues only had tents for shelter and we didn't want to worry about a wet, grassy, slippery dance floor if rained during or leading up to our wedding.

3) Food. The venue we went with included catering and makes amazing food. The other two venues would have required a separate caterer. When I reached out to different places for catering quotes a number of the catering companies were not very responsive to me and some hadn't given us a quote at all after weeks of waiting. I didn't want the stress of coordinating that, and wanted to just stick with the venue who was already really great at answering our questions and making us feel valued.

4) Setting. All three spots were beautiful, and our second choice venue had a beautiful location on the river, but there is an interstate highway across the river and you could hear traffic nonstop. We didn't want to have the air brakes of a semi interrupt our vows. The venue we went with is tucked away and will feel more private that the other venues.

5) Value. We chose the most expensive venue, but felt it provided the most value. For us, the extras (indoor reception area, AirBnB included, in house food, etc) and peace of mind working with such a professional and courteous host made it worth the additional cost.

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Haha, I almost forgot, we want to include our pup too, so that was a factor as well. All three gave us the green light to have him participate in our ceremony.

View Quoted Comment Haha I love it, thanks for sharing it sounds like it will be beautiful! 🥰