Your venue is arguably the most important piece of your wedding day because you need to have booked a venue to have a wedding date! If you’re after a popular place, it’s recommended that you try to book the venue 1.5 years in advanced. Now, this can be tricky logistically as some couples aren’t event engaged for that long, but it’s just something to keep in mind.
When you’re looking for a venue, consider if you want both your ceremony and reception in one place, or in different places. I’ve shot some weddings where even the getting ready photos happened at the venue so we did literally everything at one spot. I’ve also done weddings where only the reception happened at the venue and everything else happened at different places.
One big thing to consider when booking a venue is what are its amenities? What's the parking situation like? Does it include the tables, chairs and linens? Who’s setting things up? What happens if it rains? Basically, what does the venue have to offer?
Some other things to consider are access and restrictions. Who has access to the venue? Some venues are shared with multiple weddings. When do you have access to the venue to set up? Are there limits to what decor you can have or can’t have? What about noise restrictions? With the venue being the biggest piece in your wedding day puzzle, there’s definitely no shortage of things to consider!
