The wedding venue is the heart of your big day. Nothing else can happen without it. It should be the priority of anyone preparing for a wedding. We always believe in learning from those who came before. This is why we’re proud to present the worst wedding venue mistakes ever made by a bride and groom.
1. Booking the Date First
Don’t waste your time booking venues that fit in with your date. This goes doubly true if you’re holding a wedding in the summer (wedding season). Be flexible with your dates and book the venue first. After all, your significant other isn’t going anywhere. The wedding can wait a few days!
2. Don’t Wait to Book
It’s all well and good visiting lots of different venues, but you need to actually book one. Most venues will only give you a limited time to make a decision. Go over this time and the venue is back on the market. The best dates only go to those brides who move quickly. Visit your venues and make a decision as soon as possible.
3. Separate Travel
Your wedding venue should have it all. Never make guests travel elsewhere just to get a scenic photo. This is bad manners, plus secretly everyone will hate you for it. Choose a venue with all the scenery you need from the beginning. Many wedding venues near Bath already have scenic areas where the wedding party can take pictures.
4. Overestimating Your Friends
Brides like to initially invite everyone they’ve ever known to their wedding. What you have to remember is many acquaintances will decline the invitation. You’ll never get everyone accepting the invitation. If you invite 250 people, assume that you might get 200 people at the most. Many of those people you’re only inviting out of courtesy anyway. You know full well they won’t show up. Inviting too many people will only limit your choice of venue, and leave a big empty space when people decline the invitation.
5. Outdoor Weddings
Outdoor weddings are always delightful to have. Bad things happen, though. It might rain, or your outdoor wedding parlor could have turned into a mud bath overnight. Make sure you have an alternative indoor backup for outdoor weddings. This goes even if you live somewhere like Florida. You’re chancing fate by not having some sort of backup.
6. Food Matters
Always choose a venue that has caterers on-site. Bringing food across town will only lead to lots of people passing on a meal. What you need to remember is people expect fresh food. Saving money by ordering warmed-up meals will only leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. If you aren’t willing to pay for on-site catering, it’s best to limit your food choices to an informal buffet.
7. Ceremony and Reception
This is your day. What you say goes. You still need to show consideration for guests, though. The ceremony and the reception should be held at the same location, if possible. Forcing people to attend multiple locations only inconveniences them. They have to worry about separate transport and directions. Many acquaintances that are on the fence might pass on your wedding.
8. Wedding Coordinator
A wedding coordinator ensures everything goes off without a hitch. Make sure they’re knowledgeable about your choice of venue. That’s their specialty. If they’re not, you may as well be doing it all by yourself. Many venues have their own in-house coordinators that clients can employ. If they do, we strongly advise employing them. City wedding coordinators tend to specialize in specific venues. If employing an outsider, ask about their experience first.
9. Seated Dining
Even buffets should have seated dining. Nobody likes having to sit in a long queue while people deliberate over their choice of meal. You might save money through a buffet because you don’t need as many staff, but never scrimp on the dining. Always have seats where children, the old, and the disabled can sit down. Your guests shouldn’t be inconvenienced when they go to pick up their dinner. Saving money should be the least of your concerns. Consider your guests and they will show you the same courtesies on your big day.
Photo courtesy of www.elizabethannedesigns.com.
