Venue essentials

I was about costs ahah. Most other people will have a list of other things like the vibe and aesthetic and what not but I really was honing in on the cost of things and if it was a place that wasn't shabby of course. When I found venues that were same price then I looked at the aesthetic and other logistics like parking, etc.

My primary essentials in no particular order were 1. Outdoor ceremony space onsite (with suitable ppan for inclement weather), 2. Catering provided by venue (all-inclusive or semi-all-inclusive venues), 3. Enough bathroom space for guests and for me to fit in the stall with a dress (one venue we toured had 1 women's restroom with only 3 TINY stalls....for 150 people, no way), 4. Event coordinator included, 5. Easy parking, 6. Handicap accessible (for my father), and 7. Hotels nearby for out of town guests. Also, I was conscious of my budget as well.

We wanted...

- To be the only wedding on site the entire day

- Bridal Suite & Groom's Suite with AC

- Area to smoke cigars

- Free Parking

- Allowed our dog to be in the ceremony

- Outdoor ceremony & cocktail hour, indoor reception with backup plan for bad weather

We wanted a vintage, historic vibe and didn't want to get married in a traditional country club or banquet hall. We also didn't want anything too modern or urban, like a brewery or traditional hotel. We also wanted the ceremony and reception to be in the same place. The one thing my fiancee really cared about was having an outdoor ceremony space.

I initially wanted an all-inclusive venue but we settled on a venue that had tables, chairs, suites to get ready in and several other amenities but we had to arrange all our other vendors.

Our essentials were it had to be a unique space, near water, semi secluded, allows outside vendors and have space to have a tented reception.

We really wanted the ceremony and reception at one place. It would have been ideal to have spaces where we could get ready as well on location, but it didn’t happen.

Good food, good music, free alcohol for at least part of the time, and most importantly good food

1) a venue that fit our theme/style, 2) close bathrooms for disabled family, 3) catering provided by the venue, 4) chairs/tables/linens/place settings included for the site fee, 5) back-up options for bad weather, 6) excellent quality food & drink options, 7) close hotels for guests.

Planner here-

1. Lots of things included. I.e. catering, linens, tables, chairs, etc.

2. Beauty. It can't be ugly.

3. Indoor and outdoor space with a rain plan.

4. Friendly staff. Trust me when I say the staff will make or break the wedding day.

We had a few criteria. We wanted to have ceremony and reception at the same location. We needed an outdoor ceremony space as well as an indoor alternative that was not the same room as the reception. We also wanted to make sure the package was all inclusive, food, open bar, linens. We also wanted a space to get ready there, but that wasn’t a big requirement.

Price was probably the biggest factor when deciding for us. We ended up with a fantastic country club at an amazing price and are so excited to do everything there from getting ready, to pictures and everything else. It was a bonus that they have a bridal and a groom suite and that they only do one wedding a day there.

Hey! We looked for someplace that was centrally located, and not completely far away from everyone. We looked for a place where we could have both the ceremony and reception. FH wanted someplace where we could have an outdoor ceremony, but that also had a Plan B indoor option in case of bad weather. We also looked for a place that already had some larger rental items, like tables, chairs, and existing bathrooms. We also looked for a place that was already beautiful, which meant minimal decorations. Budget was a very large factor.

We ended up finding a great local non-profit historic estate, with a low site rental fee, existing tables, chairs, and great bathrooms, outdoor ceremony area with an indoor option, and indoor reception area that is just gorgeous. While we didn't aim for it, the venue having a caterers kitchen and bridal prep area was a great feature.

I wanted it to be as "all-inclusive" as possible while still not being expensive. Ceremony/Reception at same site, they provide literally everything - tables, chairs, linens, decorations, food, dinnerware, cake, DJ. The only thing I have to provide is live flowers, photographer and invitations, or extra decorations in addition to theirs and we chose to have our own officiant and not use theirs.

We have rented the venue as above for under 5k and will have 65 guests including us.