Venue

Is there a reason you can't view it first? That's a big investment to go in blind to since there are so many deciding factors that are taken into consideration when picking one.

I refused to sign a contract for a venue without seeing it in person first. There was a venue I really liked when looking at info/pictures online. Once we went to see it in person, it was actually a lot smaller in person, the room layout wasn't ideal, and had a few drawbacks that we wouldn't have known about from the pictures online. We ended up deciding that it wasn't for us. If possible, I highly suggest touring the venue in person. If that's not possible, at very minimum, I would ask for a tour using video chat.

Yes / No-


So, we picked our venue site unseen and asked for our contract to pay deposit.
2 weeks later - no contract, but took an extended weekend in the area and checked out our venue since we were in that town and needed to meet baker and photographer. Our sales manager still didn’t have our contract ready.
But we wouldn’t have changed our mind either way

View Quoted Comment I have a new baby and I am scared to take her out. My fiance doesn't get home until later in the after noon

View Quoted Comment That is a god idea

The deciding factor is if the place that is cheaper comer with Chaivare chairs. What would you consider being a deal breaker

View Quoted Comment You should still be able to see it later. We viewed all our venues either in the evening after work or on days off. I personally would not put a deposit down prior to a walk thru. Pictures aren't always 100% accurate.

View Quoted Comment Contact the venue to see if you can schedule a visit later in the day.

I almost signed for a venue without visiting first, and thank God that I didn’t. It was absolutely stunning in the pictures and even the walkthrough video was nice, but come to find out after scheduling a last minute trip to check it out in person, the entry way was through a mall! A no-go for me. Luckily for me I also scheduled a last minute tour of another venue and fell in love with it, so the trip was not a wash at all but a blessing in disguise. I just wouldn’t risk it if I were you. You never know what the pictures aren’t showing until you see for yourself. Good luck!

We didn’t. Even if you don’t want to meet someone, it could be very helpful to go to the location and look around.


My hubby & I visited 12 venues in 4 days on a trip and one placed we ruled out right away because the photos were beautiful but it was on a very noisy busy street and as a winery it was crazy crowded. My hubby said “nope” and turned around in the parking lot. 😂

I’d be very hesitant to do so! Any type of business will advertise with the best, most complimentary photos, but they don’t always accurately depict things. If you are unable to schedule a viewing in the evening, is there a trusted family member or friend who could either babysit or go do a walk-through for you?

We saw 3 venues at different price points before picking ours. All the venues looked beautiful in the pictures but once we saw them they were either too small or I couldn't picture our wedding there. I would definitely recommend viewing first.

I did! I had to due to Covid, but we did a FaceTime tour. I would push for a FaceTime or Skype call to see it that way, there’s no reasoN Why they shouldn’t be able to accommodate.

Yeah, I did because I had to book a new venue last minute.

I would highly suggest not to do this! The pictures are always beautiful, reviews are usually good. But because those people probably saw it first and their deal breakers can be different than yours.
The first venue we looked at was a lavender farm. Gorgeous! But when we got inside, we realized how hot it was and that they only had fans. No AC. We also realized it wasn't as big as we hoped. Our second place was a brewery. Again, beautiful everything was gorgeous. We wanted an outdoor ceremony too. When we got there, there was the ugliest, biggest mural I've ever seen. And then my FH (who worked in food at the time) noticed the refrigerator temp was about 15° too warm (it said it on the door). So that was our final straw- no thank you to food poisoning!
There are many things you won't think of until you visit a venue. Good and bad. It's also a great memory. When we found our venue, we both knew it was the one. It was as special to me as finding the dress.

Yes 😊 well, we saw pictures but they do not do our venue justice. We finally got to visit as it is 4 hours away from us. So gorgeous. Go with your gut !

We haven’t physically seen it but we’ve seen pictures! We live in New Mexico but booked our Venue in Missouri! We didn’t need to tour first, we just knew it was perfect ☺️

I almost booked a venue without seeing it I went and took a tour while it was pretty the staff was rude and the building was small

I'm booking site unseen... I live out of state & we're not flying in until late 2 days before our date. I've been requesting videos & just recently hired a planner to do some of the leg work I can't. I've discussed with her extensively what I'm looking for.
I suggest taking to a family member or friend you trust with like minded views. Talk about exactly what you're looking for. Let them be your proxy & take video & pictures of the venue for you to view & discuss later.
Hope that helps! 🙏 Congratulations on the baby & upcoming wedding. 💕

NO I would not sign for a venue without touring it and speaking in person to a representative unless it was a friends backyard or a park that didn't require a lot or any paperwork. However I read your responses about having a newborn and not being comfortable with going out, and I totally agree with that! Do you have someone who could tour for you and video-call through the whole thing so you could see the venue from home? That's what I would do. A lot of venues are offering virtual tours as well during this pandemic! Make some calls and see what your options are! Good luck!