One of the biggest decisions you will make about your wedding, besides who will be waiting for you at the end of the aisle, is the venue. Do you want your ceremony and reception to be at the same place or separate? Do you have a certain type of venue like barn or loft-style space in mind? While you will have your own checklist for what you are looking for in a venue, there are some dos and don’ts you should keep in mind while shopping around.
DO KEEP YOUR GUEST COUNT IN MIND
Venues can only hold so many people, so before you start looking at venues you should have at least a rough idea of how many people you plan on inviting to the wedding. This number isn’t just how many invites you are going to send out, but the actual number of people, including plus ones and children (if you aren’t having a kid-free event) that will be celebrating your big day with you.
DON'T WAIT TOO LONG
Dates fill up quickly, especially peak days like Saturdays and seasons, like the summer. So you don’t want to put off picking a venue too long. If you tour a space and absolutely love it, try to secure your date then and there. This way, you won’t have to worry about possibly losing the venue due to lack of availability.
DO TOUR THE VENUE
Pictures only show so much of a space, so you’ll want to tour the venue to fully see and experience the space. With the time we are in right now, you may not be able to tour a venue in person. Venues like A’BULAE are offering virtual tours.
DON'T BRING A HUGE GROUP
Ever heard the saying, “too many cooks in the kitchen?” This rule applies to how many people you bring with to look at a venue. Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invite your parents, but the more people you bring with you means more opinions and suggestions you need to sort through.
DO CONSIDER HAVING YOUR CEREMONY & RECEPTION AT THE SAME LOCATION
You want your day to be as easy for you and your guests as possible. Having the ceremony and reception at one location is a great way to do this. No one will possibly get lost between locations or have to worry about transportation if they used something like Uber or Lyft that day. A lot of venues are set up to have both the ceremony and reception. There could be outdoor ceremony spaces, like A’BULAE’s rooftop. Indoor spaces might just need to do a quick room change to go from ceremony to reception.
DON'T ONLY LOOK AT ONE TYPE OF VENUE
If you are unsure what kind of space you are looking for, don’t be afraid to visit a variety of spaces. For a more modern space, look for something with almost a loft-feel, like A’BULAE. You could want something with more outdoor space, so something along the lines of Bavaria Downs might fit your wedding the best. Maybe you want more of a historical feel, which makes the Van Dusen Mansion a contender thanks to its enchanted castle like feel. There is no shortage of wedding venues in Minnesota, so the key is just finding the one that feels right. You’ve already had practice with that when you said yes to your fiancé.
Your venue choice is almost as important as your choice in who will be waiting for you at the end of the aisle. This space can impact so many other aspects of your wedding, so tackling this decision early on will only benefit you in the long run. The staff at A’BULAE is here to answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to be just a small part in making your special day all that you envision it to be.
Do you have questions about our all-inclusive wedding packages or ready to schedule a tour?
