Wedding guide

Venue

Is there a secret to finding the perfect wedding venue for your wedding? Yes, and it's called hard work. Nothing good comes easy and this applies just as much to your wedding vendors as it does to anything else. Your venues, especially your reception venue, is one of the most important things you will book. It is where all of the action is going to happen and where people will be spending the most time on your special day. The San Francisco area has some absolutely amazing locations for you to look at. So, don't stress out about it, just follow the tips we have provided below and you will be well on your way to renting a reception venue that you and your guests will have a blast at.

Timing is everything and in the case of prime wedding venues, you will want to start your search as soon as you agree to say I do. The best ones get scooped up quickly and you don't want a situation where you are scrapping the bottom of the barrel. You also don't want to be rushed in your decision making so start early. When you find a few you are interested in, call the site manager and set up a tour and interview. But only set this up if you know how many guests you are going to have at your wedding.

When you go to check out venues you are interested in, make sure you mention to the site manager the number of guests you are expecting. They will be able to let you know if there is enough room at their facility for your guest list. Also, you will want to mention what other activities will go on at your reception including a DJ, live band, and dancing. Another item you will want to check out is the locations style. Does it reflect what your wedding style is? If you need to add some decorative elements to help with this, find out if that is permissible.

Ask the site manager if you can see a portfolio of wedding receptions that have been held there. Pay attention to how others setup the room, this could give you some great ideas for your own setup. And speaking of setup, find out if there are enough electrical plugs for your band and others that will need to plug in. There are a whole host of questions you will want to ask. Find out if there are enough parking spaces for your guests. What about bathrooms? If you have 250 guests and the venue has 2 toilets, that could be a problem. Does the venue offer valet service? Is the location handicap accessible?

Talk a lot about food. Does the venue have an in-house caterer that they require you to use? If so, check out their sample menus and pricing. If you can bring in your own caterer, find out if you have to pay a premium at all to do so. Also, you want to find out when your wedding vendors can get in to setup. It is best of vendors like your florist and band can get there early to get setup. It is very important to find out if the venue provides all of the thing you will need to pull off your reception. For example, do they provide the chairs, tables, linens, staff, and more.

Find out how many weddings the venue allows in a day. Some venues allow 3 or 4 weddings in one day which can really put you in a bind in terms of setup. So, you want to be aware of this. Also, if the place is big enough to have multiple wedding receptions at the same time, you will want to ask how this will affect your service. Will you have to share the same staff as another reception that is going on? Also, keep in mind that you will be sharing the same bathrooms with the other wedding party.

Once you have narrowed your search down to a couple of venues, ask them for references. Make sure you follow through with contacting them and finding out how their experience was working with the venue staff and their overall experience. If there are two or three venues that seem to be the best, price may be the determining factor. Whichever one you choose, make sure you get everything in writing and work off of a contract. Congratulations, you now have a location in which you can enjoy all of your reception activities. Visiting Lansing Wedding Venues to see Michigan options.

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