Your wedding venue sets the vibe for the entire wedding! Coordinating your colors, decorations, ceremony/reception set up, and everything else gets overwhelming without help. Luckily, you found this article to walk you through it.

Step 1: Figure out your vision

It’s totally understandable to hop on Instagram and scroll through venue accounts in the excitement after getting engaged. However, you could end up causing more stress for yourself! If you haven’t discussed and narrowed down the landscape type and style of the venue you want, you won’t know where to begin or what to rule out. Below is a list of venue types. Go through them with your fiancé and narrow them down as much as you can! Then, you can look at images of the remaining choices to see if it’s really what you want most.

• forest/lake or mountain lodge
• beach or boat
• desert
• garden/flower field
• city
• national park
• historic home/mansion/castle
• barn
• golf course
• backyard
• place of worship
• hotel or resort
• museum or library
• urban loft or warehouse
• winery/vineyard
• amusement park or aquarium

Step 2: Talk to your planner

Now that you know more what you’re looking for, tell the person best equipped to help look! Planners will know the logistics of specific locations and will be able to take your needs into consideration while finding the look you’re going for. They’ll also know more about what will be needed to transform a space. Let them know to consider lighting as well, so your photos do your venue justice!

Step 3: Have a guest count in mind

Knowing an estimate of how many people will be at your wedding will come in handy when venue shopping. Many venues have size limits. You will also need the number to properly budget!

Step 4: Compare what is included

Some venues provide the space alone, while others include various vendors such as catering and rentals. Your planner can help you compare the price of getting an all-inclusive venue vs. hiring outside vendors yourself. Below are questions to ask yourself when looking at a potential venue option:

• Does this venue fit the budget?
• Is it available for my date?
• Is there enough space for everything?
• Does the venue have any restrictions that hinder my vision?

Step 5: Figure out your priorities

Now that you have some venues in mind, you’ll realize some of them won’t work with parts of your vision, while others work with everything you want and more. I suggest discussing your priorities, in case you have to give something up in order to get your favorite venue.

Once you’ve completed these 5 steps, all you have to do is visit and decide! Visiting at least 5-7 venues before deciding is recommended, as well as taking time to decide before signing on the dotted line. Once you feel sure, read over that contract and pop some champagne! Your vision just became more of a reality.