Many a bride and groom throughout history have had at least one row on the perfect venue for their big day. This issue has been plaguing couples for centuries, with many factors to consider like the ambiance, how near is it, how much is it, and more.
If you’re on a bind trying to look for and decide on your wedding venue in St. Paul, here are tips that can help sort things out:
1. Write a draft budget.
No matter how much you’re in love with a venue, if it goes right past your budget, it won’t work. So before even looking for places online or offline, you have to know what you’re working with. And to have a draft budget, you have to know how many guests you’ll have, what time of the day the ceremony is going to be, the kinds of food to serve, and the basic decoration theme.
This step is a pretty big one, but it will save you wasted time and money down the road. Of course, you and your fiancé should sit down and discuss these decisions to make sure that both of you are on the same page.
2. Start your research and stay organized.
Many couples lose their mind in the research phase. They know they liked that place, but what’s the name again? Not staying organized in this phase will waste you so much time. To stay on track, what you should do is create a spreadsheet where you will input the venues you’re considering and several other details.
In this spreadsheet, you should input at least the following details:
- Name of venue
- Location
- Capacity (Can it really hold the number of your guests without cramping everyone together too tightly?)
- Layout
- Rates (Can you afford it? For reals?)
- Availability (Is it available on your wedding date?)
- Website
- Restrictions
- Parking/Transportation (Is there enough parking? How far is it from where most of your guests are going to come from?)
- Facility extras like chairs, tables, linens, etc.
- Caterer (Do they have a list of allowed caterers, like the Lowertown Event Center in St. Paul, or are you allowed to hire a different catering provider?)
- Lights and sounds (do they have their own equipment and tech guy, or do you need to hire one?)
3. Decide if you want an all-inclusive route or if you’re more of an a la carte couple.
Some venues offer an all-inclusive package where they’ll handle everything from wedding coordination to catering. This route is going to save you time in looking for other wedding suppliers, but it’s going to tie you down to one provider with a fixed cost. You won’t be able to haggle or do some DIYs to save money.
If you’re considering to go for an all-inclusive package, discuss with your fiancé what this is going to mean for your budget and your level of control on who you’re going to work with, the preparation, and overall decoration.
With these tips, you can make your search for your dream venue easier and smoother both for you and your fiancé.
