Choosing a venue most definitely deserves to be on top of the list of wedding tasks. Venues get booked one — sometimes even two — years in advance and if you have your heart set on a special date, you will want to get on it. Luckily for us, we only had a specific season set on our hearts.
We anticipate a large guest count which narrows down our choices. Most hotels with ballrooms can be a great affordable option when faced with accommodating a large guest list at an affordable price. My fiancé was not too fond of the idea of having our white wedding reception at a hotel ballroom which narrowed our choices down even more.
After visiting several venues, we picked our top 3 and had to meticulously scrutinize the contracts before making our choice.
I am so excited for our venue because it fits our theme & style perfectly! The theme of your wedding should be grounded in your personal tastes and exemplified by the location you choose.
Here’s my advice on choosing locations:
- Houston has many different venues for all types of themes. Give a chance to the new ones that haven’t even opened yet.
- Make sure you visit the venue in person to find out if they can really hold as many people as they advertise. Some venues can be set up so strange that your guests may not even be able to see the main floor.Don’t get your heart set on a venue until you figure out how many guests and the size of your budget.
- Most venues outside of banquet halls off Bissonet will not let you bring in your own food or liquor unless through a licensed caterer. But there are still a few.
- Some places charge per guest count, per room, per vehicle. Just make sure you pay close attention to every detail in the contract and don’t hesitate to negotiate. If you have a beasty planner like ours, she will be ready to speak up on your behalf!
- Ask about deposits, cancellation policies, payment schedules and in-house coordinators.
Cheers, IfyOnyi
