Your partner popped the question, you’ve got your wedding tasks listed and the date has been chosen. It’s time to choose where to hold one of the most important days of your life!
Where you have your wedding ceremony and reception will be something you remember forever. After your wedding day has come and gone, it will be captured forever in your photos, so choosing a special venue will serve you well in the years to come.
Use this guide as a way to help you clarify how your venue of choice will contribute to the overall feel of your big day. These tips and tricks are here to help you choose the perfect spot to say “I do”.
Outline Your Wedding Vision
It goes without saying that you want your wedding day to have an overall “feel”, right? So if you’re wanting a laid-back, smaller ceremony with just a few close friends, you probably wouldn’t rent out an entire restaurant as your venue.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a very elegant, polished wedding day, dragging chairs through the sand on the beach probably won’t work. Use your wedding vision as a starting point to narrow down the list of venue possibilities.
Once you’ve got an idea of how you want your wedding to look, feel and be remembered in photos, the next step is to find a wedding venue that fits your style. A few popular wedding styles to choose from are:
Traditional
Modern
Rustic
Romantic
Destination
Consider Your Guest List
When you are choosing a wedding venue, your guest list will play a big role in where you ultimately tie the knot. The biggest factor your guests will play is how many people can actually fit into your venue space.
A guest list that’s pushing 300 people won’t work in an intimate country church. Your guests may not all be able to physically fit inside the church. They’ll be uncomfortable, and they came to see your wedding, not the back of someone’s head or a support beam of the building. Plus, you don’t want your wedding photos to show your guests piled into a venue like sardines.
When you have your guest list narrowed down to the most important people, have this number ready when you start to tour possible venues. By calling ahead and finding out how many people can be accommodated, you’ll know right away whether or not a venue will work.
Another way your guests can affect which venue you choose is by assessing the venue’s accessibility. If some of your important guests can’t easily walk throughout your venue, you may need to think about how your venue can accommodate these needs.
Venue Factors to Consider
Aside from choosing a venue that suits your wedding’s vision, there are a number of other things that can really make a difference when choosing the perfect wedding day spot. Make a list of accommodations that are must-haves and a list of amenities you would really like to have if possible. Some of these may include:
Talk Budget
The easiest way to narrow down your list of venue options is to see where it fits in your budget. The venue eats up a good portion of your wedding budget, so knowing what you can spend is very important.
Try not to have your heart set on any venues that are outside of your budget. It’s easy to fall in love with a venue, but if it’s too expensive or doesn’t have the services you need, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment. That being said, if you’re 100% decided on a particular venue, you must be prepared to compromise in other areas in order to make your dream wedding a reality.
Ask the venue coordinator for a breakdown of all of the costs associated with hosting a wedding there. After a call or email they may provide basic package pricing for you, but it won’t be a complete list of all fees and charges. It’s important to ask some in-depth pricing questions to ensure a venue truly fits into your wedding budget.
Are you searching for your perfect wedding venue?! Capt. Anderson’s Event Center in Panama City Beach, Florida offers unparalleled services and amenities at a truly unique location. If you are looking for available wedding venues, contact us to tour our extraordinary banquet halls and floor plans in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Capt. Anderson’s Event Center amenities include a full prep kitchen that your chosen caterer is welcome to use. A functioning bar is also included and is ready to be stocked with all your favorite liquors, wines, and brews. The venue provides tables, chairs, and stage for your dining convenience and the staff will help with setup and cleanup upon request. All three banquet halls are equipped with audio and sound systems that can be used by bands and DJs or during the toasts. For your convenience, there is ample parking available at our location.
Our waterfront views are sure to make your celebration that much more spectacular. You can also view our venue on The Knot and WeddingWire!
