Looking for a wedding venue for your special day but find it difficult narrowing down your options? With so many choices out there, deciding which venue would fit your needs best can be complicated – unless you know exactly what to look for.

If you want to make it a little bit easier on yourself when choosing a wedding venue, here are 8 criteria you need to consider:

1.  Capacity

Needless to say the venue you choose needs to be large enough to accommodate your entire guest list. Don’t forget to also ensure there’s enough space for guests to mingle and dance.

It is worth noting that sometimes renting out a space that is too large for your crowd may not be a good idea either. It’ll spread people out, make the crowd look sparse, and will definitely throw a spanner in the works if you were going for an ‘intimate’ setting.

2.  Aesthetic

The overall style and aesthetic of the venue you choose should live up to the vision that you have in mind for your wedding. Naturally this is completely down to personal preference, but browsing the selection on Breezit or other wedding venue platforms may give you a better idea of the options available.

3.  Cost

The cost of the venue you choose needs to be within your budget. Keep in mind that venues quote their prices differently, so you should check what’s included in their price quote and determine exactly how much you’ll need to pay.

In most cases the venue budget will take up anything from 15% to 35% of your total wedding budget – depending on whether catering and other rentals are included.

4.  Location

Location is far more important than most people realize and you should think carefully about whether or not the venue you choose is someplace convenient. Ask yourself how people will travel there, whether there’ll be traffic, and if there’s accommodation nearby for guests that need it.

Also check that there is ample parking available – either within the venue or convenient walking distance of it.

5.  Catering

If you’re catering from the venue itself, the quality of the food needs to meet you expectations. Additionally you should check that the catering includes options for any of your guests who may have different dietary needs.

Assuming you want a food tasting, you may need to pay extra for it. Some venues may host periodic open tasting sessions for clients who have already booked their venue.

6.  Amenities

The venue you choose should provide amenities that you need such as restrooms, dressing rooms, furniture, linen, a sound system, lighting, and so on. If they are not provided you’ll have to engage outside vendors so you’ll need to know in advance.

7.  Curfew

Although all venues will specify the duration that you are renting the venue and will include it in the contract, there is typically a certain amount of flexibility (subject to possible overtime charges). However in some cases the venue may have a hard curfew due to noise ordinances or for some other reason – and you should check whether one is present.

8.  Weather Contingency

If you’re hosting an outdoor wedding, think about what will happen should it rain, snow, or if its excessively windy. Some venues will have a contingency plan that you can rely on should that happen that will either consist of an indoor space on-site that is large enough, or at very least a covered outdoor area.

Conclusion

By looking closely at each of the criteria listed above, you should be able to start narrowing down the options available – at least to two or three good choices. Once you get to that point, you can arrange for venue tours so you are able to actually walk through each one of them, ask the venue coordinator questions, and get all the information you need to make a final decision.

All said and done the more thorough you are when evaluating wedding venues, the less likely you are to end up having to deal with unpleasant surprises in the future that could lead to disappointments on the day of the wedding itself.