The question has been asked, the ring is on your finger and the date has been chosen. It’s time to choose where to hold the most important day 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 meaningful event 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”.

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Let your wedding vision lead the way

It goes without saying that you want your wedding day to have an overall “feel”, right? So if you’re wanting a laid-back, all-natural ceremony with just a few close friends, you probably wouldn’t choose a modern art gallery as your venue.

And on the other side of that coin, 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. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Contact Landerhaven staff to get more information about your wedding venue options.

Your guests matter

When you are choosing a wedding venue, whether you utilize a event venue, event halls, or other venue space 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. If you do manage to fit everyone inside, chances are they would be squished together into pews or tucked into uncomfortable corners on folding chairs. 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. Landerhaven has rooms that fit up to 1,000 people!

When you have your guest list narrowed down to the most important people, have this number ready when you make your venue tour plan. 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 down a forest path or aren’t able to sit outdoors comfortably, you must think about how your venue can accommodate these needs.

Your guests’ comfort is another thing to consider. If you choose an outdoor space, is there shade available in case the sun is very hot? Is there an alternate space in case of inclement weather? Will guests be able to see your ceremony and reception events from every angle in the venue or are there some obstructed viewpoints?

Making sure your guests have a good time is important, but don’t let that be the only thing you think about when choosing a venue. It’s your big day, after all! Look to find a balance between the things you want and accessibility for your guests.

Do some research

As you begin your search for the perfect venue, some simple online research may help you narrow the field.

Not sure where to start? Wedding blogs and forums are a great way to see what other brides have done and what has worked well in different types of venues. These sites can spur your imagination and help you visualize what you want your wedding day to look like.

Once you have a “potential venue list”, search for real weddings that have taken place at those venues. Try doing a quick Google images search by entering “venue name + wedding” into the search bar. You should start finding photographs of past weddings held at the venue location. If you do some more digging, you might even discover links to the vendors these past couples used for their special day.

Looking at real weddings will further help you understand the logistical elements of the venue, as well as give you some photography ideas. Photographers will also post images of weddings they’ve photographed in various locations.

Bonus tip: If you find images you love from a particular venue, keep them in a file on your computer or create a Pinterest board to show your photographer later!

Things 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.

Lighting

Make sure your venue has ample lighting for each stage of your wedding day. You want your photographer able to capture all the important moments. If there isn’t enough lighting, ask the venue if they provide it or if you’d need to rent equipment separately.

On-site coordination

Many venues offer a coordinator dedicated to your event. This can be helpful for knowing the ins and outs of your venue, especially if someone needs something quickly or for vendors that have questions that you won’t have to deal with. Be mindful that a venue coordinator is not your wedding planner.

Vendor restrictions

Ask if your venue has a “preferred” list of vendors or if you can use any vendor you like. If you must use preferred vendors, ask if there is a discount. Similarly, ask if there is a fee for choosing vendors outside the venue’s vetted list. If there is a particular vendor you have your eye on, you’ll want to know if you can hire them to work for your wedding at the venue you choose.

Catering options

If your venue offers in-house catering, ask if you can have a tasting before you choose the menu. If you opt out of in-house catering, ask if there are restrictions on certain foods the venue will allow. Driftwood Catering is Cleveland’s premier special events caterer, headquartered at Landerhaven. You can expect professional and attentive service at every level of your experience with us.

All packages include the meal experience of your choice: Classic bar service for 5 hours, coffee and tea service, tables, chairs, white china, glassware, flatware, basic table linens, napkins, set up team, service staff, cooks, manager, chef, service charge and tax .

View Landerhaven Wedding Packages Here.

Exclusivity

Will your wedding be the only event hosted at the venue that day? If not, you will need to make sure your guests know where and when to find your wedding so nobody gets lost. Having more than one event at your venue could also tie up photo spots depending on how the day is scheduled.

Extend the celebration

Many couples are choosing to make their big day even bigger. Especially if you’re welcoming many guests from far away, a weekend of celebrating makes the event last longer and seem even more special.

Think a welcome dinner for out of town guests, the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party, the reception and even a brunch or gift-opening lunch after the wedding day. If you’re leaning toward hosting a bigger celebration, a venue may give you a discount or package deal for booking multiple events with them.

Contact Landerhaven staff to get more information about your wedding venue options.

Selecting Your Favorite Venue

Once you’ve used your guest list and budget to narrow down your potential venue list, it’s time to schedule some time to visit and tour the venues.

This is a critical step, as you won’t know how a venue truly feels until you’ve been there. You may think you have a top choice in mind, but when visiting find out that it doesn’t give you the same feeling as you had hoped for.

When you visit the on-site coordinator or property manager, make sure to ask the right questions. We have a great list of questions that you can bring along with you for each venue tour so you don’t forget to ask.

Don’t be pressured into choosing the first venue you tour, and don’t sign a contract until you’re sure you’ve found the right place. However, keep in mind that your date is not secured until you’ve signed a contract.

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a wedding venue, but chances are you’ll know when you walk in if it’s right for you. Once the venue is set, the real fun begins!