Venue Selection in West Michigan: What Your Planner Wants You To Know
Hooray! You just got engaged and you are so freaking excited!
You know that your first step needs to be choosing your wedding date, and therefore your venue.
But woof, this feels like a big step.
Everything else depends on this decision. Which dress you choose, which vendors you book, your invitations, everything.
It’s very normal for this part to feel overwhelming. In fact, I often inform my couples that choosing the date and venue is actually the hardest part of wedding planning.
I recommend shopping for a full-service wedding planner first, if this is within your vision and budget. We specialize in venue selection and do all of the leg work for you so you can just enjoy a few tours and zero confusion.
However, if you are sourcing your own venue, we’ve got you!
I’m here to empower you with tons of knowledge so you can breathe easily through this decision and know you are making the right choice.
#1. Start by knowing the answers to these questions BEFORE you even begin to research venues.
The key here, is to “know” the answers but remain open and flexible if possible
What time of year would you like to get married in West Michigan?
How long of an engagement would you like to have
General guest count (think approx under 50, 50-100, 100-150, or 200+)
Location of wedding (Do you want a lakeshore wedding, downtown vibes, outdoor?)
“Style” of wedding (formal, rustic, industrial, eclectic, ballroom)
Ceremony on-site or off-site (are you considering a church, or would you prefer everything happen in one space)
Overall Budget (having a “maximum spend” number for the entire wedding is very helpful at this stage)
#2. Do Your Research
We recommend only touring about 2-5 venues.
You definitely don’t want to schedule 15 venue tours, this would be overwhelming. Start by researching and ruling things out.
Here are some things to consider when doing your research:
-Get pricing and inclusions first
-Have a phone convo with the venue. Ask yourself; how friendly were they, how knowledgeable were they, did they readily answer all of your questions, do they have dates available?
-Look up photos, check out their social media, and stalk their website
-Get reviews; check google, facebook, and The Knot. Reviews are huge
#3. Be prepared
Consider only visiting a handful of venues at most. You don't want to drag this process out too long or visit too many and get confused. Use my free checklist to take notes during your tour. Consider seeing all of your venues within the same day/weekend in order to make a quick and educated decision.
#4. Bring all decision makers
It’s ok to tour once with just yourself and your fiance. But if your parents are the ones paying, bring all decision makers to the tour. Then you can be ready to grab your date and contract asap. When I ran venues, sometimes a date would be booked up before the couple could get back in for their second tour, so don’t hesitate to bring those who are wielding the checkbook. It’s also worth stating, having too many on your tour can be a distraction. Consider your fiance and just a handful of important family members or friends.
#5. Be ready
Which brings me to your last point. Be ready to move forward if you love it. Dates book up fast, rates go up, and you can't book any other vendors or plan until you have your date. Be ready to sign, and pay.
But please, please, please, READ YOUR CONTRACT!!
Ask questions. Negotiate if you must.
But don’t ever sign and pay until you have fully read and UNDERSTAND your contract. These contracts are not just for the venue but to protect you as well.
So there you have, a map to success for touring venues like a Boss!
Get my free venue tour checklist by filling out a contact form. I’ll email the pdf asap for you to print and use as many as you would like.
Happy Touring!
xoxo,
Kristen
