How To Choose A Wedding Venue—When You Can't See It In Person!
It's like meeting your venue on a dating app.
While a global pandemic keeps us all sheltered at home, the power of technology helps us feel connected. And it makes it possible to continue wedding planning from the comfort of our couch!
Plus, if there's one silver lining to being quarantined, it's that we're forced to get creative. And who better to get creative than the wedding industry?
Now more than ever, wedding venues are offering one-on-one virtual site tours via FaceTime, Skype, or Duo. You can virtually "walk" through the event spaces with the venue's on-site coordinator, talk through what your wedding could look like at their location, ask questions, and address concerns as they come up in real time.
Whether you're wedding planning during the COVID-19 pandemic or simply wanting to view venues in a far-flung location, what better way to find your ideal event space from home than with a live virtual site tour?
Here's how to choose a wedding venue—when you can't see it in person!
Chez | JD Lee Photography
1. Lay out your non-negotiables
Before booking a site tour of any kind, it's important to decide on your must-haves. For example: How many guests will the venue need to accommodate? Do they have an outdoor space for your ceremony? Will they allow you to BYO alcohol? What's their curfew?
We recommend having a general idea of at least your budget, guest count, desired geographic location and wedding date range before beginning your venue search. Getting your highest priorities in order first will make the process of finding your ideal venue MUCH more simplified and streamlined.
2. Nail down your budget
If you still need to figure out your finances, we recommend starting with these 6 Simple Steps To Setting A Wedding Budget. We know you'd rather skip this step and go straight to the site tours, but having a budget in mind before starting your venue search is key! You don't want to fall in love with a place that will bust your bank account entirely, so sit down with your fiancé and crunch those numbers.
Since your venue has the potential to take a healthy bite out of your overall wedding budget, you'll want to not only have a dollar amount in mind for how much you're able to spend, but also be sure to factor in some extra cushion for unanticipated costs—like service fees, parking fees, additional rentals, etc.
3. Start your initial research on Here Comes The Guide
If you weren't already aware, we've got thousands of wedding venues listed on our website! We're super Type-A, too, which means that we've organized them in every way imaginable—from wedding venues by style (barns, and ballrooms, and beaches – oh my!), to wedding venues by state, and even things like all-inclusive venues and small wedding spaces for guest lists under 50!
You can then filter these venue lists down even further by refining by budget, capacity, catering options, alcohol options, and more. View gorgeous photo galleries, get special offers, see pricing and package information, and shoot off an email right from the venue's profile page. Boom.
4. Narrow down your top choices
Reach out to the venues on your A-list to see if they have dates available in your desired time of year, and if they'd work within your budget. Once you have a few venue options that fit the bill, schedule those site tours!
Now, because you're reading this article we're going to assume you're unable to do a site tour in person. And that's TOTALLY okay! Actually, there are lots of unique advantages to doing a live virtual site tour: You can do it from the comfort of your own home, you can screenshot or record portions of the tour for future reference, and you can share these recordings with parents or anyone else involved in the decision-making process. (More on this below!)
Since we're all currently quarantined, venue coordinators are not only welcoming, but embracing these virtual site visits! Let them know the device you'll be using (e.g. you'll both need iPhones to FaceTime or Androids to Duo) and coordinate the details when it comes to syncing up your apps and scheduling the actual appointment.
Red Gate Farms
5. Make the most of your live tour
Here's how a virtual site tour usually goes: The on-site coordinator will use FaceTime, Skype or Duo to connect with you, and will most likely begin the "tour" with a quick consultation. They want to get to know you as a couple, your love story, your vision for the wedding day, and your style and preferences! Once the consultation is over, they'll hold their phones up to give you a panoramic view of each event space as they walk you through the property in real time.
A few pro tips for your virtual wedding venue tour:
- If possible, try to schedule your virtual tour during the day so you can easily see the event spaces in natural light. Even if you want an outdoor ceremony at sunset, it gets difficult to see details on a phone screen in dark or dusky lighting.
- Make sure your phone or other digital device is fully charged, and that you have a snappy connection!
- Have the "tour" in an area of your home where you can focus. Turn off the TV, limit other distractions, and get cozy with a cup of coffee. Dedicate at least 45 minutes to an hour for this tour, depending on the size of the venue.
- If your on-site coordinator is okay with it, why not record the site tour? Most phones have the option to record your screen. (Just practice beforehand to ensure you capture the video and sound.) You can also snap photos with the FaceTime Live Photos option, or simply take screenshots of key details.
- Ask questions. And no, not just a few questions. Ask all of the questions! When you can't see a venue in person, you want to be extra thorough in your communications. And if you're not sure what to ask, we got you! Print out our comprehensive list of Questions To Ask A Wedding Venue and keep it handy during your site tour.
- Ask for references. If you don't feel like you got the full picture of the venue and what it would be like to host your wedding there, don't be afraid to ask the coordinator for references. Chatting with couples who recently tied the knot at that same location can help fill in any blanks.
6. Use Google Maps
Yes, you love the venue itself. But is it an easy trek from the airport, or close to the hotels you're securing room blocks at? You don't want anything that's too off-the-beaten path for your guests' sake—and when you can't visit the location yourself, Google Maps can be your best friend.
THE SPRINGS in Wallisville | Ulises Reyes Photography
7. Share with your VIPs
One of the best things about a virtual tour is that you can share it with your nearest and dearest! You wouldn't bring 10 people to an in-person site tour, but you can easily share a virtual one with the group! (Again, check with the venue coordinator to be sure they're comfortable with you recording and/or sharing the tour with friends or family.) Whether it's a few screenshots or a full 45-minute video, your VIPs will love getting a behind-the-scenes look at your potential venue.
8. Do a gut check
If the venue has all of your must-haves and fits your budget, there's just one more box to check: How did you feel during your site tour? Did you have a connection with the site rep? Did they answer all of your questions and seem open to your vision and ideas? Did they seem excited about your big day, and the prospect of working with you?
If the general answer to these questions is a resounding no, then you should continue searching. You want to feel valued and heard during the wedding planning process, so trust your gut and ultimately book the venue that not only checks all the boxes, but also makes you feel taken care of.
9. Make it official
You may have had more than one virtual (or in-person!) site visit, so now's the time to sit down with your fiancé and compare notes. Write out your pros and cons of each venue, review the small print on any paperwork, and compare your options until you're able to declare a winner. Sweet victory!
But remember, it's not a done deal until you sign a contract. Have the on-site coordinator go over all the details with you, ask about the fine print, and make sure everything you verbally agreed to during the site tour is written in black & white. No matter what someone told you about the availability of a dance floor, the price of those upgraded crossback chairs, or use of the ceremony arch, you can't hold the venue to it until the contract is signed.
Once you feel comfortable with what's written in the contract, read through it again—sans pressure—in the comfort of your own home before you and your fiancé sign on that dotted line.
Congrats, you've virtually booked your venue! Now go to the kitchen and pop that bottle of champs you've been saving.
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Some clients may have paid to be placed in our editorial and some of these links may be affiliate; however, we never include a venue, vendor, or product unless they have a proper place here. This is part of our Core Values. We create our website first and foremost to be good for the couples using it to plan their Big Day. We won't stray from that for a few advertising dollars. #scoutshonor