Choosing a Venue and Why you Should also Elope!
Choosing a venue. Selecting the right venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as you plan your wedding. Not only will you need to account for logistical considerations (accommodating your anticipated number of guests, convenience, catering options, etc.), but you’ll also want to really love the space, the surrounding area, and the vibe. After all, this is where you and your guests will be spending your time. It is also where you’ll be getting most of your wedding photographs, so ideally, it should have plenty to offer as scenic photography backdrops. While it is possible to hop in a car and go somewhere else nearby for photographs, that isn’t always a realistic option with time constraints. So, first and foremost, make sure you absolutely love the location. If it is near other great photographic locations (nature parks, historic buildings or downtown areas, scenic views or waterfront, forest, open fields, etc.), then that is a definite huge plus and may be worth a little extra cost. If you find yourself with few options but to book a venue with “limited” photographic possibilities, consider allocating an hour or two for a trip during the wedding day to go somewhere beautiful and scenic. You’ll be glad you did! And here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, you generally don’t need to go far to find natural beauty. Usually, something spectacular is within a 15-20 minute drive, or less.
Secondly, if possible, make sure it has a bride prep room – a place where you and your ladies can get ready, starting with hair & makeup. It really does make it a lot easier when you don’t have to do all of that at a nearby hotel room and then pack everything up to travel to your venue. Since the bride prep room is where you’ll be getting your “getting ready” photographs, hopefully the venue has put some effort into making the space look nice and uncluttered, with windows, mirrors, and some furnishings that fit the style of the venue. It is great if the guys have a space at the venue too – or at least to store their things and then get ready outside or in a courtyard. When everyone can get ready at the venue, it saves a ton of time (and the time and stress of moving everyone and everything) and it also almost always provides a better setting for getting ready photographs than a cramped hotel room would.
Ask your venue about flexibility with hours. There is a frustrating trend where venues try to book multiple weddings for the same space on the same day! I am not a fan of this at all! This means couples often have to seek additional venues for crucial parts of their wedding day. You may be forced to get ready somewhere else, or split the ceremony and reception in different locations, etc. The primary exception to this would be a church wedding ceremony. Typically, you will have the church for about 2 hours, and while this may add some logistical complications, the benefits of having a church ceremony often outweigh the hassle of additional time and planning. Churches are absolutely gorgeous ceremony spaces and are ideal for incorporating your religious background into your wedding.
Quick tip: unless you are planning on a church ceremony, you’ll want to have everything in one place if at all possible. The less travelling you have to do, the better!
Consider adding an Adventure Elopement (in addition to your formal ceremony)!
Imagine, your wedding gown blowing in a gentle breeze, his arms around you, breathtakingly beautiful Pacific Northwest scenery stretching out before you…
If you’re on a tight budget and want the benefits of a gorgeous natural setting without the cost that a high-end venue can entail, consider adding an adventure elopement to your package! Your adventure elopement need not replace your formal or traditional ceremony and/or reception – you can do both! Because elopements involve only a small group of people (or just yourselves, a witness, and an officiant), they are great for any budget. Wait, what??? Elopement??? YYESS!!!!! Remember, this can be in addition to your formal wedding ceremony, just on a separate day. The only cost to head into the mountains for an incredible intimate ceremony in an absolutely gorgeous, scenic location could end up costing less than $1000 total! (generally just the cost of transportation along with hair & makeup and photography that day)! I’m having a hard time imagining it could ever cost more than about $2500 at the very most, even if you add some floral bouquets and crown, and take everyone out for a nice dinner afterwards. Yep, for very little cost, you’ll be able to get married at a location that is far more beautiful than what you’ll find at any expensive venue out there, no matter how much you pay. In fact, even though the elopement will cost a little bit of money, it can ultimately end up saving you money in the long run when you consider how much fancy venues can cost.
An elopement can be worked into just about any wedding schedule since it is on a separate day. It will save you time on your wedding day (since you’ll already have been to an absolutely gorgeous location for photographs of the two of you!), so you won’t need to allocate quite as much time for bride & groom photographs on the formal ceremony day, saving you money. When you think about it, it really does make sense, both creatively and financially. Rather than forking over so much money for a fancy venue, consider adding an adventure elopement!
Elopements are also a great way to satisfy a love of urban weddings and your adventurous side that loves the outdoors here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The mountains here are so gorgeous! Have your formal wedding ceremony and reception in Seattle and an adventure elopement at Mount Rainier or at a scenic mountain lake on a separate day, for example!
Want to save money? I love adventure elopements so much that I give my couples a discount on the extra photography time! Heading into the mountains in your wedding gown??? It is going to be so beyond epic!!!! Let’s do it!!!
Don’t compromise on wedding photography. I actually wrote an entire 2-part blog series about this very subject a few years ago because I believe very strongly about this. I don’t want to scare you, but stories abound of couples that entrusted this extremely important task to a friend just starting out or a budget photographer (it was so cheap, how could we not!), only to be super disappointed… Remember, after everything is consumed, taken down, and put away, the only things you’ll have to remember your wedding day will be the photographs. So if you spend tons of money on all of the various aspects of your wedding from flowers and décor to dress, hair, makeup, venue, entertainment, cake, etc., but compromise on your wedding photography to save money, it is really taking a HUGE gamble…! My advice would be to cut costs elsewhere if you have to, but don’t sacrifice your wedding photography. Hire a photographer whose work you love and who has the experience, skill, and artistic vision to capture your wedding as beautifully as you can possibly imagine it to be. Even if you have no wiggle room, an extra thousand or two may seem like a lot now, in the long run, it won’t matter. But the photographs certainly will!
Delegate responsibilities to your bridesmaids & groomsmen. There are so many little tasks that need to be done and you definitely don’t need to be spending your wedding day worrying about them or running around doing them. Ask your friends to help out! After all, you would do the same for them. Jobs for the wedding party include things like setting up the guest sign-in area, helping guests take their seats at the ceremony (great job for the groomsmen), delivering notes and gifts to you and your fiancé on the morning of your wedding day, picking up lunch for the guys or the ladies, driving you around for photographs, or taking care of the bride’s outfits (dress, shoes, jewelry, etc.) especially if you have to move locations during the day. Delegate so that you have less to worry about and can enjoy your wedding day. Afterwards, don’t forget to thank your friends and offer to help out on their big day too!
I hope you have enjoyed this wedding planning guide series. If you’re planning a wedding and have any questions about something you’ve read here, or even something I may have missed, feel free to reach out. I would love to hear from you and I’m happy to answer questions!