Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. Obviously you want everything to go well, but whenever you’re hosting an event of this magnitude, it’s crucial to ask the right questions. Here are five things to think about and ask about when planning your special day.
- How traditional do you want to go, and can your wedding venue accommodate your wishes? Wedding culture is trending strongly away from the traditional, though nearly every wedding still includes at least some traditional elements. For example, about 43% of all weddings are no longer officiated by a professional member of the clergy. Instead, they are led by a friend or family member. And while banquet halls, hotels, and country clubs are still very popular places to get married, more and more couples, as many as 40%, now look for unusual venues that say something about their unique personalities. Either way, it’s important to think about how your wedding might differ from the traditional and be sure to hammer out specifics with the banquet space in advance.
- Determine your budget in advance and make sure you’ve asked the venue about the final, all-inclusive cost. When you’re choosing your banquet space or reception venue, you’ll want to be sure to find out what your final cost out the door is going to be. Don’t be afraid to budget in advance and to hold to that budget line when discussing things with a banquet space provider. Ask about packages they offer and what’s included. The Knot recently found via a survey that the average wedding America is costing around $31,000. WeddingWire’s 2017 Newlywed Report came up with a figure of $28,000. Maybe this is why 35% of couples ask for cash rather than gifts off the registry or a traditional wedding gift!
- Find out if your venue has an on-site coordinator or if you’ll need to provide that yourself.. Every banquet space has a person in charge of the space, but not all are willing to function as coordinators of any specific event. Find out whether there’s an event coordinator on-site, and be sure to find out exactly what he or she will be responsible to do. Nothing is worse than assuming that someone is taking care of a vital part of your wedding, only to find out that no one was even thinking about it.
- Be sure to ask about the extra spaces you might need. Your wedding is more than just the banquet. Is there a ceremony space, or will you have to have the ceremony somewhere separate from the banquet space or reception area? What about a private area for the bridal party to dress, rest, and prepare? This is a seemingly simple thing that can be catastrophic if you miss you.
Your wedding is an important and special day. Do all you can to make it perfect by asking all the important questions in advance. That way, your special day will have a great chance of living up to your dreams.