Location Spotlight: Tips on Picking your Wedding Venue

By: Felici Events

When choosing a location to have your wedding, there are three things that you MUST consider before signing on with the venue.  I often blog about the different types of venues Santa Barbara offers, however, what should you look for specifically to ensure it is the right location to host your BIG day?

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1) GUEST COUNT

1. How many guests are you INVITING (don’t guess on how many will come, your guests will come to see you get hitched and make a vacation out of being in Santa Barbara for a few days)?

Are you planning an intimate wedding or a production for an army of people?  Do/es the venue(s) comfortably accomodate that many guests for each the reception and ceremony locations?

The BIG day is about the happy couple, however, it is worthwhile to take into consideration how your guests and loved ones will fair.  Is it outdoors and elders will be cold, or having to treck to get to the site?

2) What is your BUDGET?

Make a budget.  More often than not I find couples who loved a location and chose it, and did not realize what additional costs were going to have to go into it.  Consider things like transportation of your guests, restrooms, lighting, a generator, rentals and additional labor charges.   Another huge consideration, what is the cost of inclement weather?  In Santa Barbara it is not about rain or shine, but a lot of times, wind plays a factor into the comfort of your guests.

3) Availability

How flexible are you on your date(s)?  A lot of times you can negotiate with a venue for the less popular days of the week or months of the year.  What if they are not available on your exact date, is that negotiable for you?

Wedding and event planners are lifesavers when it comes time to choose your venue.  They are experts at planning for unforeseen events and are familiar with the area.  This means that they are aware of the costs and issues that go along with any venue you may be interested in, as well as, many other options.