7 TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING VENUE

As the reception venue is less flexible in terms of availability than other providers, choosing the venue is usually the first step when organizing your wedding. Caterers normally have teams which allow them to do several weddings at the same time. For the reception venue, it’s not the same story because there are only 4 weekends in the month, so 4 weddings possible on weekends. If you plan to get married on a weekend in the middle of summer, we advise you to book your venue as soon as possible. Due to higher demand, the price for privatizing the venue is often more expensive on weekends than on weekdays. Sometimes you can find slightly cheaper rates on Fridays than on Saturdays, so feel free to ask or to negotiate.

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 has shaken things up as many couples had to postpone their wedding to a later date. Some had no choice but to postpone their wedding to the weekdays, due to the reception venue’s lack of availability. This is why it is urgent to book your venue before other providers. Reception venues often work with exclusive service providers. They will therefore be able to advise you on trusted service providers, which will make it easier for you in your research.

1. CHOOSE THE LOCATION OF THE RECEPTION SITE

To avoid unnecessary gasoline costs but especially travel times between the City Hall and the reception venue, choose a location close to your City Hall. Conversely, if you have a crush on a place, try to get married in a City Hall near it. Ideally, choose a location that is not too far from the area where the majority of your guests is located. This will allow your guests to enjoy the evening longer. When appropriate, choose a reception venue that has beds on site to ensure the safety of your guests and to enjoy the evening until the end of the night!

Access to the venue is not to be left to chance. It is important to take into account roads’ lighting to ensure the safety of your guests who are at risk of leaving late at night and drinking alcohol. If you want a firework for your wedding, your reception venue cannot be located in the city center unless you have permission from the City Hall. In all cases, the City Hall must be systematically kept informed in the event of fireworks and it must be fired before 11 p.m.

2. VALIDATE THE DATE AT THE CITY HALL BEFORE BOOKING THE WEDDING VENUE

Since the availability of a reception venue is limited, it is best to book it once you have a date validated by the City Hall. Unlike other providers, reception venues cannot host multiple weddings at the same time (unless the venue has several separate spaces). As a result, places can run out very quickly, especially if you choose to get married on a Saturday in high season. Although it varies depending on City Halls, it can take several weeks to get a wedding date. If you book your reception venue before having a validated date from the City Hall, it is not guaranteed that they will give you the date of your reservation. You will then have to modify your booking at the venue but after waiting several weeks to finally get a date, you will no longer be certain that the place is available on the City Hall’s date. You will have two options: request the refund but you may loose your deposit or celebrate your wedding twice, which is not very practical from an organizational point of view!

3. DEFINE THE NUMBER OF GUESTS BEFORE CHOOSING THE WEDDING VENUE

Before you jump right into booking the venue, make sure it can accommodate the right number of guests. The room should neither be too big because you risk feeling lost with your guests and you will have a feeling of coldness, nor that the room be too small. Consider that the caterer’s butlers can easily move between tables. Also make sure the dance space is large enough to accommodate all your guests. Without including the dance space, it usually takes around 1 sqm per person to be comfortable in a reception room. If you have 100 guests, the room must be at least 150 sqm with the dance floor. If you have planned activities such as an orchestra in the room, plan a minimum of 200 sqm.

To avoid making mistakes, ask for the room’s plan and place your tables, dance space and the DJ’s location. Remember to include electrical outlets on your plan to place the DJ in the right place. Also pay attention to the location of emergency exits in the room. Establishments open to the public are required to have emergency exits and their number depends on the room’s size. You will therefore not be able to place a table in front of emergency exits and will have to leave some space in case of incident.

4. CHOOSE A PLACE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR WEDDING THEME

It is important to have your wedding theme in mind in order to book a venue that matches your theme. If you choose the rustic theme, a farmhouse will be more suitable than a castle. Conversely for a princely wedding theme, the farmhouse will not be the best choice. To help you find the theme of your wedding, we have prepared a little quiz for you. By answering a few questions, we assign you a theme that matches your personality. To save time in your decoration research, we will send you a personalized selection by email so that you can find them in our online store.

5. CHOOSE A PLACE WITH MULTIPLE ROOMS OR AN EXTERIOR

It is very important to keep a traffic order in mind when visiting the reception venue. You need to project yourself as if you are on your wedding day and ask yourself the following questions. Where are my guests going to arrive? Where am I going to arrive with my spouse/husband? Where is the parking lot? Where will the cocktail take place? Am I going to do a wedding ceremony? Do I need a room to get dressed on site? Where are the toilets? Where is the reception room compared to the catering office / kitchen? Where will providers get in and out? If there are beds, how far are they from the reception room? Does the place have a children’s room? These questions are essential to ensure the smooth running of your evening.

To make sure guests get surprised when they enter the reception room where most of your wedding evening will take place, consider setting the cocktail in a different room or space. This space should be large enough to accommodate all your guests. If you choose to get married in summer, the Wine of Honor can be organized outside if possible, but if you are getting married in winter, an additional room is essential. It is the same if you wish to have a wedding ceremony on site. A dedicated space must be allocated for the ceremony. Toilets should be close to the room but not too much to avoid any odors. To make sure dishes are served hot, the reception room should not be located too far from the catering office or the kitchen. These two spaces must be located on the same floor to prevent servers from going up or down stairs with dishes in their hands. Drama guaranteed! If you have a lot of children among your guests (even if there aren’t too many children on your wedding list yet, there may be some between the time you book the venue and the wedding day), plan a children’s room and one or more babysitters. Make sure that this room is not too far from the main room for parents and avoid stairs.

6. NEGOTIATE

If you’ve found your dream location and are about to make your reservation, now is the time to talk about money! It is often possible to negotiate with reception venues by asking either for a small price drop, especially if you have planned to take their providers, or by asking for gifts. Each place has its own way of working, but you can request sleeping arrangements for the bride and groom if you wish to stay and sleep on site after the event. If you want to spend the entire weekend at the reception venue, you can try to negotiate Sunday. Some places offer different prices depending on the day of the week. Even if you absolutely want to get married on Saturday to avoid being tired the next day, it is sometimes possible to take advantage of more affordable or negotiable rates on Friday. If your budget is very tight, availability is much more flexible on weekdays and you can therefore rent the venue at a discount rate.

Some places have different prices depending on the season. During the high season (from May to September), prices are the highest while you can have discounts in the low season (from November to March). Remember that whoever tries nothing has nothing!

7. DON'T FORGET TO ASK ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

To avoid unpleasant surprises on D-Day, we help you ask the right questions during visits. If things are said in advance, you won’t be surprised to see items on your final bill billed at exorbitant prices. We list the essential questions below:

Are providers imposed by the location?
If the choice of caterer is free, is there an extra cost? Some places may ask for a supplement if the caterer is unknown because by not knowing his way of working, they prevent possible damages to equipment or dirt.
Does the place impose a corkage fee? Some places charge a supplement for bottles of alcohol brought by clients.
Where are located electrical outlets in the room? This request is important if you have planned activities that require electricity.
Are there any prohibited things in the room? Of course, smoking is often the case, but if you have thought of cold fires to announce the wedding cake, it may be forbidden.
Are animals allowed?
Are cleaning costs included?
Is the furniture provided? Think about tables and chairs in the reception room, but also in other rooms you can use and outside. Also think about tables for buffets.
What is the departure time? This question should be clearly distinguished with the time the music must stop.
Is there a rate for overtime and what is it?
Do providers have to remove their equipment the same evening or the next day?
Is there a security service within the place?
Does the place have dishes on site? If the caterer leaves before the end of your evening, he often leaves with his equipment and drinks, so be sure to bring something to last until the end of the evening.
Is there a sound limiter in the room? It is legally required and is usually set at around 90 decibels. Ask for details of alerts before the sound cuts out completely.
How many cars can the place accommodate?
Does the place have a children’s room? A room for the bride to change in the evening? Make sure the place has enough space for all your activities.
Is there a place to throw the garbage on site or should you leave with your waste?
How many sleeps does the place have? Are sheets and towels included?
Is there air conditioning or heating in the room?

Other questions will certainly emerge during the visit depending on the place, but you already have a good basis for choosing your reception venue. Remember that services of the place will be part of your wedding decor so make sure of the quality of the place. The feeling that you have with the person in charge of the place is also essential because this person will be with you during the wedding and will coordinate the providers if you have chosen those of the reception venue, unless a wedding planner is present on site. The area, activities within the place and the setting are assets for the smooth running of your evening so make sure that the place is as magical as you hope. Unfortunately, the backdrop is not always what you see at first glance on a visit, so feel free to ask all questions necessary to make your wedding a special memory.