How to Choose your Wedding Venue
Wedding venue options and prices in Connecticut
Before you even consider booking your wedding venue, you should daydream and visualize your day. I know many brides-to-be already have mood boards when they get engaged — but it is super helpful to refresh and rewrite what truly matters to you and your partner. Hiring a wedding planner at this stage is not a bad idea. I have wonderful relationships with many wedding planners that can point you in the right direction, based on your budget, style, and wedding vision.
Table of contents
Set your wedding budget
One of the first things to consider is your budget. It is always a good idea to ask the owner or manager what the typical spend is, in addition to looking at their price list. Look at the list of add-ons and consider if they will be necessary to create your dream wedding. Once you have your wedding vision and budget, it is time to look at your ideal dates. Does a crowded dance floor matter a lot to you? Then a booking a Saturday is pretty important, for example.
Estimate the size of your guest list
We’ll look at this in detail a little later but having a ballpark estimate of your guest list will help you narrow it down further.
Look at wedding venue reviews
You should definitely look at reviews too, and not just the ones on Google. Everybody can leave one on Google, but The Knot and Wedding Wire have reviews, mostly from previous couples.
Size matters
Obviously, you don’t want a venue that is too small! But bigger is not always better when it comes to wedding venues. Choosing a venue that is too big can result in it feeling half-empty on your wedding day. Generally, being at around 1/2 to 2/3 capacity will look and feel nice, but you can also look at photos from previous weddings they’ve had and ask them what the guest count was for that wedding. In addition to that, you can also ask if they are able to close off some areas on your day if you really want that venue and worry it might be too big.
Shape matters too
It is not only size that is important when choosing your wedding venue. Some old and historic venues and estates have multiple rooms that will divide your wedding reception up. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, but you probably shouldn’t choose one with 3-4 different rooms and an outside patio space if you want to keep it intimate and have your guests mingle.
Does it have an indoor ceremony option?
Many brides-to-be want to have an outdoor ceremony. If that’s you, it is worth noting that choosing a venue that can accommodate your ceremony inside should it rain heavily on your day is going to keep a lot of stress and anxiety away in the days and weeks before when you will be refreshing the weather app multiple times a day.
How far out from our wedding date should we book a venue?
This depends on which season and day of the week you are getting married. A Saturday in October or May will get booked up much faster than a Sunday in January. If you want a wedding on what will be a popular date, then I’d recommend 15-18 months out, just to be sure. I have October couples book me for photos 12-18 months out, for example. In addition to that, if your desired venue is popular — it’s probably a good idea to book early. Generally speaking, earlier is better when it comes to booking your venue. You can wait a bit to book the rest of your vendors.
Here’s a side note on booking other vendors. Book the vendors first that are ‘one event per day’ — like a photographer or videographer. Those vendors book up faster whereas a florist or a bakery can take on many weddings in a day.
Schedule a few visits
Once you have narrowed your list down to a select few, it is time to schedule in-person visits. Also, be on the lookout for open house days, many venues host them in January and February. Then you can walk around, ask questions, and get a feel for the vendors that frequently work at the venue or are on the preferred vendor list. Talk to the owner/manager and get a feel for them, are they invested in your vision? Do they ask questions about what you are planning? Or are they not really that interested?
Hopefully, you should have a venue that matches your vision, has your day available, is the right size, and has people eager to help you have your best wedding day.
Questions to ask during a venue visit
Here are a few questions you should ask when you’ve narrowed your search to a few venues. These questions are good to ask either on your tour of the place, in a Zoom meeting, or over email.
Are there hotels nearby that you recommend? Do you have deals with any of them?
If you have guests coming in from out of state, you’ll want to make sure they can stay close to your venue, and even better if you can get a discount on hotel room blocks.
What exactly is included in each of your packages? What add-ons do you offer and how much are they?
While this might be questions you ask earlier in the process — it can be good to ask them again to make sure you don’t see any surprise items on your invoice.
Do you have a back-up plan for bad weather? Can you share an example when you had to execute a back-up plan?
Nobody wants rain on their wedding day. Sometimes venues have deals with tent companies that can be done on the day-of so you don’t have to add more stress to your wedding day.
Do you provide in-house catering? Is there a preferred vendor list? Are there any vendors we must use?
Do you want total freedom in planning your wedding or are you willing to go with the options they require?
Are there any restrictions?
Some venues can only serve wine and beer for example. Most venues also have restrictions on what decorations you can bring in, confetti for example.
What is your deposit, cancellation, and refund policy?
Almost all wedding vendors require a non-refundable deposit, but it varies how they deal with cancellations and moving dates. Ask to see a sample contract!
Do you have liability insurance? Do you require other vendors to have it?
Many venues do but if not, then you’ll have to get one yourself. For other vendors, they often purchase a single day liability insurance to cover their working day, but definitely ask.
Do you have any additional fees?
Cake cutting fees, corkage fees, clean up and breakdown fees, for example. Ask to see a sample contract!
How much do wedding venues in Connecticut cost?
As the venue is most often the largest part of a couple’s wedding budget, it’s important to know how much they are on average. According to a study by The Knot — the average cost of a wedding venue across the United States was $10,700. This is also on average about 30% of most couples’ overall budget. This survey included venue rental costs and add-ons such as catering, rentals, linens, wedding cakes, on-site event planners, insurance, and entertainment. Rental-only fees are going to be lower.
Connecticut tends to usually be a little more expensive than the national average. So I looked up 20 wedding venues in Connecticut on Wedding Spot and looked at rental-only prices for a 100-person wedding. That gave me an average price of $12,650 for venues in Connecticut. This is not the full story though, as venues are cheaper on a Tuesday in February and more expensive on a Saturday in September.
Get in touch to book your day!