What Different Types of Venues Have to Offer & Tips for Navigating Your Venue Tours
By Taylor Rhyne, Owner & Event Planner, Lemons & Willow Event Management
You open your computer, you type in “wedding venues near me” and 7,000 Google results bombard you with everything from barns, to country clubs, to AirBNBs and vineyards. What’s a couple to think with all these options? The task of narrowing down a wedding venue can be daunting when it seems like a new venue opens every day. How do you find a venue that matches your vision? And what should you look for when you go for tours?
As a wedding planner, I see couples battling the Google overwhelm regularly when it comes to their venue search. Let’s take a look at the unique offerings specific venue types have that others don’t, and hopefully that will help you narrow down your search!
Barn Venues
The Barn Wedding trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon and there’s a reason why.
Exposed wood, plentiful natural backdrops and the serenity of a simpler way of life surrounding the venue gives barn venues a laid back, natural vibe you don’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for a venue that feels authentic to your Southern roots and gives a homey, natural vibe — a barn venue may be just what you’re looking for.
Restaurants, Bed & Breakfasts and Hotels
Restaurants, bed & breakfasts and hotels with event spaces are unique in the fact that all catering and bartending is handled in-house. These venues offer the simplicity of being a one-stop-shop for many big ticket vendors on your list that may include catering, desserts, bartending and lodging. These venue spaces are typically very neutral and can be easily adapted to your wedding style. If a one-stop-shop is what you’re looking for, you may want to start your search with hotels, bed & breakfasts and restaurants!
Historic Homes
With deep historic roots and a backdrop of an era gone by, estates and manors are a piece of living history that can offer the unique ability to transport your wedding to another time. If you want your wedding to look like the cover of a Jane Austen novel or a Bridgerton garden party, a historic home may be the venue type for you.
Museums
Art, science, history — you name it, a museum can offer it. Museums are such unique venue spaces in that they need little to no decorating, and guests can enjoy perusing the collections during cocktail hour and the reception as an additional form of entertainment. If you’re looking for a very interactive and picturesque venue, museums are a great place to start.
Now that you have an idea of what type of venue to look for, here are five things you need to consider and ask about when going on those initial tours:
Rain Plan - If the worst storm of the year came through on your wedding day, could you still get married there and would you like it? Don’t book a venue where you hate the rain plan, because that’s tempting fate to rain that day.
Hotels Nearby - Are the majority of your guests flying or driving in? Make sure to ask the venue for nearby hotels that you can suggest for guests to stay at, or book a room block at. If there are none, are you willing to ask your guests to fly in, rent a car, and drive an hour to the venue?
Catering Kitchen - Some caterers won’t work at venues that don’t have catering kitchens or prep space, depending on the kind of food that’s being served and how far it is from the caterer’s base kitchen. This can definitely limit your catering options.
Parking - Again, are a lot of people traveling in? Be sure to ask about parking including how many spaces, whether guests will have to pay to park, and if there are any alternative transportation options.
Photo Ops - Does the venue offer a variety of options for photo locations, or will the setting of your wedding album have the same background in every photo?
With these things in mind, go find that venue of your dreams and feel confident in knowing what you want and how you want it!
