After you have decided to get married, you face the difficult task of finding a suitable location.With many reserved up to two years in advance, don't waste your time.Find out below14 valuable tips that will make the right planning much easier for you.
These five main criteria must be right in any case.
1. How many people do we invite?
A central decision with great importance for the wedding location: Wedding in a small circle or with all friends and relatives? Before you start planning the actual location, you should decide together how many guests you want to invite - because of course the choice of wedding location also depends on this. The guest list is therefore at the beginning.
The larger the wedding party, the more restricted you are when choosing the right location. A wedding in a small circle, on the other hand, allows you a much more flexible selection of locations and options. If you absolutely want to celebrate in a large state hall, the wedding party should not be too small either - otherwise the wedding will get lost in the room. It is also important that the location does not have too many different rooms - otherwise the wedding will be too much.
Tip: You can assume that around ten percent of your guests will cancel. Please note, however, that the wedding location is neither overcrowded nor looks too empty, even if the cancellation rate is lower or higher - because these are absolute mood killers.
At the beginning of the planning is the guest list.
2. How much money do we have available?
In order not to get bankrupt after the wedding, you should calculate in advance how much money is available for what. This topic is not necessarily romantic, but: It doesn't work without budget planning. Before you get down to the specific organization, you should set a money limit for the location.
Tip: Do not plan any funds that you are not sure of. A wedding on the beach in Hawaii with all friends and relatives costs significantly more than the small celebration in the home garden - both can be magical.
3. Where or how would you like to celebrate?
The choice of locations is huge: weddings on the beach, in an old barn, in a castle or even in the wilderness - there is something for every taste. All you have to do is find the perfect location.
After you have agreed on the budget and size, it finally becomes concrete: how do we get married? Would you rather celebrate in a classic way? Then there are natural ballrooms with party service, the dream castle in the area o,r a pavilion in the garden or on the beach. Or do you prefer something unusual? There is a huge selection of exotic desires.
Tip: Ask friends and relatives for recommendations and also ask at the registry offices in your area - they will usually give you valuable suggestions. You can also find a large selection of local locations via Google. Here we recommend calling up a small list of around 5-10 suitable locations and then visit it in person on site. Here you will also find further information for your further planning.
Important: Always convince yourself of the location on site and don't be afraid to bring a catalog of questions with you. This way you can later discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the individual locations in peace and quiet.
4. How close are the church, registry office an guests?
You must also include in your considerations where you will say yes before the start of the celebrations. Is there a registry office and/or a church near your desired location that you like? As a rule of thumb, there should be no more than 15 minutes drive between the place of marriage and the wedding reception.
Free weddings with a professional wedding speaker are also becoming increasingly popular. Here you are of course more flexible but remember to coordinate with the location whether and where a free wedding can be held. Basically, it is of course also important that the wedding is not too far away for the majority of guests to be able to come. For friends and relatives who are traveling further afield, you should organize accommodation in advance.
5. Which location can I book for my wedding?
The date of the wedding must be clarified with the registry office and/or the church as well as the location before you can send the "Save the Date" invitations. Popular locations for getting married are often fully booked very early. It is therefore best to take care of the date and location of the celebrations more than a year before your wedding. Most locations offer the option of making a reservation in advance - at least until a specific booking request is made. Make sure you use this opportunity with your favorites and push ahead with the search for particular appointments and further planning.
6. Don't forget the nine side criteria!
1. Weather alternatives
So that you don't panic over dark clouds, you should have rainproof alternatives. If you are planning an outdoor wedding, you should think about alternatives in advance so that the wedding does not fall through in a storm or rain. The closer the covered alternative is, the better.
2. Catering
Weddings are inextricably linked to good food. For many of your guests, food is the most important criterion for a successful wedding. You should clarify with the organizers whether you can commission your own catering service or whether the food will be provided by the location. In the latter case, you should arrange a rehearsal dinner straight away - and clarify whether vegetarian or vegan alternatives are also provided. The same goes for the wedding cake.
3. Music
No music, no party! This also applies to weddings. Without background music, there is no wedding celebration. Therefore, it is important: Is there space for a band and/or a DJ. Even more important: Is there enough space for dancing? Bad music can ruin an entire wedding. In addition, the DJs should ideally already be familiar with the location and be familiar with all local peculiarities and conditions. For example, if you are allowed to light sparklers, you must be considerate of neighbors/residents, and what acoustic requirements exist on the part of the location, ...
Ideally, the DJ should also have plenty of experience and instinct. Because your most beautiful evening requires a deejay who, with years of experience, knows exactly how to lead a wedding party through the evening, capturing the mood and keeping the dance floor filled. Because this is exactly the challenge for a good deejay. At hardly any other event dos the deejay has to manage to appeal to all generations and all individual music tastes alike with his expertise and intuition and always delivers an individual performance as an all-rounder adapted to the wishes of the guests. Such deejays look back on many years of experience as wedding and event DJs, a long list of different locations, events, and circumstances to which they always had to adapt individually. The same applies to the guests. Through years of experience with different challenges from a constantly changing audience, they learned to sensitively capture the mood of an event and its guests and design it with the right music selection.
Tip: Don't save money at the wrong end. Because for a successful, exuberant party you need a professional. Here you are faced with the choice of finding the right Deejay. You certainly don't want a distant friend with some amateur DJ experience to be responsible for the success of your celebration at Grandma's 70th birthday.
4. Decoration
The decoration of your wedding should be based on the location. It is of course ideal if your decoration wishes can be integrated into the location. Whether you can hire your own florist or you have to use the house florist. Perhaps the room is already designed in such a way that you can only decorate a little later - does the style match what you have in mind? You should also have a look at the lighting by night.
5. House Rules
If you are planning fireworks, you should clarify whether this is even allowed. Is there a closing time? Are there volume restrictions? Are candles allowed? If you do not clarify these questions beforehand, you could experience a short (and quiet) marriage.
6. Parking lots
So that your guests don't spend half the party looking for a parking space, your desired location should have sufficient parking spaces.
Tip: There should be about half as many parking spaces as guests.
7. Accommodation options
If you are celebrating further away from home or invited guests who have to travel a long way, you should check and reserve accommodation. Ideally, the location has rooms for the guests so that they no longer have to drive at night - so you can all experience the most beautiful day of your life together without stress. Alternatives would be, for example, taxi or shuttle services. Simply note the accommodation options directly on the wedding invitation. Also interesting for you as a bridal couple: Is there a honeymoon suite in the location?
8. Other marriages
Depending on the location, it is not uncommon for several weddings to be celebrated parallelly on the same day. It is important that the wedding parties do not get in each other's way, for example with loud music. Clarify this with the location owners.
9. Cleaning
Many locations offer a cleaning service - this saves you the stress of the following day. Ask about security in certain locations if it is in high crowded area, this is often included in the offer.
We wish you every success in finding your dream location and a wonderful wedding. If you have any questions about this topic, comment here or contact us. We are happy to help you.