Performing at the amount of wedding receptions that we do each year, we end up seeing a lot of venues.  It seems like we’ve played everywhere – conference centers, hotels, backyards, barns, state fair buildings, art galleries, country clubs, and everywhere in between.  And it seems every vendor we’ve met along the way has their idea of what makes a great venue:

• Caterers generally prefer a larger room that makes set up and tear down of food areas easier and allows traffic to flow smoother
• Photographers will be interested in lighting, both interior and exterior, so they can know how to plan their shots and know how the venue will look when the sun sets through the windows.
• And your favorite wedding band will always be happy with a dance floor area, reliable power supply, and the ability to park their trailer as close to the building as possible. 😉

There are thousands of factors that can go into the right venue for your event, and every venue will have their own unique appeal, be it room size (the difference between comfortably housing 100 or 400 people), scenery (a winery or a city background), accommodations (hotel rooms, in-house catering, included bar), and especially pricing.

Here are a few recommendations as to how to get everything you’re looking for and a price that works with your budget:

Check out venues by yourselves first

While it seems tempting to bring along an entourage to go through a location, consider scouting your venues without outside influence first.  See what catches you and your partner’s attention and learn about what you both are interested in for a venue.  Friends and family can offer invaluable input once you head on-site to meet with an event planner, but with the internet and a “must-have” list, you can get a lot of the narrowing down out of the way before making that first phone call.

Make the search easy

Speaking of the internet, get familiar with a variety of searches without getting to specific at first.  On a lot of the essentials, a venue is a venue, and at this point in the hunt you’re looking more at aesthetic than anything.  Check out search results for “best wedding venue in Springfield” or “wedding reception reviews”.  Additionally, don’t be afraid to check out and even reach out to venues that you think might be above and beyond what you can afford.  You never know what kind of in-house packages (decorations, catering, hotel packages, etc) they might offer that would come out at the same price or less if you pieced out these things on their own.

Consider a different day

We’ve been noticing an enormous amount of requests for receptions happening on dates other than a traditional Saturday evening.  Is your dream venue booked on your preferred date or priced out of budget?   Consider a Sunday reception as an alternative.  No venue wants to have space not being used and is usually willing to offer a discount on being able to do two events in a weekend instead of just one.  And if that isn’t all, vendors usually have the same policy.  Speaking for Fun DMC, we will happily offer a lower rate for a Sunday wedding and we have worked with photographers who do the same.

Don’t compromise, but…

Aside from what I mentioned above about a possible alternative date, don’t be afraid to walk away from a wedding venue if it isn’t what you’re looking for.  Remember that “must-have” list?  If a venue can’t check that off, then they aren’t the location for you – and that’s okay!  Make sure you do your due diligence and meet with their event planner and make clear what your vision is.  They are in the business of making your dream event come true and want nothing more than your referral and review (and also a check, if we’re being honest).

That isn’t to say there aren’t alternative arrangements that can be made either – for example, a couple we worked with was determined to have a country wedding in a beautifully restored barn in the middle of nowhere.  Unfortunately, the venue didn’t have the bathroom capacity that would be required for 200+ guests.  The planner stepped in and was able to make sure that there would be nice portable facilities made available for the event so the couple could book the venue without having to compromise on a different venue that may not have met their vision.  To summarize, for what you’re planning on paying, absolutely don’t budget on your requirements. But give the venue a chance to help come up with a solution that might even be better than what you had originally planned.

 

Fun DMC has relationships worked out with almost every established wedding venue in the Springfield area and beyond and would love to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.  Overall though, as long as you’re with friends and family, and are now officially spending the rest of your lives together, it’s hard to go wrong in finding a wedding venue that will meet your needs.  Happy hunting!