You have the Who, but now Where?

Yay! You are engaged! He put a ring on it, you called your mom, you cried and squealed with your besties and popped the champagne. But now what? I’m guessing you hit Pinterest and were instantly overwhelmed by mood boards and possibilities and options and now your head is swimming and you are pretty sure you will need rob a bank to make it happen.

Now is the time to slow down and start making lists. I always recommend sitting down and having a real conversation about your budget before you do ANY planning. Once you know your numbers, you need to know your priorities. I recommend writing down all of the elements of the wedding and ranking them in order of importance for you. For some, having a beautiful location is tops. For others it’s all about the food and throwing the party of the century. Obviously I vote for the photographs. It was the number one priority for us when we got married and our photographer got the biggest chunk of our budget. I will cover what to look for in your dream vendors in another post, but for now you need to know how much to allocate for each category. 

Let’s start with picking your venue. 

Once you know what you can spend, it's time to hit the pavement, or the search bar, and book your venue. These places book up fast, so unless you have a ‘must’ date in your heart, I recommend being flexible with your dates and picking a location before you lock in your date. It can be easier to look for a place that has your month or even season available than a particular Saturday in June. When booking your location, keep in mind what is important to you. Look for a place that offers the views you want, that goes well with the vision you have in mind and that can accommodate your guest count. And don't be afraid to think outside the box! There are some super cool spaces out there that offer wedding services that you may have never even considered, such as dance studios, wineries and even some libraries.

Make sure to tour your venue at the time of day you are hoping to have your event. You want to make sure your guests won't be staring straight into the sun during your vows or that parking will be scarce just as your guests start arriving. If you can't tour during the season of your wedding, ask to see pictures during other times.    

Some venues are ‘all inclusive’ with others offer a BYO style. It’s really up to you, as there are benefits to both options. There is a real ease and convenience with those all inclusive venues, and if you want the full wedding package, they can often be a big money saver versus piecing all of your vendors together. Just make sure that you are happy with all of the options available and you get a clever list of what is included and what will be expected of you. 

If you are more of a DIY couple, then a BYO might be best for you, especially if you are looking for some more non-traditional setup or have your hearts set on a certain type of food or experience. It can be more work on your end, but it allows your personalities to really shine through. 

When you have found your dream spot, its time to lock it down. Most places will have very comprehensive contracts for you to sign, so what do you need to be on the lookout for to make sure you are covered? 

1. Make sure everything is correct. Double check name spellings and triple check the date. Yes, typos do happen and a 12 instead of a 21 would be an absolute disaster. 
2. Include all the little details. Often when you are touring the space you and the representative will be discussing things like where tables go, what can be plugged in where, etc. Make sure these little things end up in the contract. You don't want to show up on you wedding day and realize they set up the wedding party table instead of the couples table, or forgot how you wanted your layout and now your groomsmen are moving furniture in suits. Include a diagram! 
3. Setup info, including a name and how to get in touch with your site representative, as well as their backup person. 
4. An itemized list of all your costs, including setup and cleanup, as well as any info for overages, such as an extra hour or extra cleaning fees. Get every single penny accounted for. I learned this one the hard way! My venue charged on a scale for guests .After all was said and done they ended up bumping us to the next tier of guests, without telling us, and charged us a couple of hundred dollars extra. I ended up having to dispute this charge by showing crowd shots from my photographer and literally counting how many people came. NOT ideal. 

Your venue may provide a list of preferred vendors. These can be great time savers, but it is important to know that some venues will give you a list of vetted professionals they have had good experiences with before, while for others, the vendor list is actually more of an advertisement that vendors can be put on for a fee. Just as about the venue's experiences with their vendors, but don’t be afraid to bring in your own people. 

If you are feeling simply overwhelmed with your options, don’t be afraid to reach out! There are plenty of groups on the internet and brides are always willing to offer their venue ideas and can share pictures to help you visualize it. Also, photographers are a great source, we have seen a lot of places and can help you find something absolutely perfect! 

What's your dream venue here in Colorado?