Wedding How did you pick a venue?

[tropiqalkiwi]

Hi Everyone, I just got engaged recently (!) and am so happy I found this board.

I''m in the early stages of planning and am having problems finding the venue I''m envisioning. I want to have a formal evening wedding, so I did quite a bit of looking at venues advertised as being for weddings. All the traditional options like banquet halls and hotel ballrooms I''ve seen so far don''t strike me as the right fit for my ceremony/reception, most don''t have enough character for the luxurious/quasi vintage look I want. I would love to find a beautiful estate or mansion, but with a 150 person guest list it might be hard to find one big enough.

Did any of you find your venue through another source? Where can I start to look for venues that might be off the beaten wedding path? Any advice for websites that specialize in such places (wedding related or not)? Do I simply need to be less picky?

Thanks!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Hi Tropiqalkiwi! - Great name, by the way!!
Welcome to PS & Congrats on your engagement!!

To answer your question, we found our venue fairly easily b/c we knew that we wanted something on the water and something formal/elegant - we just happened to have the perfect venue that fit the bill in our area. I can imagine how difficult it might be to find something perfect for you when it is not readily available. Frustrating!

A couple of options you might consider are local boards ... i.e., The Knot.com asking people in your area for recommendations or checking out their local venue sites etc. or doing the same at The Wedding Channel.com or if you have or are considering any vendors, such as photographers, they might be able to provide examples of venues given that they may have been involved in weddings there etc.

Something you may wish to consider, if there is a venue that you have seen already and really like but it just doesn''t have that exact quality that you are seeking - if it is perfect in every other way, you may wish to allocate more of your budget to event design etc so that your desired site can be transformed into exactly what you seek.

The ballroom where we will have our reception, for example, is elegant and sort of traditional looking. I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw another couple''s pictures at the same venue. They wanted a contemporary, modern, almost club like/lounge feel to their wedding and with the assistance of some event design, the room was transformed! The feel was completely different but fabulous all the same. I realize that this might be too much of a compromise, however, just in case you don''t find exactly what you would like, this might be the way to go??

I hope you find the perfect venue for you!!! Good luck!!

Oh ... where are you, by the way, maybe somebody here on PS might be able to assist with a recommendation??

 

[Munchkin]

We could be your alternative source! What city are you interested in? We have p-scopers from all over the world who can chime in with suggestions.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Talk. Talk. Talk.

When we started planning I started talking and within a matter of days I had several suggestions for places to check out. As I went to venues I would report back on what I liked and what didn''t work for us.

In the end we landed at a museum which was very unexpected but ended up being everything we were looking for. Look EVERYWHERE! If you are in love with the idea for a mansion check to see if the property will allow for a tent to be erected on the property - this could give you the background you want but ample space for guests. Don''t be afraid to ask or be creative with any venue you find. The worst they can say is "no" and you move onto another choice.

 

[tropiqalkiwi]

Thanks for the welcome Sparkalicious! I looked into event design - and the transformations can really be striking, so I will start thinking of this when I look around, thanks for the tip.

My wedding will be in the Chicago area so if anyone is familiar with the area or had their wedding there I would love to hear about it. Its kind of like a destination wedding since I have family that live there, but I haven''t for quite awhile now. I will be visiting right before thanksgiving so I''m putting together a list of places to check out and will keep in mind what I can do to transform the space.

Keepingthefaith, what kind of museum did you use (Art, Natural History, etc)? That really is a great idea, and along the lines of what I''m looking for. Were there any difficulties or spatial concerns I should look out for?

Thanks again for all your help and ideas!

 

[CNOS128]

My friend is getting married in Chicago at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Obviously, her wedding hasn''t happened yet, but I''ve seen pictures of the venue and it looks nice -- and large.
Here''s some info on renting it!