How to Choose Your Wedding Reception Location
Deciding on where to get married is probably one of the first decisions you will make, maybe even before you choose your wedding date. Many reception venues book event dates a year or more in advance, especially summer Saturdays, so start scouting early for the choicest availability. If the wedding will take place close to home then you will easily be able to research and visit the potential locations. If you are not planning a destination wedding, then you will likely be looking at various wedding halls, banquet halls, parks, estates, hotels, resorts and inns within about 2 hours from your home.
On the other hand, if you are considering a destination wedding, then you will first be researching one or more geographic locations. When you have the place in the world narrowed down, you’ll then look at possible wedding venues in that general geographic area. Websites are especially handy to gather information about faraway reception locations.
The best wedding reception locations will really be those that work for you, the individual and unique bride and groom. The location should be generally where you want to get married, provide the type of facility or grounds that you desire and be in a feasible price range after including food, beverage, tax and gratuity.
Some cool places for a wedding are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Hawaii, Lake St. Clair, Michigan, Aruba, the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Southern California and Key West, Florida.
What are Some Unique Wedding Reception Locations?
Unique wedding reception places are those where few couples have their party after tying the knot, Such places may be barns, dude ranches, private estates or chateaus, yachts or sailboats, etc. You may be interested in reading Unusual Wedding Venues.
Minding the Weather at Outdoor Wedding Reception Locations
Many couple like the idea of an outdoor wedding reception. Keep in mind that an unprotected outdoor area may be great for your ceremony which typically lasts about 20 to 30 minutes but more difficult for a reception lasting 3 – 5 hours. Weather and climate, particularly sun, wind and rain may dampen the enjoyment of your day.
That said, an outdoor tented wedding reception, is a great middle ground if you are thinking of an outdoor reception. The tent gives enough protection from the elements yet offers unlimited access between indoors and outdoors. Please read Your Outdoor Ceremony and Reception for ideas.
Finding Inexpensive Wedding Reception Locations
Approach the idea of cheap wedding reception locations as places where you will have a fairly nice reception at a greatly reduced cost. So you should think of “cheap” as meaning “inexpensive” rather than “shoddy”. There are a ton of options and few of them take a movie star bank roll.
The costs of wedding reception sites run the gamut, with the more elaborate venues being the most expensive, especially on Saturday nights. Choosing a different date or time slot will save you lots. Some venues will provide on-site catering while others will allow you to find a separate caterer and other vendors. Paying a fee to use the location and then catering in sandwiches or appetizers may save too. Food selection, timing and number of guests will be 3 very big factors in your costs.
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Once you have chosen the wedding reception location that you love and paid your deposit to save the date, you will be able to to plan the remaining details of your wedding and hopefully have the time to do it without a lot of stress.
