Planning the best wedding ever: picking your venue
Photography: Simone Miglietta Photography | Venue: Villa Nemora | Wedding Planning: Toscana Mania
We caught up with the lovely Birgit from Toscana Mania to get all of her expert advice on venue-finding.
Birgit has been planning weddings across Tuscany for over 20 years and she has tons of experience helping couples with this crucial stage of planning. Birgit shares with us her best advice, the questions to ask when meeting venues and most importantly the common mistakes she sees time and time again that we must absolutely avoid.
This is the first part of our ‘Planning the Best Wedding Ever’ series. We will be releasing a new super hot article each week packed full of advice from our expert members, so we can help you every step of the way on your planning journey.
For a first approach when searching for your perfect venue, it’s important to think about the following points:
Exclusive use of your venue is very important! It’s always best to book and make use of the accommodation the venue has onsite for your guests. Any additional guests can then stay nearby and you can organise a shuttle to and from the venue for them.
Watch out for some venues that offer a restricted ‘exclusive space’ for smaller or more intimate weddings as you don’t want to see external people there on the day that don’t belong to your party. I always recommend that you “buy-out” the property for the whole duration of your wedding, especially if you are hosting a destination wedding that is across 2-3 days.
It’s important to figure out a realistic guest count number before you start venue hunting. Think about your possible guest list: who must / should definitely be
there? Who / how many people do I want to invite additionally?
Be mindful that if you book a venue that is too big or for your exact number of guests, you risk that if some don't come you'll have to foot the bill.
As above it is great to “buy out” your wedding venue property but do you want all of your guests to stay with you at the venue or would you prefer that to just be your nearest and dearest. Work this out and then work out approximately how many beds you would need at your dream venue. Also, consider whether you would like guest rooms or whether apartments would be better for your guests. Perhaps those with small children or older relatives would be more comfortable in an apartment for example?
Will guests pay for themselves for their accommodation or make a decent contribution. Make this calculation and work out your lower and upper budget limits:
((NUMBER OF BEDS X YOUR IDEAL COST PER ROOM) X NIGHTS)) + YOUR CONTRIBUTION = WEDDING VENUE BUDGET.
Is there a type of venue you are drawn towards for your wedding, that reflects your idea of an Italian-style wedding?
For example, you may like the idea of a renovated farmhouse or a grand hotel with guestrooms, maybe you prefer a country-style venue or maybe its an elegant villa or castle? Think about the venue style you like and the type of atmosphere you want to create for you and your guests. For more help with picking your venue style, check out our top article Which Venue Type is for You?
Paired with venue type is the region you choose. Is there a region in Italy or area which you prefer or with which you are connected in some way? Maybe you had family holidays in Tuscany, or got engaged on the Amalfi Coast? Think about which region suits you both as a couple.
If you want some more inspiration and information on the different regions in Italy, check out our Regional Spotlight Series which runs through all the need-to-know info on each of the most popular destinations.
This is THE MOST important question of all and you really have to drill down into the detail so that you have a clear idea and what is and what is not included.
Some key questions to ask:
• Is all accommodation included in the cost? If not, what is the cost breakdown for this?
Is breakfast included?
• Is there an additional ‘wedding fee’ to cover use of all of the facilities, and which facilities does this ‘wedding fee’ cover?
• Is there a covered area to use in case of bad weather or would it be necessary to rent a tent / marquee?
Do they have an open supplier policy or are you obliged to use certain suppliers that they have relationships with? You can find that some venues have set suppliers for couples to use, most usually for catering. If this is the case make sure you know which suppliers you can use and find out their pricing. Factor these costs into your overall budget.
For more venue-finding wisdom download our Free Venue Finding Guide which is packed full of straight-talking advice from La Lista founders Lucy & Danielle. The guide includes information on how to set your priorities, the best and most reputable places to look online and a tick-list of questions to ask potential venues.
Often couples do not have an exact idea, so maybe they confirm with a venue offering 100 beds and at the end they have much fewer guests confirming. It is really important to have a solid guest number before looking for your venue otherwise you could end up paying for rooms that are not used.
Another mistake, absolutely to avoid, is to underestimate the total cost. It is easily done when there can often seem to be lots of "extra" costs for example, accommodation, breakfast, wedding-fee or for things you have your heart set on but need to be rented (e.g. lounge furniture, lighting and so on).
Many couples tend to ask for a venue with a restaurant on-site, thinking that the food will be “better” or “fresher”. But in my opinion, it’s a fake idea. Good catering companies do a fantastic job and you could also have more “freedom” in choosing other details, for example, the bar service and drinks for the party – which is an important element for the overall budget, too!
I always prefer to work with venues which I offer exclusively to the couple or hidden-gem venues that only a few wedding planners are offering (although this is not always possible). This is because often these venues are more authentic, more flexible regarding the needs and requests of my couples than some other “wedding-machine-venues”. My advice would be don’t be afraid of considering those more hidden-gem, family-run venues. They can really can be magical and offer a more personalised experience. Check out Villa Nemora and San Lorenzo A Linari two of my favourites.
Photography: Simone Miglietta Photography, Wedding Planning + Styling: Toscana Mania, Venue: Villa Nemora, Catering: Dolce Tradizioni Toscane, Florist: Stiatti Fiori, Lighting + Music: Wedding Central House
Thanks so much to Birgit for sharing with us all of her wedding planning wisdom! If you’d like to find out more about Birgit and her wedding planning services check out her profile here.
Just started your wedding planning and on that all important venue search? Check out the La Lista venue directory here to find the one!
Written by Beth Butler, marketing person and lover of all things weddings; with a particular passion for beautiful photography, muted florals and a good cup of tea.
