How to manage your venue finding trip
Photo: Yulia Longo
Italy isn’t short of a stunning venue, but how do you know which one is going to be the right one for your budget, wedding vision and logistics? Many venues are beautiful on the outside, but will not be able to deliver you a stress-free wedding, purely because they don’t have the experience or structure in place to handle it! It can be hard to see past their looks and force yourself to question the crucial (but boring) functional details…..we show you how to nail your venue finding trip.
1. Shortlist wisely
You will feel overwhelmed if you have too many venues to visit. Balance out seeing your favourites IRL vs having too many to see, leaving you with less time at each one.
Photo + Video: Miki Studios
2. Be a spreadsheet pro
Have a written agenda for your trip including travel times, venue visits and factor in some contingency time for delays / traffic etc.
Have a comparison document drawn up so you can input pros and cons from each venue directly into the sheet at the time of visiting. Don’t rely on your memory.
Find out the same information from each venue so you can compare fairly.
Venue: Castello di Ristonchi, Tuscany
3. Contact the venues in good time
Give yourself enough time to manage the process of booking in venue tours whilst working out travel times, accommodation whilst you’re in Italy. Some venues might take a time to come back to you which will affect dates / times and logistics.
Venue: Casa Olivi, Marche
4. Who are you meeting?
Do you have a planner? Have you checked whether they will come on the venue tour? Who are you meeting when you visit the venue? Will they be present at your wedding should you hold it there?
Ask these questions ahead of your trip to ensure you get what you need from it, especially as you might only be visiting once.
Venue: Villa Della Torre, Venice
5. Research before
You want to feel like you know the venue before you have even visited; that it checks the majority of your boxes on price, space, requirements.
Do not visit a venue which is way out of your price range or one that doesn’t suit your criteria. It will be a waste of you time and the venues.
Venue: Borgo del Carato, Sicily | Photo: Leonardo Tornabene
You need professional help!
Book a 121 session with expert wedding planner and La Lista founder, Lucy White to discuss your venue needs in detail, set a venue criteria and start brainstorming which venues will be perfect for YOU. Receive a personalised venue proposal after the call with updated costs and availability.
6. Get snapping
Take photos of EVERYTHING, but especially the spaces in-between spaces. Take videos of how you would get from your room to the ceremony, or from the closest toilets to where the dinner will be served. This is easy to miss or forget, but important when you making that final decision. Also take photos and video of the plan B wet weather option. You want to fall in love with this space just as much as the plan A….it rains in Italy and you need to factor this in.
Photo: Stephen Walker
7. Ask the right questions
Rules, rules, rules. The most important part of the venue hunt is identifying all venue costs and rules. You don’t want to find out later that you can’t have a pool party, or have music past 11pm. Or that there’s a fee to use the kitchen or bring in an external caterer. Make sure these rules and additional costs are clear – the best way to get these is to ask at your visit.
Want to know the secret to stress-free wedding planning? With our exclusive membership, The Club you have access to top wedding planner and La Lista founder, Lucy White personally guiding you through each and every part of your wedmin. It’s time to get it right first time; join The Club today.
Categories
PLANNING | REAL WEDDING | BUSINESS | SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT | INSPIRATION | WANDERLUST
