How to Choose a Unique Wedding Venue
A wedding can take place practically anywhere. From the shores of a faraway beach to your favorite local restaurant, there is an endless supply of wedding locations that range from the traditional to the seemingly absurd. With a little thought and a fair amount of planning, almost any public or private space can serve as the perfect location for your impending nuptials. Just be sure to do your homework, understand what you are renting and whether the rules of the facility will prevent you from having the type of wedding you've always dreamed of.
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Instructions
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Determine the region where and time of year you want to get married. These are two of the most important factors to consider before you move forward on any other location-oriented details.
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Think about the hobbies, memories and significance that certain venues throughout the region hold for you and your spouse-to-be. To get started, you can think about how/where you met, where you were most likely to be found on a Saturday, where you went to school, any holiday traditions you may have tied to the area and any childhood memories that involved particular places. Oftentimes, once couples think about these things, they come up with an ideal location that holds a lot of sentimental value to themselves or their families, such as a favorite restaurant, local park or a resort where many laughs have been shared over brunch.
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Determine whether any significant locations come to mind. If not, think about any spots that have always interested or fascinated you and begin your search there. This could include museums, historical landmarks, theaters, mansions and outdoor areas like scenic overlooks, public gardens, cliffs and oceans or lakeshores.
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Visit some of the locations with your fiance and make a list of the pros and cons. Pay special attention to the facility's practical use. Many unique wedding venues can boast the "unique" factor because they are not often used for weddings. If you think you find a spot that is too good to be true for your upcoming wedding, remember that if it's not usually used for weddings there may be a reason why. Many of these facilities may not be equipped to handle the types of accommodations that an average-sized wedding may require.
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Try to picture your wedding taking place at this facility. Is there a shady area for your guests to sit if you were to have it in that park? Is the staging area of that theater big enough to hold you, an officiant and your wedding party? Would the owners of that mansion be OK with you rearranging some of their furniture? Does the air conditioning inside that historical landmark even function? These are all important questions that you'll need to get answered before you can consider a unique location as a practical wedding venue.
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Contact the wedding coordinator, event planner, caterer or owner of the facilities you'd like to ultimately consider for your wedding. Let her know how many guests you're expecting, how big the wedding party is, and any other requests or specifications you may want. These can include guests throwing rice, the flower girl dropping rose petals, any decorations you'll want to include, and any type of music you want played, whether that comes from a sound system (also check to see if they have a sound system and microphones available), or a live musician, choir or band.
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Put all of your specifications and any agreed-upon services in writing. Then begin negotiating a deal for this space. The good thing is that unique wedding venues often come with lower price tags than more traditional locations, mostly because they either don't hold many weddings or because they are public or government-run facilities that charge nominal rental fees. Private residences and large spaces such as castles may have large price tags, however.
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Tips & Warnings
Though it's not necessary, it is typically appreciated if you run the wedding venue by all of your parents before signing on the dotted line. This act of consideration should definitely be thought of if any of your parents are contributing money to the wedding. It's not to say that you have to obtain their approval, but it's nice to give parents a head's up if you're planning on booking a location that may not exactly be what they would have pictured.
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