From hotels to farm houses and lawns to lobbies, when it comes to choosing a wedding venue, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little bit overwhelmed with the number of choices you have. After all, while every other aspect of a wedding is optional you do need to give your guests a location to gather at. Here’s how you can simplify your search for the perfect wedding venue.
1. Save the Date: Your wedding-venue hunt can only begin when you have a fair idea of the date of your wedding. This will help you find venues based on their availability and also help you choose a city based on the weather. If you’re worried about rain, look for a venue that gives you both indoor and outdoor options.
2. Make your Guest list: When both of you start putting down the names of your guests, you’ll begin to get an idea of the number of people you are expecting. Your venue needs to be able to accommodate all of them. Empty venues tend to look much larger. Ask the organizers what the actual capacity is. If you’re not quite sure of the final numbers choose a venue that gives you the option to expand.
3. Choose a Venue that is Accessible: A wedding is a celebration that brings family and friends together. A venue that isn’t accessible to everyone defeats this purpose. No matter how beautiful and heavenly a venue looks, everybody from your grandparents to your youngest cousins should be able to get there easily.
4. Choose your Theme: Maybe you’ve dreamt about this day all your life or maybe you haven’t given it too much thought before. Either way, you now need to start thinking about how it will look. And while you do that, the perfect wedding venue will become clearer to you. Start with the bigger picture. Would you like to have a fairy- tale royal wedding, a traditional one or maybe even something slightly more adventurous?
Getting a rough idea of your theme will help you understand the kind of colours and décor you would need. Now when you look at the venue, do you see your theme coming to life? It’s not just about the setting of the venue, it’s also about how much support the organisers can help you with. For example some venues may expect you to hire your own florist while others give you a choice of in-house vendors.
5. See what Amenities the Venue provides: Your guests need to be looked after well, and your venue should be able to do this for them. Take a look at the amenities the venue offers. Are the washrooms hygienic? Does the venue have enough parking space? Are the indoor spaces air-conditioned (for either winter or summer)? What kind of security is available? Is there space for people to dance? What are the acoustics of the space like?
6. Food: For most people, the food at a wedding is of prime importance. Wedding venues will allow you to taste the food before your big day. Notice how the food is presented. Also see the variety available in the menu. While choosing the food, remember it needs to be something that both you and your guests will enjoy.
7. Does the venue fit your budget? : This is the most important factor to consider when selecting a venue. Though the venue and accommodation are possibly the biggest costs of your entire wedding, the general rule of thumb is that together they shouldn’t exceed 60% of your entire budget. If you feel you are going over budget, see if you can cut costs on something else, that may not be as important to you. If your stars allow you to have a wedding off-season, do that instead. You can also find a venue that provides tons of additional services within their overall price. These are a great option as you pay a bulk amount instead of paying every individual vendor.
8. Visit the Venue: No matter how good the pictures look, the true test of a venue is when it makes you feel the same way in reality. Visit your shortlisted venues with your partner. Remember, don’t make your visits too hectic. You don’t want to miss out on your dream venue just because you were too exhausted to appreciate it.
With an average of 24 weddings a year, Discover Resorts checks all the boxes for a good wedding venue.
Located in Karjat, Maharashtra, the weather is pleasant all year round.
Has the capacity to accommodate up to 500 residential guests.
A two and a half hour drive from Mumbai. Accessible by train as well.
A dedicated event management and décor team.
24 hour hospitality
Consultant celebrity chefs
A dedicated marketing team for social media & online PR
So why not give us a call on +91 9319860099 or write to us at info@discoverresorts.in . We’re also present online with our website www.discoverresorts.in , our Instagram handle www.instagram.com/discover_resorts and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/discoverresorts Follow us quickly! Who knows, maybe the perfect wedding venue is right under your nose?
Sarang Padhey is blogger working with Discover Resort