Photos on thumbnail courtesy of CS Wedding Co.

Are you engaged and currently in the early stages of wedding planning? If so, we would first like to say congratulations on the exciting news of your engagement! Secondly though, it’s worth asking whether or not you have a plan in place for navigating through the process of planning a wedding. After all, it goes without saying that you’ll have a number of tasks to check off your to-do list in the months ahead. Furthermore, it’s extremely important to know which items are more time-sensitive, and in turn, ones that you’ll want to take care of sooner rather than later. Think of things like touring venues, setting a general budget, making a rough draft of your guest list, and starting to look for ideas and inspo!

As a wedding venue, we’re well aware of how fun the entire wedding planning process can be. From building your dream team of vendors and finalizing decor options to creating invitations, seating charts and more, it’ll definitely be a memorable experience. Just as we mentioned in the opening paragraph, one task you’ll want to complete early on will be touring potential venues and booking a date with your favorite! Being a wedding venue that’s hosted hundreds of weddings over the years, we understand that venues can get booked up several months in-advance. With that being said, it’s important to not procrastinate on this task.

For those new to our wedding blog, one common theme you’ll notice among many of our posts is the idea of providing advice that any couple can use in the wedding planning stages. With this week’s blog post, we’ll be covering a few ideas for those couples that are searching for unique wedding venues in the Houston area and in particular, how those relate to our venue (Madera Estates). As a larger city, Houston and many of the surrounding areas are home to plenty of possibilities when planning a wedding. We’re here to provide some advice on the venue selection aspects!

Searching for Unique Wedding Venues, Houston Couples? Keep Reading!

Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

One feature that many couples take into account when evaluating potential venues is the availability of indoor and outdoor spaces. The most obvious reason for this is the flexibility to have the ceremony outside before hosting the reception inside and vice-versa. Not to mention, this can also create a built-in safety net in the event that weather throws you a curveball on your big day and forces a last minute audible. However, a main reason why we’ve mentioned this on a blog post about unique wedding venues is the fact that these added spaces often accompany a plethora of potential photo opportunities. And who doesn’t love having a variety of picturesque backdrops to pick from for your wedding album? Trust us, your photographer will definitely appreciate this flexibility.

So…when it comes to finding a unique wedding venue in or near the Houston area, having the capability to use an indoor and outdoor space will not only add some uniqueness in terms of having different settings for the ceremony and reception, but also ensure some added backdrops for your formal/couple photos too.

For those looking for some examples of this in-action at Madera Estates, check out our past wedding recap blogs HERE. We’re sure you’ll see more than a few examples of the various possibilities.

Vendor Options & Ideas

While selecting your wedding venue is a major decision (for obvious reasons), it’s safe to say this choice can also impact other items, including your team of vendors. And if you’ve checked out any of our past blog posts, you may recall us routinely mentioning how important of a role vendors play in a wedding celebration! So…why did we choose to mention it in this week’s blog post?

All-Inclusive Packages and/or Recommended Vendors

Navigating through the many different options for common wedding vendor categories can be time-consuming. Especially in larger markets, there’s no denying that this can even feel a little overwhelming too! While it may not be extremely “unique” nowadays, there is certainly value in having a venue that can help streamline this process. Whether that be by way of customizable all-inclusive packages or simply recommended vendors that they’ve worked with previously, any help will be well appreciated!

Unique Vendors

The wedding world has expanded over the years. When we hear couples tell us that they want to create an awesome experience for everyone in attendance, we know having the right vendors there is a major part of this. This, of course, includes all of the must-have’s: professional photographer, awesome caterer, DJ, florist and so on. However, as we mentioned how the wedding industry has evolved significantly, this also includes the potential vendor categories to pick from. And unless you’ve planned a wedding recently or know exactly what you want, you may not know of the plethora of possibilities to pick from. Luckily, with a venue that’s used to hosting magnificent celebrations, I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to provide ideas they’ve personally seen at past weddings.

Here are just a few interesting ones that come to mind from past Madera weddings: Late night snack courtesy of Whataburger, live wedding painting, ice cream cart, churro bar, live animals, mariachi band, fireworks displays, cigar roller, the list goes on!

Furthermore, when it comes time to pick your wedding venue, make sure to clarify whether there are any restrictions on booking outside vendors. Every venue can be slightly different, so it never hurts to ask questions ahead of time!

Awesome Team

A major part of the wedding venue selection is going to entail the venue’s appearance and the vendors that’ll help bring the special day to life. We’ve already highlighted each of those items above. However, one final element truly capable of making a wedding venue unique is the team at the venue. As can be said about any wedding vendor, you’ll want to make sure you’re confident in their ability to create a magical wedding celebration. Their personality is something capable of coming into play to ensure no unnecessary stress is added to your “Best Day Ever.” And truth be told, you’ll want to feel comfortable in reaching out to them with questions, recommendations and any other inquiries you may have in the months leading up to your big day.

Searching for Unique Wedding Venues, Houston Couples? Check Out Madera Estates!

If you’re engaged and in the process of touring wedding venues, we hope this blog post helped provide you with some clarity in approaching this important wedding planning task. After all, there’s a reason why nearly every wedding professional likely recommends starting with this early on. It’ll allow you to gauge how much you can allocate to the other vendors, has the potential to streamline other decisions, and it’ll set the tone for your magical wedding celebration. Throughout this week’s blog post, we talked about how the space’s physical appearance, vendor offerings and venue’s team all play a role in truly making a wedding venue “unique.”

For those of you who are searching for a wedding venue near Houston that can be considered unique, we would love to show you around Madera Estates. Located in Conroe, TX, Madera Estates has hosted hundreds of wedding celebrations over the years. Whether it be the getting ready suites, Grand Fireplace, Hacienda or a number of other picture-perfect spots around the property, we definitely feel Madera Estates is more than capable of delivering a unique wedding that you’ll never forget! To learn more about hosting your special day at Madera, click the link HERE to request a copy of our Pricing Guide.

About the Author
Paul Pettie is the Director of Business Development at Madera Estates, a Spanish-style wedding venue that has been recognized as one of the top venues in Conroe, TX. Over the years, hundreds of couples have selected Madera Estates to serve as the backdrop for their special day. From the Grand Fireplace and Hacienda to the getting ready suites and countless photo opportunities around the property, there truly are an endless number of possibilities when tying the knot at Madera Estates! Considering Madera Estates has many traits of a unique wedding venue, he was thrilled to write this blog post.

Utilizing his background in hospitality and a “Ducktoriate” from the Disney University, Paul is passionate about his clients’ experience when planning their special day. Working in the family business, Paul is usually one of the first faces engaged couples see when they tour the venue. When not at work, Paul loves Halloween and seeing live theatre, in addition to traveling to new and exotic destinations.

Paul is also the Co-Founder of Venue Help Desk, which strives to help wedding and event venues with a plethora of business and sales resources.