Photos on thumbnail courtesy of Veil & Vow Photography.

Did you recently get engaged and are now ready to embark on the wedding planning process? If so, we would first like to say congratulations! This is such an exciting time and certainly one that you’ll always remember. Before diving into all things wedding planning, we always encourage couples to take some time to celebrate this special moment. Whether that entails sharing the news with friends and family, having an engagement party, or anything else, it’s certainly worth it to celebrate some now too! That all being said, once you’re ready to hit the ground running with wedding planning, it’s important to utilize a timeline/checklist and understand which items you should prioritize in the early stages.

No matter who you ask in the wedding world, chances are just about all wedding pros will agree in saying that you should emphasize the venue selection element fairly early in the planning process. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the first item on your agenda (as you may consider getting a date/season finalized, crafting a general budget and so on before). However, it’s definitely an item you’ll want to avoid procrastinating on. Given that Houston is one of the larger markets and also filled with talented wedding pros, it can seem a little daunting looking at the wedding planning process from square one. That being said, the abundance of talented wedding pros also presents a plethora of opportunities in bringing your dream wedding to life.

Throughout this week’s blog post, we’re going to be diving into more detail on the process of finding ideal Houston wedding places and learning which types of questions you should be asking when touring venues. Before doing so though, we would first like to say hello to anyone stopping by our blog for the first time. Welcome to Madera Estates! We are a luxury wedding venue and event space located in Conroe, TX, just north of Houston and The Woodlands. If you’re interested in learning more about our venue, don’t hesitate to fill out the form HERE to request a copy of our Pricing Guide. It’s filled with helpful information all about Madera Estates and also includes a link to our tour booking calendar.

Now…let’s talk about everything you need to know when searching for awesome Houston wedding places.

Consider Price Point and Availability

In the opening paragraphs, we mentioned how there are a select few items you may find yourself working on prior to touring venues. Two of those were to decide on a date (or at least a season/month) and get a general budget established. It’s not hard to see how each of these can help streamline the venue selection stages. To save you some time, determine the answers to each of these questions and have this ready as you begin to evaluate potential options.

On the topic of price point, it is worth noting that all-inclusive packages can impact matters as well. We’ll discuss these in more detail in a little bit!

Consider Aesthetics and Physical Appearance

Even though there are several factors that will ultimately impact which venue you end up selecting, the truth is aesthetics and physical appearance will play a major role in the initial stages. When you’re browsing through potential venues on social media or looking at their websites, it’ll be the photos that capture your attention first. With that in mind, you’ll want to create an idea of what type of wedding you want to have. Over the years, our team has had the opportunity to work with hundreds of engaged couples and learn more about what they have envisioned. As you begin to tour venues, you’ll see that each space has its own aesthetic. Deciding on whether or not that aligns with your vision will be a major step in the venue selection process.

Consider Reviews and the Team You’ll Be Working With

While it’s important to find a beautiful venue that matches your wedding day vision, it’s also extremely critical to find one that’s going to ensure a stress-free process every step of the way. The process of planning a wedding will encompass quite a few tasks along the way. Building out your dream team of vendors, creating and sending out invitations, making seating charts, the list goes on! Anything you can do to limit any unnecessary stress will be well worth it. Well…on that note, booking a venue with a proven track record of hosting magical wedding celebrations and a team of experienced wedding pros is a great starting point.

Where do you start in determining whether a venue checks both of these boxes? First off, be sure to read through online reviews. Places like Google, The Knot and Wedding Wire are a few tremendous platforms where you can learn more about the experiences couples had when working with a particular venue. Secondly, your tour will likely provide a look at the team. While you probably won’t meet the entire team at this time, it should give an idea of the general vibe. All in all, this is definitely a quality you won’t want to ignore in the venue selection stages!

Consider the Packages Offered

As you begin the process of touring potential venues around Houston (and the surrounding areas), you’ll quickly notice that not only do the venues have their own unique look, they also offer different packages. Some of them may offer strictly venue rentals, while others could have all-inclusive plans (with varying levels of customization). Given that vendors serve such an important role in every single wedding day, we simply had to mention this. As you can likely guess, the ability to select an all-inclusive package simply streamlines this stage in the planning process. You’re able to pick from vendors that are trusted by the venue and don’t have to spend hours on end browsing through potential candidates! We understand every couple has their own vision for their big day, so this isn’t necessarily the perfect approach for everyone, but it is something worth taking into account.

Trying to Find Houston Wedding Places? Tour Madera Estates!

For those of you who are recently engaged and in the early stages of wedding planning, we hope this blog post helped you with the venue selection aspects. Unsurprisingly, choosing a venue is a major decision and one that you’ll want to put careful thought into. Not only will it serve as the backdrop for your “Best Day Ever,” it will also impact other important decisions like building out your team of vendors. All in all, it’s not something you want to procrastinate on (considering venues can get booked up several months in-advance) and it’s not something you want to rush through either!

If you are searching for Houston wedding places, we would love to have the opportunity to learn more about what you have envisioned for your big day and show you around our venue, Madera Estates. Located just north of Houston, in Conroe, TX, our team has worked with hundreds of couples over the years to bring their big day to life. Simply put, we want to make sure that your special day is both everything you’ve dreamed of and that the entire process is as stress-free as possible. To learn more about Madera Estates, you’re welcome to request a copy of our Pricing Guide by filling out the form HERE.

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! Knowing the importance of selecting the perfect wedding venue for your big day, he was looking forward to writing 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.