Photos on thumbnail courtesy of Ivan Garcia Studio.
Did you recently get engaged and are ready to embark on the wedding planning journey? If so, we would first like to say congratulations! This is such a memorable time and we can’t wait for you to experience all of the fun activities that encompass planning your special day. First things first though, if your engagement just happened, then we recommend taking some time to celebrate the exciting news with your friends and family. Unless you’re planning on tying the knot in the next month or two, you have plenty of time to tackle all of the necessary to-do’s before the big day arrives. However, after you’ve taken time to enjoy the engagement, it’ll be time to hit the ground running with all things wedding planning! And speaking of items you’ll want to prioritize in the early planning stages, you’ll find that many wedding pros recommend getting the venue selection process started sooner rather than later. After all, the last thing you want is for your favorite venue to be booked up on your date and force you to settle for a venue you don’t wholeheartedly love!
Here at Madera Estates, our team has been able to work with hundreds of engaged couples over the years. From the initial tour to the planning stages and of course, the wedding itself, we completely understand why you want every detail to be just right. Not to mention, with the growth of the wedding industry, there are truly unlimited possibilities when planning a wedding nowadays. Talented vendors, beautiful photo opportunities, endless reception components, the list goes on! For those who are familiar with our wedding blog, you likely know we enjoy answering a wide range of wedding-related questions and this week’s blog post will be no different. As a venue based out of Conroe, TX, we routinely work with couples from around the area. Houston, The Woodlands, Spring, you name it! With that being said, as briefly discussed in the opening paragraph, we’ll be providing a few tips and tricks for picking out your wedding venue in The Woodlands! Let’s hop right in.
Schedule Tours
Trust us, social media and online resources can be extremely helpful throughout the planning stages. It can help you find reliable vendors, gather ideas for your wedding, and even pick up on new trends in the industry. Plus, on the topic of wedding venues, you can envision what a wedding day could look like at a particular venue by checking out their social media pages. This is a major reason why we encourage couples to utilize these as resources! At the same time, when you’re browsing through possible venue options, it’s worth mentioning how you’ll want to see these venues in-person before booking one. In order to truly decide if a venue is the one, you’ll want to walk through the spaces where you’ll get ready, say your I Do’s, and dance the night away with your loved ones. So…for those who are looking for a wedding venue in The Woodlands, be sure to schedule in-person tours first! As an added bonus, this will also give you an opportunity to meet the venue’s team. They’ll obviously serve a major role on your big day, so it can be beneficial to have a team that’s easy to work with and ensure you feel confident in their ability to deliver an exceptional wedding experience!
Packages Offered
Just as we’ve discussed on several previous blog posts, an important part of bringing your dream wedding to life will involve building a talented team of vendors. Whether it be the photographer, videographer, florist, caterer, cake baker, DJ or anyone else, it’s not hard to see how vendors are intertwined throughout. That sets the stage for our next topic of discussion, which happens to be the different packages offered by the venue. At your tours, you’ll likely receive the details for these. Nonetheless, we’ve decided to mention it in this week’s blog post (along with the importance of vendors) because you’ll notice several venues offer all-inclusive packages (or ones that are customizable). Why is this so important? They possess the ability to make your life much easier! Especially in a larger market like Houston and The Woodlands, you’ll quickly find out there are more than a few vendors to pick from. In fact, it can even seem overwhelming from the onset. With all-inclusive packages from your venue, you will not only potentially save on the total bill, but also receive recommended options from your venue. This will be a huge time-saver from having to go through dozens of potential options, as well as give you the peace of mind that a reliable vendor will be handling your “Best Day Ever!” A true win-win!
Read Reviews
Whether you need to hire a plumbing company, are considering a local restaurant or even evaluating potential wedding venues, it’s safe to say many people utilize online reviews for making purchasing decisions. Our next piece of advice when looking at wedding venues in The Woodlands is to read the reviews and see what past customers have said about their experience working with a venue. While this won’t guarantee everything will go flawlessly every single time, it can be worthwhile insight. Not to mention, if you were considering a venue and they have numerous bad reviews, that should instantly raise some red flags! The same can be said for any of the vendors you’ll hire for your wedding, but we definitely felt it was worth mentioning in this week’s blog post!
Take Your Time
While we often talk about why it’s so important to prioritize getting your venue booked and to avoid procrastinating on this important planning task, we also want to emphasize that you don’t want to rush through this step either. Your wedding venue selection will impact your big day in more ways than one, so it’s worth taking your time to ensure you find the right one. Don’t forget to ask questions (it’s better to be safe than sorry! Unless you work in the wedding industry, there’s nothing wrong with asking plenty of questions!). Don’t forget to inquire about important items, such as price differences based on the day of the week and/or the season. Don’t forget to ask about what will happen if a weather-related issue were to occur (in other words, if there is rain on your wedding day, can the outdoor festivities be moved indoors?). In the end, is venue selection something you want to complete sooner rather than later? Yes! Unless your wedding date is right around the corner, you do have time on your side though and shouldn’t feel a need to rush through this step either!
Searching for a Wedding Venue in The Woodlands? Check Out Madera Estates in Nearby Conroe!
Although this blog post was titled around finding a wedding venue in The Woodlands, many of the tips featured throughout can be applied to any location. It goes without saying the venue selection part of wedding planning is very important. After all, the venue will serve as the backdrop for your big day, so it’s worth putting careful thought into the decision. We hope you learned a thing or two with this week’s blog post and feel more confident in approaching the venue selection aspect of wedding planning.
If you’re engaged and looking for a wedding venue in The Woodlands or Houston, we would be thrilled to show you around our Conroe wedding venue, Madera Estates! With years of experience hosting magical wedding days, we’re confident we can bring every detail of your picture-perfect wedding day to life. To learn more, we encourage you 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! With Madera Estates being located close to The Woodlands, he was excited 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.