Photos on thumbnail courtesy of Vey Gallery.
Now that we’re fully into engagement season, it’s safe to say that many couples are going to be embarking on the wedding planning journey as they design every detail of their big day. Without a doubt, this will be such a fun experience and we’re sure that you’ll enjoy every last moment of it. If you’re someone that recently got engaged, the first thing you’ll want to do is celebrate the exciting engagement news with friends and family! There will still be more than enough time to work on the various wedding planning tasks, so there’s no need to rush through this memorable experience. Nonetheless, if you’re someone that recently got engaged and are getting started on the wedding planning process, then this blog post will be perfect for you!
Having said all of that, as you start the wedding planning journey, there are certainly a few items that you’ll want to prioritize early on, with one of those being your wedding venue selection. Unsurprisingly, the wedding venue you select will serve an important role in the overall wedding day festivities and as such, you’ll want to take your time during the touring process to ensure you find one that perfectly matches what you had envisioned for the big day. In this week’s blog post, we’ll walk you through a handful of tips to keep in mind while you’re touring wedding venues in the Conroe and Houston area. Let’s dive right in!
Do you have a date and budget established?
After celebrating the exciting engagement news, a couple of the first tasks that you’ll want to complete will involve picking out a date and setting a general budget for the wedding. Keep in mind that the budget aspect of this will include figuring out who is paying for what too (in the event that you have family or anyone else contributing). The reason we’re mentioning these first is because they will influence which venues find their way onto your tour list.
First off, let’s take a look at the wedding date side of things. For one, this will impact which venues are available on your particular date (no surprises there!). If you have some flexibility on the exact date, then this may not be as big of a variable though! It’s also important to note the potential for certain seasons or days of the week being more expensive than others and popular dates also getting booked up quicker too. This all can be worthwhile information to consider as you evaluate wedding dates and the venue where your wedding will be held.
Secondly, the reason why we recommend having a ballpark budget established early on is because that is another attribute that can help narrow down your venue selection (and also how much you can allocate to the different vendors needed). As we’ll get into with the next section, there are plenty of venues out there, so being able to narrow your list down can certainly be helpful early on.
Consider the value of all-inclusive wedding packages
Particularly in bigger markets (such as Houston), you’ll quickly notice that there are more than a few wedding vendors to pick from. Whether it be wedding photographers, florists, caterers, cake creators or even venues (which we will discuss today), it’s important to avoid getting overwhelmed with the multitude of options out there! Furthermore, you’ll also want to remember to not get stressed with just how many vendors you’ll have to book either. That leads us into the next topic of discussion for this week’s blog post and that happens to be the value of all-inclusive wedding packages.
When you start the process of reaching out to wedding venues in Houston, make sure to inquire about the availability of all-inclusive wedding packages. These can offer a number of different advantages, such as the ability to streamline the vendor selection process (while also ensuring you’re getting reputable vendors at the same time). Not to mention, these vendors that are included with these all-inclusive packages should also have experience working at that particular wedding venue too, which can certainly help alleviate some stress! All in all, when it comes to evaluating potential wedding venues in Houston, it definitely is worth it to take into account the value of all-inclusive wedding packages.
Read reviews/testimonials and check out social media
As you can likely guess, in today’s digital world, the wedding planning process offers a number of resources online that couples can utilize to ensure their wedding day is exactly what they had envisioned. One perfect example of this would involve using social media to not only get ideas and inspiration for your big day, but also utilize it in evaluating potential vendors. Since this blog post is about wedding venues, you can check out the social media pages of local venues for inside looks at different aspects of their venue, as well as likely see which other vendors have worked past weddings there (you’ll probably find these vendors tagged on the posts).
In addition to that, another online resource that you can use would be reviews or testimonials from past clients. Reviews are a great way to learn both about the beauty of a venue and the overall experience of hosting your wedding at a particular venue (each of which are very important in their own right)!
Inquire about all of the important details
In the early stages of finding potential venues to tour, there are certainly going to be a few attributes that you think of right away. This could be the overall look of the venue, which you will likely see when researching options. This could be the estimated price point, as you want to ensure it fits within your general budget. This could also be availability, since you’ll want to make sure they are available on your date. However, this is just scratching the surface of details that will have a say in which venue you ultimately end up selecting. To wrap up this week’s blog post, we wanted to run through a few more questions worth asking during the venue touring stages:
What if it rains? Given that a wedding is booked months in-advance, it’s impossible to predict whether or not it will rain. Having said that, if you’re planning on having an outdoor component for your wedding day, make sure the venue has a back-up plan in the event that the weather were to throw a curveball.
How long have they been in business? While the number of years in business doesn’t guarantee everything will be flawless, it definitely isn’t a bad thing to take into account! If they have hosted more than a few weddings and been in business for some time, they’ll likely have most of the process down to a science and ensure you don’t deal with any unneeded stress!
Do they have a list of recommended vendors? As you can likely guess, your team of vendors will serve an important role in the wedding day festivities. With this being the case, you’ll want to hire vendors that are capable of bringing your dream wedding to life. So…if your venue has a list of recommended vendors they trust in, that can definitely make your life a little easier and provide you with some peace of mind.
To sum it up, there is a lot that goes into finding the perfect wedding venue for your big day! The wedding venue that you select will serve as the backdrop for your “Best Day Ever” and we’re sure you’ll have an absolute blast with your soon-to-be spouse as you tour potential venues.
Looking for Wedding Venues in Houston or Conroe? Come Tour Madera Estates!
We understand that touring and ultimately booking a wedding venue is a big decision and one that you’ll want to put careful thought into. Having hosted hundreds of weddings over the years at our venue, Madera Estates, we also know that it is extremely important for every single detail to match exactly what you had envisioned for the big day. With that in mind, if you are someone that is currently in the venue touring stage of the wedding planning process, we hope this blog post provided you with a few tips on what to consider when evaluating wedding venues in Houston.
For those that are looking for a wedding venue in the Houston or Conroe area, we would be more than happy to show you around our venue, Madera Estates. Located in Conroe, TX, Madera Estates offers couples the opportunity to customize many aspects of their dream wedding day. Whether that be an outdoor wedding ceremony, indoor wedding reception, final dance under the stars or anything else, we always enjoy working with couples as they share every aspect of their dream wedding celebration. To learn more, feel free to fill out the form HERE to request a copy of our Pricing Guide.