If you’ve started to notice a theme throughout a few of our recent blog posts, it’s certainly not a coincidence! As you may or may not know, we’re still in engagement season right now. Traditionally speaking, the engagement season typically starts in late-November and runs through Valentine’s Day. While engagements can happen at any time of the year, this is the season that has always seemed to be most popular for proposals. And after you’ve had time to celebrate the exciting news of your engagement and share it with your loved ones, it’s now officially time for the wedding planning to commence. In the midst of this fun planning, one of the first tasks that you’ll want to knock out is finalizing your date and the wedding venue where the big day will be held.

For those that are new to our blog, welcome to Madera Estates. Based out of Conroe, TX, Madera Estates is a luxury event space specializing in weddings, but also offering everything from quinceaneras to companies parties and so much more! However, since weddings have always been our most popular event, the bulk of our blog posts are geared towards that content. With that in mind, a major aspect of wedding content revolves around all of the planning that goes into creating the “best day ever.” As briefly mentioned in the opening paragraph, one of the first things you’ll want to put on your to-do list after getting engaged is touring various wedding venues. If you live in a larger area, such as Houston, it can seem a little overwhelming sifting through the various options. In today’s blog though, we’ll walk you through all of the questions you should be asking. After all, the wedding venue is certainly one of the bigger decisions you’ll be making in the overall planning process. With that all being said, let’s hop right in!

Photo in the thumbnail courtesy of Jason Smelser Photography.

Is my date available?

Do you already have a date finalized for your big day? If so, is there any flexibility in that decision? This is going to be an important decision you’ll need to make before getting the planning process started. If you already have a specific date locked in, then make sure to communicate this to a venue prior to booking a tour. This could save you some time touring venues that may not even be available on your particular date.

On the flip-side, if you are just aiming for a specific season, that will give you a little more leeway in evaluating potential venues. Say you’re looking for a Saturday in the fall. In the initial stages, let the venue know this and find out which Saturdays are currently available. 

Are there all-inclusive packages available?

All-inclusive wedding venues have become increasingly popular over the years. While these packages can certainly vary venue-to-venue, the biggest benefit they provide is how they can streamline so much of the planning process. And when you consider just how many variables go into planning a wedding in 2022, anything that you can do to limit unnecessary stress will be well worth it! So, during your venue tour, make sure to inquire about all-inclusive packages, including what all they include and the pricing for the different packages.

What about the finances?

While you’re certainly going to have plenty of fun questions, like who the wedding planner will be and vendor recommendations, it’s important to iron out the money-related questions too. Hopefully, before you started browsing through potential venues, you were able to come up with a general budget for the big day. Now does that budget have to be set in stone at this time? Not necessarily, but you should have a rough estimate of how much you can allot to your wedding venue.

When touring the wedding venue, ask questions like how the time of the year may affect the price? What is the price difference between an all-inclusive package and a venue-only rental? How much are you required to put down for a deposit and when will the remaining balances be due? If something were to change between now and the big day, is there any sort of cancellation policy? While you may not need that information, it never hurts to be safe than sorry. After all, who could’ve predicted a worldwide pandemic?!

Do they have a back-up plan?

Considering most people book their weddings months (sometimes even years) in advance, it’s impossible to predict what the weather will look like. While we always hope for perfect weather, this is just one of those things that’s out of your control. Having said that, it’s always going to be a wise move to have a back-up plan ready to go. In other words, if you had an outdoor ceremony planned and a rainstorm pops up on the radar, what would you do? 

To provide a real world example of this, let’s take a look at our venue, Madera Estates. At our Conroe-based venue, we have an outdoor space (in front of the Grand Fireplace) and an indoor space (also known as the Hacienda). While North Houston and Conroe typically have relatively good weather, that’s not always the case. If mother nature were to throw a curveball on a wedding day, the Hacienda can host the ceremony as well. Long story short, if weather is a concern in the area where your wedding will be held, make sure to bring this up during your venue tour to see what the game plan is. 

What does the process look like?

As you start the venue touring process, you’ll likely have plenty more questions come up, but we wanted to cover a few of the most common questions here. This is another one that may vary depending on the venue, but nonetheless is one that’s worthwhile to inquire about. For example, let’s say you book your wedding today with a venue, what do the next steps look like before the big day comes around? When do you need to finalize vendors? Will the venue provide you with recommended vendors that they’ve worked with in the past? When will your planning sessions be with the on-site coordinator? When do details, such as seating charts and guests lists, need to be finalized? This is just scratching the surface of potential tasks, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to get this out in the open early on!

By the way, did you know Madera couples are given access to a client portal filled with a number of helpful resources, including a complete wedding planning timeline and guide? While your coordinator will certainly be there along the way to help out, this will help alleviate some concerns as you go through the planning process!

Ready to Tour Madera Estates?

If your significant other did recently pop the question, congratulations on the exciting news! Planning your big day will undoubtedly be something you’ll never forget. Unless you’ve toured wedding venues before, it can seem a little overwhelming at first, but as long as you know what to ask and what to look for, you’ll be in great shape. Throughout this blog, we covered some of the most important questions you’ll want to ask early on. These will definitely help determine whether a particular venue is the perfect fit for you and your fiance.

For those of you who are either preparing to start the touring process or have already started, we would be happy to show you around Madera Estates. Located close by North Houston and The Woodlands, Madera Estates is a Spanish and European-inspired wedding venue. We offer free champagne tours of the property where you’ll have the opportunity to view the property, meet with a member of our team and ask any questions you may have. Click HERE to check out our online booking calendar. If you have a more general question, like whether or not a particular date is currently available, you’re welcome to give us a call at (936) 441-9337 or text us at (936) 254-8546. Thanks again for checking out our blog and cheers to a fun-filled wedding planning experience!