If you have opted for a DIY wedding and would like to tailor your day to your style, needs, and budget, choosing the venue is the most important task to complete. You need to look at your account, your guests’ requirements, and the selected property’s style. Be prepared for rain, even if the weather forecast says it will be sunny on your chosen date. Below you will find a few questions to ask yourself before you make your final decision.

Image via Sweet Ice Cream Photography

Can You Afford It?

While the 5-star hotel hall in the next big town might look great on the prospectus, it might be out of your reach. You might not want to pay for space you are not using, and set a clear budget for renting the place, decoration, and catering. In most cases, if you hire a venue from a restaurant or hotel, you will need to use their own wedding planning services, which will significantly increase your costs. Planning a DIY wedding can help you reduce some of the costs associated with booking high profile venues to host your big day.

Is It Accessible?

If you have wedding guests travelling from hours away, or those with disabilities, you need to make sure they can park close to the venue, and the location is easy to find on satellite navigation systems. If there are elderly guests, you want to get a venue that allows them to retire in a separate room, instead of being in the middle of the crowd all the time. You need to ask whether there are facilities suitable for disabled guests before you book your venue.

Are There Noise Concerns?

In case you are planning on hiring a wedding band for your DIY wedding through https://www.alivenetwork.com, you need to ask the venue how long you are allowed to play music or make noise. If you hire a hotel’s reception venue, you will likely need to keep the noise down during the night, so you don’t disturb guests. However, if you hire a private villa for your wedding in the countryside, you can have the music on as long as you want to.

Can You Use Your Own Catering Company?

Some wedding room hire deals come with catering attached. If you are unhappy with the menu or service offered, you could look for a venue that allows you to bring in your own catering company. Whether you want to save money or customize your wedding guests’ experience, shopping around for catering firms is a great idea. This is one of the benefits of planning a DIY wedding.

What Facilities Are Available?

Image via Micheile Henderson

Not everyone enjoys sitting by the table all night. If you have kids attending your wedding, you might want to get a venue that has a safe indoor or outdoor playground or game room. If you expect older people to turn up at your wedding, you want to make sure they can retire and watch TV after the ceremony is over. You might want to make sure that there are good speakers and microphones, and you will have a backup generator in place, just in case.

Will You Get Insurance for your DIY Wedding?

When talking about weddings, we don’t like thinking about things going wrong. In reality, however, they do, and it is your responsibility to make sure you are hiring insured contractors. The venue’s public liability policy will provide you and your guests with the right level of protection if there is an accident, or some of the equipment breaks down. While wedding planning companies offer insurance automatically, you will need to take care of this important aspect of the event if you opt for the DIY wedding method.

Is Accommodation Available when planning your DIY Wedding?

Not all your guests will want to get a taxi and go home. Some of them will live too far to travel back on the night. In this case, you could cut a deal with the venue on budget accommodation. After a long night of partying and celebrating, the last thing you would like to do is travel for hours to get home. Hiring a hotel or asking for recommendations on transfer and accommodation can be a great option if most of your guests arrive from out of town.

Planning your own DIY wedding can be exciting and – sometimes – stressful. Make sure you pay attention to all the details and ask your guests about their needs and expectations. Consider disabled and elderly guests’ concerns, arrange kids’ entertainment, and make sure that you are covered if something goes wrong. Create a detailed budget, interview catering companies, and start planning your perfect day you and your guests will remember.

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