2010-02-23 07:00:00 by SMARTBRIDE
Bride-to-Be: Making the Most of a Venue in a Small Town
Once my fiancé and I set a date, I was on the search for a venue. My fiancé and I chose my hometown for our wedding since it was most convenient for all of our guests and it meant a lot to me to be married in my childhood church.
Since our wedding is taking place in a small town, the venue options are quite limited – making the search for a venue a lot easier!
There are about three venue options in my home town including the hall I chose, a hotel, and a golf course. I ruled out the golf course quickly since it is outside of the city and we wanted to make our wedding location convenient for as many of our guests as possible.
The hotel was the next option and I had attended events there during my high school years. I wanted something different for our wedding. No one wants to be married in the same hall where their prom took place!
The third option was a hall in a community centre, not very glamorous, but convenient for all guests and perhaps most importantly, on budget.
Since we are paying for the majority of the wedding ourselves, it was extremely important for us to find an affordable venue. This hall cost $500 to rent for the day and the catering cost per-person was very low (under $40). I also happened to know the manager of the venue who is a chef by trade and caters the events. His food is amazing, has gorgeous presentation and I trust him to have my best interests in mind.
After viewing the hall and looking at pictures of different weddings that had taken place, we decided that this was the venue we wanted and we booked it with a $100 deposit.
Every bride pictures a fairytale wedding with a glamorous hall and a great party. This hall was far from my dream hall, but I knew that I had to be budget conscious, or wait many years to get married. So I decided to make the most out of the hall and was on the search for a fantastic decorator to make this hall perfect for us.
More on that next week!
*SmartBride Planning Tip:* See the bigger picture when you visit your venue. Even if the hall is decorated for another wedding that doesn’t fit your style, it will look totally different with another decorator and your vision.
Check back every Tuesday for more of my wedding planning stories and wedding planning tips for smart brides,
Alicia
--
About our Guest Blogger: Alicia Mason
On December 23, 2008 I got engaged to my best friend and soul mate. We set the date for September 25, 2010 and for the past year I have been sleeping and breathing everything wedding including; the venue, food, flowers, decorator, invitations, and finding the perfect dress…all on a budget!
While I didn’t go crazy meeting with 10 florists and 10 decorators, I put a lot of thought into each decision and was able to find great deals along the way. I am thrilled that the SmartBride Boutique ladies have asked me to be a guest blogger in order to give you details about my wedding planning. While the planning isn’t easy, it is exciting and I hope as you plan your wedding, you’ll find my experiences helpful.
More posts from Bride-to-Be Alicia:
