We’re not totally into the full-wedding-planning period yet, but we have started locking some concepts, colors and creative ideas that we’ve had. We’ve decided to say no to kids being at the wedding and that we want it small; we’ve chosen the style and season; now – we have to lock down the venue. 

After all, we need somewhere for our favorite people to come together. 

Venue searching has been relatively easy because Garrett and I really talked through a lot of the vibe aspects in the two months of us being engaged before venue visiting. There are a ton of options to choose from for everyone so knowing exactly what we were going for helped a ton. 

We’re still in the contract-signing phase, so I’m not going to totally say where we’re going to have it, but it’s beautiful. So, in true Hannah fashion, I’m going to list out my helpful hints in hopes that it helps someone else out there!

Know Your Style: We sat down and really discussed the aesthetic that we had in mind for our wedding. We’re both pretty minimalistic-modern when it comes to our style, so it was pretty easy to mark out a barn, church, ballroom and golf course. We looked at some historic/restored buildings and large properties with indoor/outdoor options. We’re not having a theme, perse, but we did want an all-white venue that was clean and gorgeous. 

Count Your Numbers: We have made a temporary guest list that we know is going to evolve until we send out our Save-the-Dates. However, we know a rough estimate of how many people are going to be there so it’s helped us understand our budget and size of venue that we need. 

Speaking of Budgets: Some venues have in-house catering and others provide some accommodations. Our venue is really phenomenal because they provide all tables, linens, bartenders and security so that helped break down our budget without having to shop with a ton of venues. We used The Knot and their budget breakdown to help guide us on how we were allocating funds and it’s been super helpful so far. 

It’s Us: The majority of my friends are already married so it could be easy to be overwhelmed by opinions on what we should do. That, alongside Pinterest, has made it easy to go all over the place. We’ve really taken a step back from our friends and family to remain authentic to us as a couple and represent our love for each other. I mean, that is the entire purpose of this all.

What were some helpful hints that you had when you were searching for a venue? I’ve also learned that looking at Wedding TikTok has been super helpful 😉