Venues
Explore breathtaking wedding venues, from rustic barns and historic mansions to beachfront resorts and urban lofts, to find the perfect setting for your big day.
Your venue sets the date, the guest count, and much of the budget, so it is usually the first big booking. The right place fits your style, holds your guests comfortably, and works for both the ceremony and the reception.
The guides in this section cover what to ask on a tour, how to compare costs, and how to plan around the space you choose. Visit more than one venue if you can, and check what is included before you pay a deposit.
Planning an outdoor wedding? Our wedding weather guide shows the best month to get married by state and city, with rain odds, heat days and sunset times.
Wedding Weather By State: Best Month To Get Married
What To Check On A Tour
- Real capacity: the number it holds seated with a dance floor, not the standing figure in the brochure.
- The rain plan: where the ceremony goes if the weather turns, and who decides, and by when.
- What's included: tables, chairs, linens, glassware, a sound system and a coordinator, and what each extra costs.
- Vendor rules: whether you can bring your own caterer and bar, or must use the venue's list.
- Timings: when you can get in to set up, and the hour music has to stop. A 10 p.m. noise curfew changes the plan for the evening.
- Access: parking, step-free routes, and where guests wait between a ceremony and a reception.
- Overtime: what it costs to run an hour late.
Visit At The Right Time
Go once during the day and, if you can, at the same time of day your wedding will start, because a ballroom that looks bright at noon can feel dim at dusk. Ask to see photos of a wedding at the same time of year. Outdoor venues change a great deal between seasons, so check the weather record for your month and place before you fall for a garden in January.
Dates And Costs
A Friday, a Sunday or an off-season date can cut the price by a noticeable amount, and some venues have separate rates for each. Check which dates are popular or taken before you ask, because a notable date will cost more and book sooner.
Ask for the full price in writing before you pay a deposit: the venue fee, the service charge, tax, any required minimums for food and drink, and what happens to the deposit if you have to move the date.