Hey Beautiful readers!
There comes a point in the planning process when a venue walkthrough will be necessary. This happens at different stages of planning for couples depending on their particular venue, planners’ suggestion, and personal preference.
This walkthrough is inherently different from your venue tour. The venue tour will be one of the first things you do after engagement to select the space you’re going to use for your reception, ceremony and cocktail hour. Typically, you will see a multitude of venues and be concerned with the likes of: capacity, indoor vs outdoor space, food / beverage options, in-house decor offerings, and general information regarding what hosting an event in said space typically entails.
This trip to your venue will be more objective, Q/A style - keep in mind you haven’t booked this place yet. Once you do however, that’s when everything changes. You are now looking at the place you are actually getting married at. You have paid probably a pretty significant deposit and now get to the fun part - designing and planning.
The venue walkthrough is a second / third or however many visits to the venue once you have booked. Oftentimes vendors including florists or decorators will attend these walkthroughs to better understand your exact vision and where their work will need to be set up on wedding day.
planner tip incoming: working off of your venue's preferred vendor list allows added comfort knowing those partners have worked in this particular space before. They understand where and how things are best hung / displayed; photographers know areas of the property, inside & out, for the best lighting and photo ops and your coordinator can walk through the flow of the day.
This meeting, or set of meetings is incredibly important to ensure everyone’s vision is aligned with what the bride and groom are truly hoping to achieve. There are two crucial components of your venue walkthrough that you can not finalize your planning without. The reception layout, and your weather backup plan.
Your reception layout, or as I like to use my fancy words and call it - the schematic - is how your party gets set up. Your venue oftentimes will have albums to go through, and of course examples on their website and social media for inspiration, but you never truly know how you want to lay it out until you stand in the room and consider the options. This is one of the most fun ways to push boundaries, be creative, and do something different by laying out your reception differently than it’s been done before in that space. This is not the same as adding table clothes and chargers, or grandiose centerpieces. This is the science behind where your tables go, round vs long tables, how many tables and how many people at each, where things like your cake table, sweetheart table, DJ, memorial, seating chart and guest book will go. What about a photo booth or other reception activations like live painters or tattoo artists? What direction will the room face - meaning really, where are you, the bride and groom, and where is your dance floor? So many decisions that can not be made without standing in the space.
Strategically, even though none of us really like to think about it, you absolutely have to also discuss your weather backup plan during your walkthrough. Your coordinator and vendor team need to have full details of where the rain backup will be, how it will be laid out, and, if the backup plan requires a room flip, how that will be accomplished. The last thing you want to do is get unexpected weather on wedding day with no plan B. It is out of your control but in the instance that it does occur, you will be grateful to have a strategic plan in place and still have the wedding of your dreams, executed perfectly by a well-prepped vendor team.
Some of the other important things to have on your checklist for your venue walkthroughs; with and without your vendors:
Ceremony spot - oftentimes venues will provide multiple locations to host your ceremony in; although some may be more common than others, you and your partner should stand in the spots, take photos in them, understand how the chairs can be arranged in that location and figure out what creative flexibility you have with your layout if you’re looking to do something more unique.
Transition from ceremony to cocktail hour: you may remember a few weeks ago I talked about transition periods (if you missed it, you can read it here https://www.thecalmbride.com/post/the-transition-periods ). During your time at the venue, consider where guests will enter - and how you will indicate to them where to go for your ceremony. Consider ADA capabilities for anyone that may need it if you have to go up or down levels.
To improve your transition to cocktail hour, while you’re at your venue walkthrough consider the location of your cocktail hour bar, how many bartenders you will have, or if you can set up a second bar. Having more than one eliminates a long line or crowd. Additionally, and a personal planner favorite of mine, is having pre-made signature drinks, tubs of beers, or passed cocktails. This will also help you eliminate a large crowd and a long wait time for your guests just to get their very first drink.
3. Getting ready areas: Scope out what the venue considers to be a bridal or groom suite. You want to ensure these suites meet not only your desires, but your needs. Are you and your bridal party / family members getting ready onsite? Do the groom and groomsmen need their own space to get ready and hang onsite as well? How many people have to fit in this room and do we have enough room to do all of the glam and get changed in this space? Some venues offer only one suite, and others have suites that are only big enough to get dressed, but not ready, in. Make sure the venue's suites accommodate the “morning of” plan you are crafting. (And if you need tips for wedding day morning, check out that blog here https://www.thecalmbride.com/post/wedding-day-morning-part-1 https://www.thecalmbride.com/post/wedding-day-morning-part-2 )
4. Reception entrance: Whether you’re choosing a barn, a golf course, a private residence, a hotel or anything in between, there is a 99.9% chance there is more than one way to enter into your main reception area. You have two things to figure out: How are your guests getting from cocktail hour to the main reception room and also, where do you want to make your grand entrance from. It may seem small, but it all plays into the flow of your entire day, and also allows your decorators and designers to know the focal and entry points to design around.
5. Grand exit: If you plan on doing a grand exit, determining how and what you want to do comes first - and then where you do it will be second. Make sure your venue has enough space in the area you desire to hold your guests for your grand exit, and also review their policies for approvals on things like sparklers.
Checking these details off your list while physically onsite and in the space will give you comfort and confidence that both you and your vendor team have the details down to a science and know exactly how to execute your vision come the big day. You don’t get to see all of the moving parts come together until game time, and the more prepared and thorough you are during your walkthrough, the better that will turn out.
Looking for support and guidance in navigating through the planning process, collaborating with an extensive vendor network and bringing your dream wedding vision to life? The Calm Bride is here to help! Check back weekly for insight and inspiration, or reach out at thecalmbride.com for a consultation to kickstart your planning experience!
Xoxo,
Alyssa
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