Research, Visit and Reserve your Reception Hall

12 Months Before Your Wedding

Every bride has a vision of what they want their wedding to be like. You have probably envisioned yourself in the white gown ever since you were a little girl. You’ve likely even had a place that you wanted to hold your reception at in mind long before that ring was ever on your finger. So now it’s time to get down to business and figure out where you will hold your reception. This can be a very involved task as there’s much to consider, but once this is determined it will make the rest of the planning much easier. Selecting your reception hall and ceremony are the two most important elements in the journey to the altar, and once these are picked then you have officially set a date. How exciting!

Many venues offer virtual tours and video presentations that will allow you to get a feel of the venue from the comfort of your home. Many venues have posted their videos on ReceptionHalls.TV, where you can browse video presentations at your leisure. Another excellent source is to look in local bridal magazines, where many venues take out full page ads.

Look into reception halls in the area you want to get married; picking a general vicinity will help you narrow your search a bit. If you are in a larger metropolitan area you may have to add a few more criteria to narrow your search even more, but location is the best place to start. Also very important in researching your reception hall is the size—determining how many guests it will hold will be a very important factor in your final selection. Once you’ve narrowed your search a bit, it’s time to consider some of the more fun and flexible elements of a reception hall. The type of food and style in which it is served, the atmosphere for the reception itself, and other amenities such as an outdoor patio or staircase for pictures can help you in selecting your very best choice.

Cost is of course an important factor in finding a reception hall, but this can’t be fully determined until you’ve visited a facility. It is recommended to make a list based on the criteria that are important to you and visit several halls so that you can fully visualize how your wedding could play out in each location. You will likely know when you’ve found the location that is perfect for you, but you must first ask questions such as cost and options for feeding your guests, bar selection, table set up, and what amenities are included with your final cost. Some halls for example will give you one flat rate for a full meal plus bar, as well as services that are part of the package such as cutting the cake. Other halls have many hidden costs and you want to be sure you understand each line item prior to putting down a deposit.

After you’ve visited several halls for comparison and asked many questions, it’s time to reserve the magical place that your wedding reception will take place. So long as all of your questions have been answered and you feel comfortable making this the reception hall for your dream wedding, it’s time to put down a deposit. Most of the time you need to put down a percentage of the grand total to hold the reception hall, but be sure you understand exactly when payments are due and how this wonderful chapter in your wedding planning will play out.

Useful Links
ReceptionHalls.TV – Video tours of local venues