You are getting married. Congratulations! The next few months will be exhilarating and trying all at the same time. You have a ton of things to plan and one of your most important choices is going to be where you say your vows and where you’ll celebrate with loved ones afterwards. Picking a wedding venue can be tough, but luckily for you, we can help. Here are some decisions you need to make before you chosoe your picture perfect spot.

Guest Count

You don’t have to know the exact number of people attending your nuptials ten minutes after you get the ring, but one of the first steps in planning the wedding is to get a ballpark figure of attendees. The number of guests you think you might have is directly going to affect where you can hold your event. Not only will the facility want to know how many people they will be hosting, it would be super rough to rent a tent for 100 people and then have 200 come for the buffet. What’s even worse is spending money on a tent for 500 people, but only inviting about 300. Indoor or outdoor? Ballroom or beachfront? It all depends on how many people you invite.

Pick A Season

There is no bad season to have a wedding. (Really.) The spring is full of bright colors and new life blooming all around. Summer is always warm and the skies are usually blue. Fall is the perfect season for nature-lovers to marry, as the vibrant displays from trees and cool weather that make being outdoors a treat. Nothing may be as beautiful as the world covered in a fresh blanket of snow, so with the right equipment—i.e. outdoor space heaters—a wedding can be truly magical. The season you choose may determine which kind of venue will work best for you. If you’d prefer to have your wedding indoors, then all of this is irrelevant.

Travel & Accommodations

Next up is travel and accommodations. If most of your loved ones are pretty close by, then this doesn’t pertain to you so much. However, in most situations, weddings will draw in the out-of-town-crowd. Although your wedding day is mostly about you, it’s also about your guests. You can’t please everyone, but you shouldn’t aim to make it an unpleasant experience for them either. If the large majority of your guests don’t live nearby, having your reception at a hotel or in a more urban area where there are going to be lots of accommodation options will be best for everyone.

If you’d like to have your ceremony and/or reception somewhere a little more picturesque like on a beach or out in a field, be sure that you consider hiring transportation for party guests even if they live close by—especially if there will be alcohol involved.

Type of Ceremony

A religious ceremony is important for a great deal of couples who have decided to pledge their lives to one another. Most traditional religions require the ceremony to take place in an actual place of worship, so if that’s important to you, you need to know before you start putting down deposits for a space. You’ll want to decide where you’ll get married first and then pick a spot nearby for the wedding reception. If you are able to have your religious ceremony wherever you please, think about if your vision and the sacred undertones match up. For example, most people might want to go light on the clothing for an outdoor ceremony in mid-July. That might not be completely appropriate for a religious ceremony, so plan accordingly.

Amount Of Work To Be Done

Some brides relish the opportunity to plan, develop, and create. Others prefer to let the wedding coordinator handle the decor. Which bride are you? Before you start looking at every place for weddings under the sun, think about how much service you will need. Some hotels do the catering, set up the room, and tear it all down. There are plenty of full-service options out there if that’s what you need for your big day. Other more cost-effective options, like tent rental, require you and your loved ones to get in on the fun. Once you figure out how much of the grunt work you are willing to put in, you can more effectively scout out locales for your wedding reception.

Plan On A Theme

Some little girls dream of saying their “I do’s” at sunset with their toes in the surf. Others love the rustic feel of a barn wedding. There are also brides-to-be who relish the thought of a finely decorated event hall. Before you pick your venue, it’s a good idea to have a theme or design concept in mind so you can make sure the two match up. Tone will really affect the entire experience, so you have to make sure everything is the right fit. Furthermore, the venue you choose may directly impact how you go about decorating or if you do any serious decorating at all. The wedding venue will contribute highly to the overall style of your big day, so it’s a good idea to pick that style before you pick the venue.

Have A Wonderful Wedding Day

Picking a venue can be one of those pesky decisions you have to make during the planning process, but you’ll make it through. There are about a zillion wedding venues to choose from, but whichever one you end up going with will be perfect, because it’s the day you marry your love! Get this decision taken care of and move onto the next one so you can be one step closer to that magical moment when you both say “I do”.