Ahhhhh! It is time to tour your potential wedding venue.  Get excited!  Since your engagement you’ve taken our advice from our posts,  8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Venue Shopping &  10 Details to Know About A Wedding Venue Before You Schedule A Tour, to narrow your choices down to three amazing venues.  You’ve already decided these venues fit your event criteria.  Now you, your fiancé, and other key decision-makers are ready to actually visit some venues!  Here are five tips to help you with this part of your wedding planning journey.

Tip #1- Choose your venue tour squad wisely.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then experiencing a place in person must be worth a million words.  Bring everyone who is essential to your decision so they can see each venue for themselves. You don’t want to have to miss out on booking the venue of your dreams because you don’t have everyone there to make the decision.  Additionally, be careful not to have too many people attend your tour.  Overpowering personalities and extremely opinionated people can make it especially difficult to get your questions answered and for you to form your opinion independently.

Tip #2 – Take pictures.

Take pictures of key spaces and features of each venue.  After a few tours, it may be difficult to remember all the details of each venue.  Pictures will help with that.  Pictures can also help when you’re getting the opinion of those that weren’t able to make it to your tour.

Tip #3 – Ask questions.  

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Venues recognize that venue shopping isn’t something people do often.  It is a part of our job to be clear and comprehensive on your tour.  It is totally acceptable to ask your tour guide to define an industry term, explain the importance of a certain feature, or elaborate on a specific detail.  

Tip #4 – Take your time. 

You want to leave your venue tour with a clear vision of what your day could look and feel like as well as what it will be like to work with this venue during the planning process.  You don’t want to plan every detail of your wedding on the spot, but you do want to think about the logistics of how the venue will function. 

Tip #5 – Trust your gut!

You can compare all the venue features, details, and prices you want, but typically it comes down to a feeling.  You can either envision yourself getting married there or not.  All you type “A” personalities out there are having a panic attack right now worried that you can’t calculate your way to a “right” answer.  I feel ya sister.  But, I’m here to tell you that your gut is worth trusting.  Choose the venue you feel comfortable and happy in.  It’s as simple as that.

Bonus – Tip #6 – Give grace.

Do not expect any venue to look wedding-ready for your tour.  Understand that venues are in a constant cycle of setup –> event –> cleanup –> repeat so it may or may not be polished and set up for an event.  For example, if you’re touring on a Sunday the property may or may not be in tip-top shape after hosting a wedding late into the night before.  Venues are run by humans; real people with real lives.  Cut venues some slack when you are inspecting the property.  No venue is perfect, but everyone is doing their best to meet and exceed your needs.  So, give grace and trust that when you arrive for your event the property will be stunning.

Now what?

Check out this free Wedding Venue Tour Checklist in our Wedding Venue Shopping Guide! This would be great to look at right before you visit each property as a reminder of how to make the most of your tour.  Enjoy your tours!!!