Selecting the right wedding abroad venue can be make or break!
As a general rule, you can expect a wedding abroad venue to account for approximately 40 to 60% of your total wedding budget, so choosing your wedding venue is an extremely important decision. As your venue will form the backdrop to your wedding celebrations it will undoubtedly have a strong bearing on the success of your day. After all you and your guests will have travelled thousands of miles and you want to ensure that everything is just perfect for your big day.
You may understandably feel an element of trepidation when selecting your ceremony and reception venues if you don’t have the chance to visit your wedding destination prior to your wedding day. However, even if you are able to visit your wedding destination prior to your wedding you need to have researched prospective venues thoroughly to make your trip worthwhile.
Not only should your wedding abroad venue look and feel the part, it should also offer excellent value for money, provide 1st class customer service and be able to deal with and cater for any special requests or requirements you may have.
If you’re planning your wedding abroad yourself, selecting your wedding venues may take a little longer and require extra research. If you’re using a wedding planner or Tour Operator, most will have a selection of venues they regularly use and the process may be a little easier.
However, if a wedding planner doesn’t have a venue on their books that you are happy with, don’t be afraid to ask them to find something new and different. Most will be more than happy to do this and they will also give you valuable feedback on any venues which you have researched yourself. For example, you may have found a venue on the internet with stunning views but a wedding planner may not use this venue because they feel it is unsuitable for a wedding or will know from experience that it will not provide the type of experience you are looking for.
When selecting your wedding abroad venues, my advice to you is, take your time and do plenty of research, be it in person, over the phone, or via the internet. In order to help with this, I have put together a number of prompts and questions below that may prove valuable when speaking to different wedding abroad venues.
Page & Joe’s wedding at the Anthony Chapel by Cottonwood Studios
Wedding Abroad Venue – Ceremony
- When selecting your ceremony venue, you may wish to take some of the following into consideration.
- How many people will the ceremony venue hold?
- Is there a fee to use the ceremony venue? If yes, how much is it and what does the fee include?
- Will you be required to pay a deposit? If yes, when will you need to pay this by?
- Is the deposit refundable if you choose not to use this venue?
- Are you able to have a wedding rehearsal at the venue? When can this take place?
- Is there an organist / pianist or musicians available?
- If no musicians are available do they provide a stereo where you can play recorded music?
- Are there any restrictions on the type of music you can play?
- Are there any restrictions on decorating the venue? Does the venue provide decorations? Are you offered a choice of decorations? Can you provide your own decorations?
- How long before the wedding can a decorator or florist come in and set up?
- Does the venue have any rules? E.g. not being able to throw confetti, rice.
- Will there be any other weddings held on your selected date? If yes, will this impact on you in any way?
- How easy is it for your guests to get to the ceremony venue? Will you need to provide them with transportation?
- Are there any restrictions on choosing your own readings and vows?
- If required can you use your own celebrant / priest at the ceremony venue?
- What language will your wedding ceremony will conducted in?
- If you require a translator at your ceremony, will the venue organise this for you?
Wedding Abroad Venue – Reception
- When selecting your reception venue, you may wish to take some of the following into consideration.
- How much does the venue cost to hire? What is included in the hire price?
- Will you be required to pay a deposit? If yes, when will you need to pay this by?
- What is the venue’s cancellation policy? If you have paid a deposit will it be refundable?
- How many people can the venue cater for?
- Does the venue come with an in-house wedding co-ordinator? If yes, what are the co-ordinator’s responsibilities?
- Will the venue have other functions / weddings on during the day of your wedding or will the venue be exclusively yours?
- Does the venue have an in-house caterer?
- Can you bring your own caterer?
- If you need to hire or wish to use your own caterer, will the caterer have appropriate space or the necessary facilities?
- Do you get a choice of menus? Are you able to adapt or change the menus to meet your own requirements? Will they cater for special meal requests, e.g. vegetarian?
- What equipment is included in the hire of the venue, e.g. tables, chairs, stereo?
- Will you need to hire any additional items?
- If tables are provided, how many are there? What shape are they? How many people can fit on each table?
- Does the venue provide linens? Table cloths etc.
- Are you able to move furniture around to suit your requirements?
- What is the lighting like? Can the lights be dimmed? Does the venue provide candles?
- Are there any restrictions on decorating the venue? Does the venue provide decorations? Are you offered a choice of decorations? Can you provide your own decorations?
- How long before the wedding can a decorator or florist come in and set up?
- Are you able to have dancing or a disco at the venue?
- Does the venue provide musicians or a DJ? If no, can they recommend anyone?
- If yes and you wish to use your own band or DJ, is this possible?
- Is there a dance floor? What is its approximate size? Will this be large enough for the number of guests at your reception?
- Does the venue provide disco lighting or does this need to be hired separately?
- Does the venue provide a microphone? (To be used for speeches).
- Is the power supply sufficient for a band or a hired caterer?
- If required are there handicapped facilities available?
- Is there a bar? Is it portable or static? Do they supply bartenders?
- Is there a corkage charge?
- Does the venue provide a clean up service? Will you be responsible for any of the clean up?
- Is there accommodation at the venue? If so, how many rooms? Will they offer a discount for your wedding guests?
- How easy is it for guests to get to venue? Will you need to provide transportation?
- Are the venue’s arrival and departure times flexible? How many hours or days does the rental period cover?
- Is there a charge for overtime rental?
- If you would like to have a rehearsal dinner is this possible?
- If the wedding meal is to be held outside, is there a contingency if it rains?
- When do they need to know the final guest count?
- Is there a discount for weekday rental?
- Can they supply you with pictures of previous weddings?
- Do they have testimonials from couples who have used them for their wedding day? Will they put you in touch
- with these couples if required?
- Is there an option to hold your wedding ceremony at the reception venue if you wish to do so?
Additional Tips for Selecting a Wedding Abroad Venue
Some of the questions in the checklist above may not be appropriate or relevant in the case of your wedding. My advice would be to create your own list by using those questions which are relevant from above and adding others which are applicable to your individual situation.
There are many reasons why it is important to ask plenty of questions and have a defined set of requirements when speaking to a prospective wedding abroad venue. You shouldn’t feel intimidated or embarrassed – remember you are the prospective customer and venue fees often constitute a considerable proportion of your wedding budget.
Firstly, the local business practices and culture may be different to those of your home country. It is best not to take it for granted that just something happens a certain way at home that it will be the same at your wedding destination.
Secondly it helps the venue owner / manager gain a better understanding of your requirements and know if they will be the right venue for your ceremony or reception.
Thirdly, the more questions you ask and the more information you can provide to a wedding abroad venue about how you envisage your wedding ceremony or reception, the more likely you are to have your expectations met. It really pays to verbalise your thoughts as the wedding abroad venue will not be able to read your mind! Try and be really clear and succinct especially in destinations where there may be a language barrier.
Even if you are using a Wedding Planner or Tour Operator, use the above list to ask them questions and help them gain a better understanding of what you are looking for in a wedding abroad venue.
There are so many wonderful wedding abroad venues to select from that I am sure with a little careful research you will choose the one that is just right for you.
Top Tip: To make planning easier a downloadable version of the Ceremony & Reception Checklist, Wedding Venues Comparison Spreadsheet plus Wedding Venue & Location Site Visit Checklist are included in our Wedding Abroad Planning Tool Kit.
Wedding Abroad Venues
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