Everything You Need to Check Before Booking Cheap Wedding Venues

When booking a wedding, you likely have a budget. Many couples find that their budget isn’t enough to cover their dream wedding venues, so they need compromise. But some couples have a very limited wedding budget. That means they need to look at cheap wedding venues.

This can lead to some issues. Before you decide to book the cheapest wedding venue, you need to make sure it can offer everything you need and want for your big day. Here is everything you need to check before booking cheap wedding venues, and the things that you really should not compromise on unless you want a hellish day.

Get the details of a few venues in your area and arrange a visit to look around each of them. This will not only give you the chance to see the actual place, but you can talk to the wedding coordinator there. While there, you can ask all the questions you have about the place. Do you have specific timings? Would you like to book a set number of hotel rooms upfront for your guests? Are there any special requirements?

Some venues need to be looked at during different times of the day. That beautiful view during the day will not be there at night in the dark, so you need to make sure there is something there to make this cheap wedding venue worthwhile at night. You will also get an idea of how the staff act, and whether there are problems nearby.

Always ask to see a copy of the contract before you pay your deposit. Once that deposit is paid, you will lose it if you decide that you do not want to book your wedding because of a disagreement with the contract. This will have all the details about corkage prices, the terms should there be a cancellation for any reason, and what you will be liable for during your stay.

If there are any questions, you should ask about them before just accepting the contract. That term you didn’t quite understand may end up being something that means a huge compromise at a later date. There are times that the contract goes against something in a brochure. Always ask in writing about the term and the statement in the brochure to find out whether the venue will honor the latter. Once it is in writing, you can keep it to use as proof should the venue owners decide to go against it at a later date.

Always, always, always read the fine print. If there is anything you are not happy with in the contract, now is the time to make that clear. Some wedding venues will happily work with you to create a contract that you are happy with. If you have a few cheap wedding venue options, you should not have to compromise too much.

Does the venue have any minimum requirements when it comes to numbers? This could end up increasing the cost of the venue considerably. Likewise, there could be maximum numbers included in a package deal, and the costs for adding more people are then extortionate. Do the math and work out whether it still works out in your budget. You can also ask the wedding venue to offer you a written quote with all your requirements to make sure it is still within price range.

It is not just numbers either. The cheap wedding venues can have requirements on the type of entertainment you have, the amount of drinks bought with a package and even the type of food served. They need to get as much money out of you as possible, and this is the best way to do that when they know you are on a tight wedding budget.

The wedding venues always make the money through food and drink. They know this, and will usually have strict terms when it comes to the type of food offered and the drinks purchased. Many venues now have a strict policy that you must use their catering and bar services, but a few do allow some outside catering and drinks within limits.

If you really want to save money, you should consider doing your own food and drink. Ask about corkage prices when you’re looking around the different places to have your wedding day. This is the price paid for them to open the bottles of wine that you bring in, so that they still make some money. Usually that still works out cheaper, especially if you can get wine from a wholesaler or find somewhere that has it on offer.

Always get the prices quoted in writing. This gives you something to back you up if the cheap wedding venues change their mind at a later date.

While you’re looking for budget wedding venues, you always want something that looks great. You may worry about the idea of booking a village hall because of how cheap it will look. However, remember that your own wedding decorations will make the day all about you. Most of the time people will not care about where you have the wedding, as long as the food is great, the bar is cheap and the entertainment is, well, entertaining.

There is no need to splash out on a fancy hotel, when you can get everything you need from that village hall down the road. You could even save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on your wedding there and have much more control. The village halls know that the money they gain comes from hiring out the hall. They’re not bothered about you bringing in outside food, and many will allow alcohol from the outside to be brought in.

If you do book a village hall, you will want to talk to them about alcohol terms. They may not have a license to sell it, so you need to think about what you will do for your guests. For private parties there can be different types of licenses on offer and you could just bring your own and have an open bar for your guests.

The next time you’re considering cheap wedding venues, do your research. There are often strict terms attached as they try to get as much money out of you as possible. Read the contract before booking a date, and ask all the questions you have so you are happy with any compromises you may need to make. Remember, guests want to see you and celebrate your big day. The village hall with your own wedding decorations is just as good as having a big fancy hotel or castle, and much better for your wedding budget.