Planning Your Big Day: How Far in Advance To Book a Wedding Venue
You’re floating on cloud nine from a magical proposal, and you said yes to starting the next chapter in your story.
Now it’s time to make the wedding you’ve always dreamed of a reality.
Planning a wedding comes with millions of decisions. But if there is one thing you really don’t want to leave until the last minute, it's the venue. Reserving a venue early isn’t just smart, it’s essential. Why risk losing the ideal spot to another couple who picked it first?
Learn why booking a venue in advance can save you stress and give you more options and know which factors to consider when selecting the perfect wedding location.
Table of Contents
When Should You Book Your Wedding Venue?
After your picture-perfect proposal, wedding planning can commence. One of the most important questions you will need to answer is how far in advance to book the venue for your wedding.
To ensure you can secure your dream venue, it is ideal to book at least a year in advance, especially if you need to accommodate a large number of guests. Depending on the venue, you may need to book more than a year in advance. If the venue can host multiple events at once, you may be able to wait and book six months in advance.
Generally, the earlier you book your venue, the better, to guarantee that you have sufficient time to work out the other details of your wedding. Giving yourself 12-18 months to research and visit venues gives you adequate time to make decisions without feeling rushed.
However, booking too early means you will be confined to a plan that may not end up being agreeable to you as you continue planning.
Twenty Mile House can work with wedding couples who are planning a wedding more than a year in advance or even just a couple of months away. At our all-inclusive wedding venue in Northern California, our expert wedding planning team can help you have the wedding of your dreams.
Why an Early Reservation Is So Important
Planning to secure an early reservation for the venue is essential. It guarantees that you can have the ceremony on your preferred date, may secure better pricing, and reduces stress because it provides more time for planning.
Your Venue Is the Basis for Logistical Decisions Surrounding Your Wedding
Almost every decision you will make about your wedding day is contingent on the location.
Will you be able to invite extended family, friends, and co-workers, or will you need a more intimate list of attendees? The number of guests the venue can hold will help you decide.
The elegant invitations you need to send out cannot be completed without an address.
Do you need to search for caterers, or does the venue include catering?
What do you need to tell your guests to wear? The dress code will depend on whether the event will be outside or inside.
All of these questions can be answered once your venue is secured.
The Venue Narrows Down Your Stylistic Choices
The venue directly affects the aesthetics and ambiance of your wedding. When selecting a venue, consider the:
Architecture and design features: The existing style of the venue can complement certain decor choices. If you are getting married in a rustic barn or a historic mansion, the ideal decor will be different. Some venues have built-in decor and existing color schemes.
Setting: Outdoor venues tend to lead to more natural, relaxed elements. Indoor venues may lead to more formal or elegant style choices. A rural setting may have more rustic decor.
Capacity: Smaller or more intimate arrangements may require minimal decor to prevent overcrowding.
Decor guidelines: Some venues have restrictions on decor. For example, glitter and wall-hangings may not be permitted.
Layout: The venue dictates the flow of your event as far as where the cocktail hour, dancing, etc, will take place. In turn, this can influence your choices for staging and furniture and decor placement.
The Venue Might Run Out of Openings
If your heart is set on a specific venue for your wedding day, it is important to plan ahead, especially if the venue is popular, as there may not be room in the venue’s schedule for your wedding.
Factors that influence venue popularity include:
Location: Locations such as rustic barns, hotel ballrooms, and wineries are popular wedding venues. If there are not many venues in the location you desire, it may be harder to book the venue on short notice.
Ambience: Venues with stunning natural scenery, unique architecture, and distinctive styles are attractive to wedding couples and in higher demand.
Capacity: Venues that can accommodate 100-150 guests are the most popular. Venues that ensure a pleasant experience for the number of guests allow wedding couples to avoid making cuts to their guest lists.
Flexibility: The ability to adapt to certain themes, styles, and preferences increases a venue’s popularity and allows the wedding couple to have a customized experience.
Factors That Can Influence Venue Availability
Factors That Can Influence Venue Availability
Venue type: Outdoor venues, such as gardens and vineyards are in high demand during months with ideal weather, whereas indoor venues, such as ballrooms and event centers, may have more availability. If your guest list is small, you may have more available options. Additionally, some venues, such as churches, have a strict schedule that you may have to work around.
Season: Choosing the season you wish to get married in can influence the availability of your ideal venue. Spring is the most sought-after season for weddings due to the pleasant weather, the beautiful natural backdrops, and the abundance of flowers. Summer is a close second because of good weather, longer daylight hours, and more outdoor venue options. Having a wedding during the most popular wedding seasons may limit the availability of the venue.
Day of the week: The day of the week your preferred wedding date falls on will affect the availability of the venue. Saturdays are the most popular day for weddings and are likely to be booked faster. The closer you get to the wedding date, the less availability there may be.
Location: Venues that are conveniently located and easily accessible, especially for guests from out of town, are usually highly sought after and may have less availability. Venues in highly populated cities tend to be in more demand than venues in less populated locations. On the other hand, in small towns where venue options are limited, it may be harder to find availability.
A Venue Booked Too Late Might Be More Costly
Booking your venue in advance can save you stress, and in some cases, money.
Higher costs by waiting until a few months before your wedding to book a venue can be attributed to several factors, including:
Supply and demand: Wedding venues tend to have a limited number of dates available for desirable times like weekends. The closer you get to your wedding date, the more limited the availability may be.
Dynamic pricing: Some venues adjust prices as the date of your wedding gets closer. For popular dates and as the desired date approaches, the venue may increase the price. Booking your venue in advance may allow for discounts and may keep your package price from going up over time. Some venues may offer discounts for early-bird reservations.
Yearly rate increases: Many venues increase their rates yearly. Planning a year ahead allows you to secure current prices compared to booking the venue closer to your wedding date.
When Should You Start Looking at Wedding Venues?
Ideally, you should begin researching and visiting wedding venues 12-18 months before your ideal wedding date.
It is never too early to begin. Giving yourself a month or two before you need to secure a venue allows you to consider all of the variables for each of the venues.
If you are flexible with your dates and open to a wedding in the off-season, you may be able to wait longer to book a venue, but it is still advised to begin looking early due to limited availability.
When you begin researching venue options, it is a good idea to have a rough idea of the number of guests to invite, an ideal budget, your desired location and venue type, as well as reviews and references of venues you are considering.
Variables To Consider As You Research Wedding Venues
Before booking your venue, finalize these details:
Geographic Location
When you think about your ideal wedding location, there are some questions you need to ask yourself before booking a venue.
Are you considering a destination wedding where all of your guests will need accommodations?
Do you have many guests arriving from out of town?
Is the venue handicap accessible if you have guests with mobility issues?
Are there restaurants, hotels, and entertainment options for guests who are staying overnight or looking for things to do before or after the wedding?
Does the location align with the vision you have for your wedding day?
Will the ceremony and reception be in the same location, or will travel be required?
Will the venue provide local vendors?
Type of Venue
Before researching and settling on your venue, it is essential to know what type of venue you want as the setting for your wedding.
Ask yourself:
Does the venue match the vibe you want for your wedding?
Do you want an indoor or outdoor venue?
Does the venue have enough natural lighting for great photographs?
Does the layout of the venue accommodate all parts of your wedding?
Does the venue offer a suitable back-up plan in the event of inclement weather?
Do you want to have your wedding in a house of worship, a country club, a hotel, or some other location?
Guest Capacity
Are you planning to invite your distant cousins and your great-aunt twice removed to your wedding? Or do you prefer a more intimate gathering, prioritizing your closest relationships? Will you allow plus ones, which can significantly change your guest count?
Ensure that the wedding venues you are considering can comfortably accommodate the number of guests you wish to invite. Consider whether or not there will be sufficient room for dancing, dining, or other activities.
Can the venue satisfy the needs for both your ceremony and reception?
When selecting your venue, consider if there is suitable capacity for out-of-town guests on site or nearby.
Your Budget
The biggest percentage of your budget will most likely be dedicated to your venue.
Other factors you need to consider when planning your wedding budget are:
Catering
Photography and videography
Wedding attire
Entertainment
Decorations
Flowers
Stationery, such as invitations and save-the-date cards
Wedding planning services
Transportation
Wedding rings
Wedding cake
The number of guests, the time of day, and the desired experience all contribute to the overall cost.
Twenty Mile House offers three all-inclusive wedding packages that can be customized to meet the wedding couple’s unique needs. Our package prices include venue, planning, vendors for catering, photography, floral, and more. Take some of the stress off your wedding day by choosing Twenty Mile House!
What Other Services Might You Need To Reserve?
Once you have secured your ideal venue, there are other services you will need to book in advance as well. These include:
A wedding planner: Let someone help you put all of the pieces together so your wedding day can go smoothly, especially if you want a luxurious wedding. Some venues offer wedding planning as part of their services.
Photographer and videographer: Wedding photographers can be in high demand, so it is important to decide who you want to document the precious moments from the wedding and reception in advance.
Flowers: Florists are typically in high demand as well and require advanced planning. Waiting until the last minute may keep you from having the style and quality of flower arrangements you want.
Caterers: If your venue does not offer in-house catering, you will need to book a caterer as well. You will need to decide the wedding menu in advance to find a caterer that will meet your needs.
Music: You will have to decide if you want to have a live band, a DJ, or some other form of music well in advance of the ceremony.
Officiants: The officiant you want for the ceremony may be in high demand due to other obligations. It is important to get your wedding on their schedule in advance to ensure they can perform the ceremony.
Wedding attire: The wedding dress, tux, bridesmaid dresses, etc., should all be purchased several months in advance to allow time for alterations.
Stylists: If you wish to have your hair, nails, or makeup done, it is customary to secure a stylist to come to the venue for the entire wedding party.
Cake: You will need time for tasting cakes and deciding on your favorite flavors to ensure that the desired baker can fulfill your cake and dessert needs.
Other details to consider reserving include:
Transportation
Accommodations for out-of-town guests
Rentals, such as tables, chairs, and linens, if they are not included at your venue
Choose the Idyllic Twenty Mile House as Your Wedding Venue
Twenty Mile House hosts a 200-acre estate with hundreds of picture-perfect locations for breathtaking, scenic photos and three main spaces to hold wedding ceremonies.
Whether you envision your wedding in an enchanting forest, beautiful gardens, or beside a tranquil river, we could be the wedding venue for you. We have a variety of indoor and outdoor locations that allow your wedding dreams to become a reality. We offer three packages that can be customized to meet each wedding couple’s needs, including vendors for photography and flowers, as well as a wedding planner.
You can also take advantage of our all-inclusive services and accommodations for 54 guests to stay on-site.
Even if you aren’t 12-18 months out from your wedding date, at Twenty Mile House, we may still be able to accommodate your ideal timeframe because everything you need to plan your wedding is provided to make the process of planning your wedding streamlined. Reach out today for more information.
