Ahh the pre-venue planning. This can be a love + hate process, but let me help you stay on the love side of the scale.

1. The Guest Count

First, figure out a guestimate on your guest count. Bring the important decision-makers and chat about the expectations and invite parameters.

For social events, decide if kids will be present. Figure out if the extended family will be invited. Will family friends be there? Are you thinking of inviting co-workers? Usually, I have my clients write out every person they can think of, then slowly chat together and cross people off. Keep in mind about 60% of the invited guests usually show up the day of the event. Also, there are some people you have to invite out of respect, but you know will not show.

For corporate events, who is the event for? As HR how many employees your company has and decide if part-time or seasonal employees will be invited. Sometimes the event is just for department heads or board members or just a specific department. Will this event be for clients? If so, you can chat with sales and client relations to get a good guest count. Will spouses or plus ones be invited? Brainstorm with your team and figure out the “who” together.

 

2. Budget

Once you have a good guestimate on guest count, you need to create a budget for your event. Be sure to discuss with important decision makers (aka mom, dad, owner, accounting, etc.). Some venues include food or are all-inclusive venues, so make sure to calculate accordingly. See my budget blogs (click here) for more information on how to break down your wedding budget.

Venue usually is 37% of your overall budget.

3. Venue Info

There are a few great platforms to search for venues to be able to have the info you need. I recommend Wedding Wire for venue-searching even if the event is not a wedding. Wedding Wire provides you with vital information all in one place for most venues in your area. If you want something small, another trick is to join a local planning group on Facebook and make a post asking for venue recommendations with your parameters (ie. capacity, vendor requirements, indoor or outdoor, etc.). Check out my recommended venues in Nevada County & San Joaquin County here!

When searching for a venue it is important to ask about their vendor requirements. Some venues will now allow outside vendors, which means you cannot be your own vendor for your bar, catering, or other vendor roles. There are perks with an all-inclusive venue as the stress is taken out of the planning process and searching for vendors on your own, but these venues can be pricey. If you are looking for a more custom experience, I recommend looking for a venue that will accommodate your desires.

 

So, what do you need to do before starting your venue search? Plan your guest count and budget. Then, gain knowledge on how venues work and what they provide. Let me know if you have any questions because I am happy to help!

Thank you for checking out my blog! Happy planning and I hope you enjoy the planning process of your Sweet Soi·rée!

Cheers,

~ Your Event Extraordinaire Em