Finding the absolute best venue will be a key factor for your dream wedding

Brides and grooms deciding on a destination wedding are often confronted with THE most important question: where “in the world” should we get married? Well, for couples still searching for that perfect venue, we would like to offer some expert advice from Frank Damgaard of Monte-Carlo Weddings. He personally helps his clients by breaking down the venue decision-making process into three parts:

The number of guests
This is one of the first decisions which need to be taken care of. Hopefully, the bride and groom will agree on this one! Traditionally, under 100 guests is considered small, between 100 and 250 is considered average and over 300 is considered large. What couples must take into consideration is that the size of the wedding is not the element which is going to make or break the wedding. However, it is a decision which will impact all of the other factors, i.e. the size of the venue, the budget, etc.etc. Ideally one would want to avoid a situation whereby you go from planning a large wedding and then change to a small wedding or vice-versa, in order to save time and get things right from the beginning.

The feel of the wedding
By feel I don’t necessarily mean the “theme.”  The feel means the sum of both tangible elements (the food, the decoration, the flowers, the entertainment) and intangible elements such as the general mood, the atmosphere and the memories which the guests will take home with them. Do you want a friendly, family atmosphere? Are you looking for glitz and glamour? The more you tell your wedding planner about what you expect your experience to be like and what you expect your guests to take away from the wedding, the better. In fact, there is no “best” venue, it is only a question of the “best” venue to match your requirements.

The “B” word: Budget!
Once you have decided on the overall budget for your wedding, make sure that the venue you choose will not only fit the bill, but that the decoration, flowers, seating, etc which this venue will necessitate, will also fit within the budget. Don’t just compare the price of different venues. A more expensive venue could in fact end up being cheaper, if it needs less decoration or if the cost of bringing the guests there is lower.  A good wedding planner will be able to estimate the costs inherent with each venue and be able to give you an insider’s cost evaluation.

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, it’s your wedding, and no one else’s! One of the big challenges of the wedding planning process is always to keep to one’s vision even while keeping all of your family members happy. Input from the brides’ and grooms’ family can often overtake the couple’s wishes. Once again, what is key is to get your wedding planner to understand what you want from your big day.

Monte-Carlo Weddings