Have you set a date for your wedding yet? The first and most critical task on your wedding planning checklist right now is to plan your wedding budget.
Select the Ideal Wedding Venue while staying within your wedding budget.
Booking a wedding venue is a significant cost in your wedding budget, and there are a few things to bear in mind about venue price when you begin looking for a location.
Find details on the various types of venue pricing for wedding venues in India, factors that can lead to additional costs adding to your wedding venue expenses, the most important factors that affect the booking cost of wedding venues, and our tips on booking the right venue for your special day in our comprehensive guide to wedding venue costs!
Factors that impact Venue Cost
If you've settled on a wedding budget but aren't sure how to dedicate a portion of that budget to wedding venues in particular. When you input your total wedding budget into the calculator, it calculates an average amount that you should set aside for various wedding expenses such as venue rents, wedding photographer fees, transportation costs, wedding invitations, jewellery costs, and so on. This will assist you in determining an approximate budget for venue bookings.
Some major factors that affect the Venue Cost include -
Wedding Date - During peak season and Saaya dates, the rental fee and pricing per plate for Wedding Venues are normally higher.
The number of people on your guest list - Multiple dining rooms and open-air spaces are common at hotels and other high-end wedding venues, allowing them to handle multiple weddings in a single day. The number of people who can be accommodated in various halls/poolside sections or open-air locations varies. If you want to rent a specific area within one of these locations, the rental charge will be determined by the venue's capacity. If you want to book the wedding venue with food, you'll be given a 'price per plate' package; in this case, your total venue cost will be determined by the size of your guest list.
Extra services - Are you only planning to rent out the hotel room/banquet hall or are you also planning to hire the venue's additional services, such as wedding cuisine, wedding venue design, or DJ services? The entire cost of your wedding venue will be determined by the services you select.
Guest Accommodation - Many couples reserve rooms at the wedding venue for their out-of-town guests (based on availability). If you want to rent hotel/resort rooms for your wedding guests, the overall cost of your wedding venue would be significantly higher.
Location of Wedding Venue - If you choose a wedding venue in a high-traffic area, the rental fees or price per plate will be higher. Hotels in the heart of a major city, for example, and high-end hotels near a city's airport. This is also true of places that are ideal for destination weddings, such as a coastal venue or a well-known resort in a hill station.
Additional Costs for Wedding Venues
We mentioned previously that depending on the services you select, an additional fee may be applied to your wedding venue package. That, however, is not the case! When booking a wedding venue, a number of other elements must be taken into account as additional fees. Before you pay the booking deposit, ask the venue manager questions about these aspects so you're clear on the additional expenditure you'll have to make.
Check with the venue manager to see if the cost of parking for your guests' cars is included in the overall venue cost or if it will be charged separately. You should also inquire about Valet services and the costs associated with them.
Whether you're using the venue's catering services, you'll want to know if there are any extra charges for cutlery, kitchen use, or waiter services.
Rentals - A wedding location must be equipped with lighting (for evening and night weddings), seats and dining tables, and basic audio equipment at all times. Check with the venue manager to see if this equipment is available, and make sure to include it in your overall agreed venue package.
Cost of décor - Ask your venue management if they are willing to handle the wedding venue decoration for an additional fee. If they provide this service, you can view images/videos of some of the prior decorations they've planned for the venue and contact them. In this scenario, double-check with the venue manager to see if the cost of the raw materials used for venue décor is included in the package or if it will be an additional expense. Set up a meeting with your wedding venue to learn the rules/regulations/additional expenses if you wish to hire a wedding decorator independently.
Taxes & Service Charges - To be entirely aware of the total venue cost, ask your venue management if there will be additional costs for gratuities, other service charges, and the precise tax amount payable.
Event insurance - If you're planning a huge wedding or a small wedding during the pandemic and want to make sure your wedding goes off without a hitch, prepare to pay a little more than your insurance company suggests.
Cost of Logistics - Ask your venue manager whether there is a fee for utilising storage facilities. This is especially true if you are employing separate wedding decorators and wedding entertainment companies for your wedding celebration. The venue must be removed of rented furniture, décor items and props, and sound systems used by wedding DJs and entertainment companies after the wedding function. If these vendors are unable to collect the things immediately following the wedding, they must be held for the night. Set up meetings with your vendors and the venue manager to clear up any doubts and clarify whether there will be any additional charges in these circumstances.
Venue Booking Tips
Use the Event-karm website to create an online shortlist of venues - As soon as you've settled on your wedding budget, start shortlisting wedding venues in your selected area online.
Book your favourite wedding venue as soon as you've set your wedding date - Once you've set your wedding date, begin your venue scouting and reserve your preferred wedding venue as soon as possible. If you book ahead of time, you'll have a better chance of finding your preferred venue.
If you have your heart set on a dream wedding venue, such as a luxury fort or palatial site in Rajasthan or one of the most popular farmhouses in Chattarpur, Delhi, you should be willing to be flexible with your wedding date. You can develop a list of saaya dates for the wedding and check with the venue to see if they are available.
Make sure you have a contract in place and that all of your discussions are written down. You can have a formal contract with the wedding venue that covers all of the crucial details, such as the amount you paid for the reservation, the venue's cancellation policy, the Force Majeure clause, and other laws that must be addressed.
