9 TIPS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR PERFECT WEDDING VENUE
Deciding on the right wedding venue for you is a pivotal decision in your wedding planning journey! We are so lucky in South Australia have such a huge range of stunning venues. From chic inner-city venues to Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale winery’s to the Barossa Valley, there are so many beautiful wedding venues in to choose from!
In this guide, we'll walk you through 9 essential steps to help you choose your perfect wedding venue, ensuring your big day unfolds seamlessly in a venue that resonates with your personal style.
1. Define Your Vision:
Before diving into the search, decide your wedding vision. Consider the style, ambiance, and size of the venue that aligns with your dream celebration. Are you envisioning a country wedding, a historic manor, a winery, an urban chic vibe? If you are unsure, we recommend getting on pinterest and Instagram for inspo!
Consider your Ceremony, photo shoot locations and your reception. Some venues, in particular venues outside of the city offer an all-in-one package where your ceremony and reception are provided for at the same location as well as providing beautiful outside photo shoot opportunities. Eliminating the need for travel (for example from the ceremony, to photo shoot locations, to the reception) for you both, as well as for your guests and vendors can make for a smooth sailing day!
Some venues also offer a space for preparations also which can mean no additional travel is required at all (this also saves you time and money on your photographer and videography budget as by eliminating travel, you can book a package with fewer hours). City weddings on the other hand offer the option to utilise fabulous bars and architectural details in your photo shoot.
2. Set a Budget
Determine a realistic budget for your venue. Adelaide offers a range of options and varying price ranges, and having a budget in mind will help to narrow down your choices and guide your decision-making process. Consider also that some venues will offer food and drink packages, whilst others will require you to organise catering separately which may need to be incorporated into your budget.
3. Guest Count and Capacity:
Establish an estimated guest count early on. This will help you shortlist venues that can comfortably accommodate your guests while ensuring an intimate and enjoyable atmosphere.
4. Consider the Season:
Consider the time of year you want to get married and how the venue accommodates different seasons. When you view your venue we recommend asking about wet weather plans and options available.
5. Location and Accessibility:
Assess the venue's location and accessibility for your guests. Consider proximity to accommodations, parking facilities, and transport options.
6. Write down your questions before visiting venues:
It’s a good idea to write a list of questions before you go to be sure you get all the info you need at the visit. Pay attention to the layout, lighting, capacity and overall vibe of the venue, as well as checking out the ceremony location options and photo shoot locations. Some questions we recommend asking are:
Weather Contingency Plans: For outdoor venues, inquire about contingency plans for wet weather. Some venues will offer a back-up option for outdoor ceremonies, whereas others will require the couple to provide a marquee for example.
Any Venue Restrictions: Clarify any restrictions the venue may have, such as timing limitations, noise ordinances, parking, or restrictions that may impact on vendors. Knowing these details ahead of time will help you plan your wedding day timeline effectively.
Flexibility and Customization: Inquire about the venue's flexibility regarding customization and personalization. Some venues may have restrictions on decor or catering, while others offer more freedom to tailor the space to your vision.
Services and Amenities Available: Ask about any in-house services and amenities offered by the venue. Some venues provide catering, decor, and coordination services, streamlining the planning process.
7. Check Reviews:
Check out online reviews from couples who have had their weddings at the venues you are considering. This can provide insights into the venue's quality of service, and any potential challenges.
Follow the venue on Instagram and check out content relating to the venue to get a feel for it from real weddings.
8. Review Contracts Thoroughly:
Carefully review the venue contracts, paying attention to terms, conditions, and any extra fees. Ensure that your venue has adequate insurance in place. Check that all details, including the date, timing, and services and pricing, are accurately reflected in the contract.
9. Trust Your Instincts:
Ultimately, we recommend to trust your instincts. Was the owner/venue manager warm and receptive? Were they able to answer any questions or concerns you had? Was communication easy and smooth? Go with your gut and choose a venue that feels right and aligns with your vision. If a venue resonates with you, and sparks excitement, it's likely the perfect backdrop for your wedding day!
Choosing a wedding venue in Adelaide is such an exciting step in crafting your dream celebration. By considering all aspects of your vision, budget, and preferences, you'll be well on your way to finding the perfect venue that sets the stage for an incredible wedding day!!
That’s a wedding season wrap!
It’s come to the end of wedding season as winter kicks in and we are working our way through editing our wedding videos from the past few months.
It’s been a super busy season for us as wedding videographers, and I’m sure many wedding photographers will agree! We have been filming weddings that had been postponed on top of our already booked weddings, and a good few last minute bookings too. This past few months have been chockers!
We have absolutely loved it, and had the privilege of capturing so many incredible couple’s special day and documenting their unique love stories.
We have loved getting back to some old favourite venues in the Adelaide Hills like the Manor Basket Range and Glen Ewin Estate and Mount Lofty House while also exploring some other venues for the first time for the first time like the Hahndorf Agapanthus Farm (just around the corner from our home!), the stunning Vine Shed in McLaren Vale, and the breathtaking Lake Breeze Wines where we only filmed for the first time recently.
We also filmed a fantastic surprise wedding at a couple’s home which was so much fun!
We have a handful of winter weddings coming up but we will likely be spending most of our days over the next few months curled up by the fire editing wedding videos and preparing for the next busy wedding season which will kick off for us in September.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN BOOKING YOUR WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHER
Helpful questions to ask when booking your wedding videography
It can be a daunting process booking vendors for your wedding day. Here is a list of helpful questions to ask when booking your wedding videographer.
1. Do you offer a chance to meet (either in person or over zoom?)
This one is a big one! As your wedding videographer will spend a lot of time with you on your wedding day it’s important that you have a chance to get to know each other so that you feel relaxed and comfortable on your wedding day. Being able to talk with your wedding videographer in some way whether it’s over zoom or in person helps you to get to know each other and ensure you click.
2. Describe your style of editing and filming weddings.
When it comes to wedding videography there are many approaches, and we don’t believe that there is an style that is better or worse… It comes down to what makes you feel comfortable and is inline with your wedding vibe and style.
Our approach is to capture natural moments and to help you feel as relaxed as possible in front of the camera, and most importantly to enjoy yourselves! We tend to have a “fly-on-the-wall” approach for most of the wedding day, capturing moments while you don’t even know we are there! The time when we have the most interaction with you is during your photo shoot.
We don’t put you into awkward poses, but may give some prompts to get some great reactions, and natural moments between you both. We find that these moments make for the best footage and really reflect you as a couple.
When it comes to editing wedding videos we have a similar approach and aim to tell your love story authentically and in a way that captures your personalities and relationship.
3. Do you have any wedding photographers you recommend /or have you worked with our photographer before?
Choosing photographers and videographers who work well together is really important. If they have worked together before and know each other’s style that’s great! If they haven’t that’s not a problem but it’s a good idea to ask a few questions about their style to make sure they are a good fit. If we haven’t worked with a photographer before we like to contact them prior to your wedding day to say hi and introduce ourselves.
We are big believers in working collaboratively alongside photographers (this is not a competition!) We are very aware of their needs and respectful of their shots and not getting in the way. If a photographer has set up a pose for example we will let them take the photos they need whilst staying in the background, filming a wide angle shot. Then we will ask to jump in for a couple of quick shots afterwards if necessary ie to get a more natural shot with a bit of movement which always looks great for film.
We have a bunch of amazing photographers who we love working with who we can recommend for your wedding day.
4. What are your wedding videography packages?
Asking about packages is helpful to get an idea of what is (and isn’t) included. Some videographers will be flexible about their packages and be able to tailor them to best fit your needs.
5. How long have you worked as a wedding videographer? Do you have an ABN and Public Liability insurance
Knowing that your wedding videographer is experienced and is running a registered business is so important. Also having insurance is a must in case anything goes wrong. Many venues now require all wedding supplier’s insurance certificates before they are allowed to work there too.
6. Do you use licensed music in your wedding films?
The majority of professional wedding videographers will only use licensed music which has been paid for through a licensing website.
Unfortunately familiar songs from the top hits for example can’t be licensed for use (well sometimes they can but the fee is upwards for $25000 per song!)
However there is a huge range of incredible artists making awesome music that is available to be licensed. We pay to licence all tracks we use, not only because it’s important to us to know that artists are being reimbursed for their work, but also because popular video sharing channels will not allow a video to be shared online unless the music is licensed (they will remove the video from the platform).
7. Can you recommend any other wedding vendors, ie celebrant, photo booth, stylist, wedding planner, DJ?
This is not a necessary question but can be really helpful for your wedding planning! We have worked alongside a lot of suppliers in the Adelaide wedding industry and seen their work first hand many times at weddings. Some suppliers (such as celebrants) we have filmed (and edited) several of their ceremonies and know their style well. We are always happy to provide recommendations to help with your wedding planning!
