The first and most costly vendor on your wedding list, after your pick your date is of course your venue. There are many factors you have to keep in mind while booking your venue. These are but of course not limited to...
- Number of guests
- Whether you have a DJ or band
- Location
- Acoustics
- Pictures (Whether they have grounds or not)
- Indoor outdoor area
The list can go on, but its important to know what you're paying for.
According to The Knot Weddings study, the average wedding venue cost in 2018 was $15,539 out of a total spend of $33,931. So couples devoted 45 percent of their overall budget to their locations, and decided it a worthy expense with nearly 90 percent of all surveyed booking a professional wedding venue for their event.
It's important to keep in mind this is just the national average and doesn't necessarily take into consideration add on's such as cake, Viennese, hour and a half cocktail etc.
Another factor in this is the location. As you might have learned from my other blog posts about different types of venues, couple chose various types and locations. From mansions, to beach fronts, to the most popular being banquet halls. A small percentage also went with a hotel or resort. As it turns out the second most popular venue was a barn or ranch, which has certainly grown in popularity significantly over the past decade.
According to The Knot 2018 Real Weddings Study, location and scenery are becoming more important to couples. Almost half of the surveyed couples report they chose their venue due to the scenery. Another important factor is the venue having both an indoor and outdoor option. I can certainly see that being important in a state like NY where the weather can be unpredictable.
Budget ranked third on the list of concerns for couples last year with most couples booking for the venues being willing to budge on pricing.