Advice on Finding the Right Wedding Location

One of the first items on any wedding checklist -- right after you’ve said “yes” and picked the date -- is searching ceremony sites. Not surprisingly, it’s a little more complicated than calling St. Patrick’s Cathedral and making a reservation (for the record, they do perform weddings). Start your search as soon as you can: 8-9 months before your wedding is ideal, but no later than six months’ prior to your date. Like every other “vendor,” popular sites are booked early on.

If you’re having a religious wedding, the house of worship you choose will be determined in large part by your congregation or clergyperson. You need to contact the head of the site, find out about available dates, and ask what the “donation” is; depending on the city and structure, expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $1,500.

It’s imperative that you ask about all restrictions no matter where you’re marrying. “If you marry in a park, you will probably need a permit,” says Danielle Bobish of Curtain Up Events in New York City. “Also, you might find out that you can’t have chairs, or something else that could determine whether or not you want to use the facility.” Houses of worship have their own rules, so go over as many details as possible—for instance, many churches won’t allow rose petals to be thrown on the floor.

Many couples who marry at a house of worship worry that the reception site won’t fit the formality of the ceremony. While that might seem like a dealbreaker, it’s not as necessary as you think. “You want your reception to have hints of your ceremony flavor, but they don’t need to be identical in theme,” says Bobish. “It works both ways. Some couples have elaborate black-tie events in run-down churches because they love the look of the place, or it has sentimental value.”

One important requirement is to keep guests informed of the plan, through your wedding website or by spreading the word the old-fashioned way.  If they find out you’re marrying at a 400-year-old landmark church, they will expect the reception to have the same level of formality. Do keep a high standard, as you don’t want anyone to feel like they need to change clothes, but if you’ve hired a DJ for an outside soiree, make it known that they can let their hair down.

-David Toussaint

Check Out Tips for Your Walk Down the Aisle
Check Out Editing Your Marriage Script with Your Officiant
Check Out the Wedding Planning Checklist