How to choose the perfect venue
Choosing the right venue is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when planning an event. No matter the event, the venue you choose sets the tone and influences how your guest will experience the event. The right space doesn’t just hold your event — it elevates it.
Here’s our top tips for choosing a venue that elevates your event and brings your vision to life.
What Experience Do You Want to Create
The search for venues is easier if you know the experience you want to create for your guests and what budget would be realistic for this.
Think about:
How guests will move through the space.
Are you creating a formal event or more relaxed experience?
For a relaxed experience, non traditional venues work well. For a more formal event, a venue such as a manor house creates a more traditional and formal atmosphere.
Whether the setting should feel dramatic, warm, modern, historic, or rustic
The style of the venue will impact this heavily.
When the experience is clear, the right venue becomes easier to identify.
The Venue needs to reflect you
The best venue for you will feel like an extension of your identity. A strong venue will complement your aesthetic rather than require you to spend hours and ££’s on decorating.
Things to look at:
The amount of natural light and what you can see through the windows
Natural light is always the best for photos and looking your best. But its important to check the level of natural light and what you can see through the windows. The view of greenspace is usually preferred but some venues don't benefit from this.
The colour palette & art
What colour is the decoration in the venue and what is the art on the walls. This may not seem important but if you want you to have green for your decor and the venue has neon pink touches through its decor. It will clash and you will potentially have to cover these. Unless this is your thing, which will say go for it.
Consider the Event Flow, Not Just Capacity
The number of guests the venue can hold is important but how the event flows matters more. A venue should support the natural rhythm of your event — from arrivals and transitions to key moments and guest interaction.
Ask:
Are the event spaces separate or connected?
Think about how your guests will move between the spaces. Are there transitional spaces that the guests can be moved to whilst rooms are being turned around? The best venues will have separate reception areas for guests and these will be easily accessed by all guests including those requiring lift access.
Can guests move around the venue without congestion? Are there going to be bottlenecks as your guests move around the venue? These typically occur around the bar, any food, bathrooms and cloakrooms.
Avoid venues with narrow long stairs as this will create bottlenecks. Venues with several ways to get to the main event space are great as the guests can be directed in different ways depending on where in the venue they are.
What’s included?
A beautiful venue still needs to function seamlessly. It’s important to understand early on how the logistics will work. This will help you later as you or your event planner can effortlessly plan.
Key questions to ask:
What is included in the hire fee or package?
It will save you lots of time and potential stress to understand what is included in the package. As well as knowing if you can customize the package - some elements you may want to create or source yourself. Also important knowing if the elements are complimentary or chargeable - if you remove some elements does this change the price? My most important question, if you can change the package, when is the latest you can add or remove elements?
Does the venue have preferred or exclusive suppliers? Can you use other suppliers?
You may have a favourite supplier that you want to use for your event. However some venues have a limited list of suppliers that they allow to be used for the venue. If being able to use your favourite suppliers then you need to ask this due the venue tours.
What are the access, setup, and breakdown windows?
If you want to set up the event yourself, it is important to understand when you can arrive to set up. Some venues will want you to do all your own set up and breakdown and some venues will do this for you. It’s important to know which your venue does so you can plan accordingly.
Understanding these details upfront allows for realistic planning and creative solutions.
Your Guests’ Experience
The best events are designed with guests in mind. Location, accessibility, and comfort all play a role in how your event is remembered.
Consider:
Ease of travel and transport
If the venue isn’t easy to travel to, how will your guests get there? Are you going to organise transport, or are you leaving this up to the guests? All guests will always appreciate recommendations on travel.
Accommodation options nearby and the price of these
If your venue doesn’t have accommodation on site, then we always recommend signposting them to the nearby accommodation. We can help with accommodation sourcing.
Accessibility for all guests
Is the venue accessible? Key things to check: does it have a lift, how many stairs does it have and are they steep?
Weather contingencies and comfort levels
If you are planning to have elements outside, what is the wet weather option? Is the venue cold or warm? For colder venues, it’s a good idea to leave your guests a note that it will be cold so they can be prepared.
A thoughtful venue choice ensures guests feel considered and cared for.
Professional Guidance
Choosing a venue can feel overwhelming, especially when options look beautiful online but perform very differently in reality. An experienced planner or consultant can help you see beyond first impressions, ask the right questions, and identify potential challenges before they arise.
Professional guidance ensures the venue supports not just your vision, but the successful delivery of your event.
We offer venue sourcing as a stand alone service and would be delighted to assist you with finding your dream venue. Contact us here
