Vponsale Wedding blog

The most important thing to do after you determine you ceremony location is to estimate your guest list. You don’t have to come up with a specific number, but first categorize your wedding as “large” or “small” and then try to round to the nearest fifty. Will you be aiming for an intimate gathering of 50? A semi-intimate gathering of 100? Or a large gathering of 150 or 200? Two major factors will go into this decision: 1) Budget and 2) Venue. It may be the case that you have already fallen in love with a venue (say, the house in the countryside you grew up in), and you will want to tailor your guest list to this.

However, if don’t know what kind of venue you would like, and you have number estimated guest list, here are a few great ideas:

1. A house: I once went to a very simple but enchanted wedding in Maine, where the ceremony took place in a tiny white chapel in the country, and the reception was on benches under a tent in the bride’s backyard…overlooking the ocean! It was small but beautiful. If you aren’t lucky enough to have this already (because, let’s face it, how many of us happened to grow up by the seaside?), look into renting an estate or borrowing a friend’s or relative’s house. Newport, Rhode Island offers majestic wedding estate venues with glorious views, for example.

2. A Park: This is perhaps the simplest and most cost affordable option, especially if there is already a pavilion in the park—this will help you avoid tenting costs. If it’s a nice day, set up a dance floor using a black and white checkered pattern (hire someone for this) over the concrete of the pavilion. Set up cocktail tables with simple white linen tablecloths outside, and long dinner tables in white with wooden benches under the pavilion. Adorn your tables with white, yellow or red flowers—so simple and intimate. An especially adorable but affordable option is to have a picnic-style wedding. Serve guests gourmet food in lunch boxes or bags. This will offer you a variety of great DIY projects too!

3. A Museum: A bit more costly, but so chic and minimalist. Think outside an art gallery, and see what other museums are near you—a sculpture museum? A pottery museum? A history museum?

4. Winery: A lot of wineries have marvelous underground spaces, or caves, that can offer an incredible romantic setting for a reception, or a ceremony, or both.

5. An orchard: A wedding surrounded by apple trees and shade? What better location than that?

Tags: How to Choose Your Venue

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