Since Dylan and I have just gotten married and planned and paid for a wedding ourselves (with a little help from our parents), we decided to make a blog series of things that we’ve learned so that we can help out other couples that are trying to plan a wedding on a budget. We’re calling this “What We’ve Learned Wednesday” Our second topic in this series is about the wedding venue. If you missed our first topic, Top 5 Places to Find Inexpensive Wedding Dresses, you can check it out here.

So the title is a bit misleading; your venue does matter, but it’s not what your wedding is all about. You want to make sure the venue you choose will have all the necessities, but when it all comes down do it, does it really matter that the carpet is this weird color or the walls are so bare? No, it doesn’t. You and your fiance are committing yourselves to each other and becoming one! That’s what matters.

One thing we discovered about venues during our search is that they are expensive! Even if you just have a bare barn or a bare hall, it could still cost you a few thousand. Let me put this into perspective. You could honeymoon in London for a week and spend less than some venues cost. If you have free venues to use such as your church and fellowship hall, you should seriously consider them as your wedding venue.

Dylan was so hesitant to get married in our church because, if we are being honest, it isn’t the most aesthetically appealing building. But ask him now and he will tell you that it was the best decision and totally worth it. Plus, it is very sentimental to us. It is the church we are a part of and actively serve in, and it’s where we were both baptized so it holds a special place in our hearts. The fellowship hall was too small for the reception so we held it across the street in the American Legion Hall. If you have a hall in your area that only charges a small fee, I would recommend looking into that!

Worried that the inexpensive hall won’t look nice? Worry not! I had so many ideas planned in my head for decorations for our reception hall and even for our church. We probably implemented about 1/4th of those ideas, and we still got so many compliments on our wedding. If you have the right photographer, they can make any space look awesome in your wedding photos, and that’s what you are going to remember because it’s what’s documented.

Side note: many venues include things such as decorations, catering, DJ’s, etc. Make sure to factor those into the price. It may be worth going with that venue even though it’s a bit pricier because it includes all of those services. Sometimes it’s worth avoiding the stress if you can afford it.

I know you are probably going to ignore all this advice because it’s easier said after you’ve had your wedding, but if you did find this helpful then we are glad to have been of assistance.