Let’s talk about how to find your wedding venue in the Atlanta area. “Wedding Venues Near Me” is one of the most popular search requests after a couple gets engaged. They’re excited and want to take action now. They want to find a place to get married! A slow, methodical approach might have newly engaged couples start by finding a wedding planner, talking with family about how to proceed and working out a budget. But who needs that??? Let’s find a beautiful venue first! There are so many wedding venues in the Atlanta area that you can quickly be overwhelmed by the number of choices. If you’re not careful, you can get “paralysis by analysis”- buried under so much information you can’t move. It helps to have a plan as you start your wedding journey. Even if it’s not slow and methodical you need to think about how to look for a wedding venue for your Big Day!
How to Find Your Wedding Venue in the Atlanta Area
Online Search
“Hi. We just got engaged and we want to book a tour of your venue.”
This is something we hear quite often. Newly engaged couples often jump right in to a wedding venue search. Once you get engaged there is no mandatory “to do” list. Many couples start by looking at venues. When couples search “wedding venues near me” they get dozens and dozens of results. It helps to use a location parameter to narrow down your choices to a geographic area you desire.
Location of the Wedding Venue
Choosing the location of your wedding venue is an important part of your decision. Does the venue have on-site accommodations? Are there hotels nearby? Does the venue have easy access from airports and interstates? Do you like an urban area or would you prefer a rural setting?
Research the Wedding Venue
There is a lot you can learn about a wedding venue before you even make an initial contact. The venue website is a great starting point. Usually there are links to the venue’s social media accounts. Facebook and Instagram are great sources for pictures and videos. Google reviews give you firsthand reports from clients. The Knot and Wedding Wire, among others, have reviews as well. How about getting referrals from the venue directly? Ask for a way to contact couples who have used the venue. Most venues will be happy to help coordinate an opportunity for you to speak with recently married couples. Of course privacy issues will be addressed.
Price Range for the Wedding Venue
It certainly helps to have some idea of price in mind when you begin shopping for wedding venues. However most people don’t have any idea of prices when beginning to look for a venue. There are many variables when it comes to price. You need a way to compare “apples to apples” so you can accurately evaluate the different venues you find. Does the price of a venue include staff? Parking? A variety of ceremony sites? Rehearsal the day before? Setup for the ceremony and the reception? Chairs for the ceremony? Tables and chairs for the reception? Access to venue owners during wedding planning? Golf cart shuttles for guests? Taxes and all fees? Cleaning? Decor? Make sure you get a “bottom line” figure of every charge from the venue so you get an accurate way to make a decision.
We think it is best to have a discussion with the wedding venue before scheduling a tour. The “Price Range” discussion is an important part of this conversation. It is somewhat like getting pre-qualified before looking at homes to buy or deciding how much you want to spend before buying a car. It helps to know your price range. Even though it’s not directly related to a wedding venue search this is a good time to determine the sources you will have to finance your wedding. Is it all up to you two or will you get help from family?
Schedule a Tour
You can put a lot of time and energy into touring venues. That is one way to educate yourself. But it is also a huge investment of your time and the time of the venue owners or staff you will meet for a visit. You should filter the venues by considering what is most important to you and the price range suitability. Contact the venue to set up a visit. We require at least a short phone call before making an appointment for a tour. Most of our visits are within a few days of the initial contact.
How long will a visit take? At The Venue at Murphy Lane initial visits can range from a little over an hour to 2-3 hours. Most are about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Will you be meeting with other couples? At Murphy Lane we do not do group tours. We leave plenty of time before and after an appointment so there is no rush. Who normally comes to a wedding venue tour? It varies! But we think it is important for the bride (for sure) and the groom to see our venue. Close family members are also welcome. Sometimes close friends join in. It’s up to you but we advise that you make sure anyone who comes will not affect the time and questions you want to invest in your tour.
As a courtesy, please let a wedding venue know if you are not able to make it to your appointment. Whether you plan to book a different venue, get caught up in traffic or whatever- we get it! It’s ok. Just let us know.
Final Thoughts
When you search for “wedding venues near me” you must think you have a wedding in your future! How to manage the information you find is a big task. There are so many options it can be overwhelming. The Venue at Murphy Lane in Newnan, GA is here to help you navigate this journey. We are happy to talk with you, learn about the vision you have for your wedding, share information and set up a tour with you. When you reach out to us you will communicate directly with the owners. We are eager to share information with you based on our experience of being directly responsible for over 200 outdoor weddings. Please contact Murphy Lane. We’ll show you how to find your wedding venue in the Atlanta area!
You can find us at our website here. You can also view our Instagram here.
The Venue at Murphy Lane is a locally owned wedding venue located 60 minutes from Atlanta, GA. We would like to give a shout out to other locally owned wedding venues across the USA.
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