New to the board with Venue questions

momo2210

Hi Ladies,
I'm recently engaged and have been checking out the Knot Boards a lot lately. You have no idea how helpful your posts have been for me already.  I live in Boston and I am hoping to have my Spring 2011 wedding in Boston as well.  Is it too soon to book a venue? 

My Fiance and I were thinking about planning some tours sooner rather than later to get it done before the end of the year.  I don't even know if I'm ready to speak to the venues because we are so new to the planning process.   Is it rude to set up tours and not have specifics about my wedding yet?

What should I know going into these meetings?  What should I be ready to ask?

Thanks!

october010bride

First off, welcome and congrats!

I think if you are looking at venues you should have at least a few possible dates in mind. While its very early for most venues you might be surprised to find some already booked. I booked my venue 1 1/2 years out because my top 2 were already booked. It's really hard when you go and see venues and you fall in love but then find out that the space is not available for your specific date.

As for questions, ask about pricing, numbers that can be held, extra fees that they might charge (cake cutting, etc).

GL!

spuccio

Hey momo! Welcome to the boards and congrats on your engagement :-)

I don't think it is ever too early to start touring venues. If you have an idea what you might like, schedule some tours and check it out. See what speaks to you. I doubt that you would be too early for a Spring 2011 wedding, but even if the venue isn't accepting reservations yet (doubtful), you will have an idea when to go for it.

Don't worry about being rude with questions :-) It prevents a lot of worry and trouble later. Ask to look at sample contracts, and keep them in a file at home for comparison and doubel checking later.

Good luck with everything!

MeaghanandMichael

Hi momo and welcome!

These ladies are really helpful so never hesitate to stop by and chat

And no, definitely not too early. If you are looking at more popular places I would start going now to have your choice of dates. A lot of newly engaged brides suffer from sticked shock about how much everything is going to cost and how quickly it adds up. Even just getting a feel for what you want to spend and where your priorities lie is very important right now. So, go, have fun and start thinking about your wonderful day!

SHAMRK34

Welcome to the Boston board! Congratulations and happy planning wishes to you
I don't think you are too early - we booked about 1 1/2yrs out bc like p.p said some of our favs were already booked.
I would go in with a thought of how big your guest list will be - that will help you decide on where to start -- you may also want to have some sense of a budget but expect for changes to that along the way. Maybe have a thought of a vibe/feel you are looking for - modern vs classic - things like that.
Ask everything you can think of..from food options to parking .. local hotel accomodations to glitter restrictions .. and everything in between - don't feel like you have to get all your questions out there but if you think of them write them down and ask..that will help you out when you come to the narrowing down process GL!!

MelissaWhall

I don't think it is ever to early to start looking at Venues. I know alot of places in Boston actually have "open houses"  you may want to contact a few that you are interested in to see if they have these. You also might want to have a few dates in mind since most venues book at least a year in advance. It would just save you some time as opposed to looking at a place that was already booked.
Good luck with your planning.

Krystalynne21

Agree with pp....we booked our venue in August of this year, and our wedding is 7/23/11.   We were the only people looking into July 2011, so we had our pick of dates.  You should definitely have a range of invitees, and I would think at least the month you want to get married in.  If you are looking for a special date, like October10bride (10-10-10) those dates may be filling up already! Even though you are early in the planning process, its a big check to get your venue nailed down.  Congrats and good luck!!

JBs_Bride

Welcome! The other ladies have given you a ton of good advice.

My personal advice: It's never too early to start looking. I got engaged in September '08, but didn't really start looking at venues til January '09 and there were places that were completely booked for May *and* June 2010.

backbaybride

Hi & Welcome!
I am also spring 2011 (5/7/11) and I booked my venue in April 09.  You would be surprised how quickly some of the city venues book.  I did not even get my first choice date!  Good luck and congratulations!

LexiMS

Congrats!  I wouldn't worry about it being too early!  Definetly start looking once you get an idea of what you want.  A lot of people get engaged over the holidays, so I am sure stuff will start booking quickly after the new year!

kmt_cas

Like the other girls said, def. not too early!  We lost our date at our venue in EARLY Dec. of '08 for our June 2010 wedding.  Depends on how "hot" your venue is, but most venues in/around Boston are in high demand.  I would definitely start looking asap!

And of course, congrats on your engagement!!!

momo2210

Thanks so much for all the advice!