A Restaurant with a View

Posted on: 24 January 2023

People often use banquet venue rentals for wedding parties. Finding the right one can make a big difference in your guests' experience. How do you find the right one? Follow these 5 tips if you're hunting for banquet venues to host a post-wedding dinner and party.

Establish the Group's Size

Before you even consider checking out venues, you need to know how big your group of wedding attendees is going to be. Figure out who you'd like to invite and how likely they are to attend. There are always going to be a few folks who can't attend for medical, personal, business, or other reasons. However, you should try to overshoot your mark for the size of the venue to be on the safe side in case attendance is stronger than expected. Also, it never hurts to have a little extra room for guests to move around.

Group Needs

If anyone in your group has specific needs, that can sometimes eliminate certain venues. For example, wheelchair accessibility may rule out some older venues that aren't ADA-compliant. If you expect to have a large number of smokers, you can probably rule out venues that don't have decent outdoor accommodations for those guests. Unless you have your heart set on a specific banquet venue, this is a good way to eliminate some candidates from your list.

Talk with Professionals

People in the business tend to know lots of venues. Many businesses will also operate banquet spaces. For example, a wedding catering company will frequently own a venue. After all, the wedding caterers already have to provide staff, plates, food, chairs, and other items. It isn't a giant lead for a wedding catering company to also offer banquet venue rentals.

Target a Date

You don't have to set a specific date just yet, but it'll help if you can narrow in on a window of a few weeks. By targeting a set of dates, you can identify which banquet venues will be available.

Develop a List

Using your established criteria and the references from folks in the wedding industry, you can develop a list. Start contacting the various venues and asking for more information than they have on their websites. If you particularly like a place, schedule a brief tour to see what it has in terms of space and facilities.

Check References

Once you've narrowed your list, ask for references from previous users. When you're happy with the available options, you can make a decision. 

For more info, visit a local banquet venue.