You’re finally engaged (ahhh!!!) and officially beginning your wedding planning process. Before you jump into all the fun things like your wedding color palette and floral arrangements, you’ll need to choose your date and your wedding venue. 

This can be overwhelming with a lot of different options, vibes, and layouts. Especially knowing that your wedding venue sets the tone for your entire wedding day! 

I get asked a lot by newly engaged couples about what to look for while touring different wedding venues, so I’ve compiled a list of things I think are important to consider, especially when it comes to your wedding photos. 

BUT before we really get into it…the MOST important thing ALWAYS is that the venue you choose is true to who you are as a couple. Some places can be stunning in person but may not feel like “you”. 

If the venue doesn’t match your style or if you aren’t crazy about the way it looks, it will be the backdrop of your entire photo gallery, so take time to choose a venue that you really love as is  – even before bringing in the florals and décor.

The Rain Plan

If you’re local to North Carolina or the East Coast, then you already know how our weather can be (consistently unpredictable). It’s important to make sure that your venue has a rain plan, especially if you are having a spring or late summer/early fall wedding!!! These are the primary rainy months and hurricane seasons. 

When thinking about the rain plan, make sure you think beyond just the ceremony and reception. We will also need a few options for portrait locations and a space big enough for the bridal party photos. That way if it does rain on your wedding day, your gallery can still be filled with variety and isn’t stuck under one poorly lit porch or car port.

Having a rain plan in place can help ease your stress and allow your wedding vendors to come together ensuring your day runs smoothly, as you continue making those joyful memories and focus on what’s most important.

But you know what they say…rain on your wedding day is considered good luck! So embrace that if it comes to it 🙂  

The Colors and Style

Like I mentioned earlier, your venue is the main backdrop of your entire day, so it is important to look for a venue that complements the overall vibe you want. 

I would also recommend leaning into the style of photography you like. For example, my style is very clean and bright, so if I had a choice of a traditional wood barn or a white one, I would choose the white for better color! 

My photography is also true-to-color, so that can cause what are called “color casts” to be present in your photos (red brick makes things look more red, wood tends to cast orange, and even dense trees and gardens can leave skin looking greenish).

While photographers are good at working around this, the colors of the spaces will still impact the photos. If this is something that’s important to you, you can always talk to your preferred photographer about their opinion before you book a space.

I personally prefer venues with a lot of lighter tones, like the light brick of Wrightsville Manor or the soft white porches of Rose Hill Estate. But I am a southern girly so I’ll always love photographing a ceremony in a wide open field with lots of greenery!

Be sure that you also think about what you will do with your wedding photos once it’s all said and done. Since I am a huge fan of printed portraits as home décor, I like to think about how they will fit into your home design. While a lot can be done with the colors of the wedding, consider how the colors of your venue and wedding will compliment your home as well! 

Not only should you think about color, you should think about architectural style. 

If you like minimalism, somewhere like The Distillery, The Maxwell, or The Cornealius Properties would be a nice fit for you with their blank slate designs.

If you like somewhere with more character, I would consider touring The Bradford, Britton Manor, or the Merrimon-Wynne House. They are all classic but full of charm and character.

If you’re looking for an industrial, warm brick and city feel, look into venues like The Power House in Rocky Mount, NC and Bakery 105 in downtown Wilmington, NC. 

The Guest Count 

Of course, the guest count is super important when picking a venue. You want to make sure that the parking lot is big enough and that the ceremony space has enough room for every guest to have a seat. 

The reception space also needs to accommodate your guests, their tables, and a dance floor big enough that your photographer can navigate and light the area for both the sweet first dances AND the action-packed up close dance photos! It can be hard for us to capture all of the energy if there isn’t enough room to move around.

The guest count also affects the number of rentals (chairs, tables, linen, etc.), so that also impacts the amount of needed space to fit everyone and the overall cost. Some venues do include rentals which can be a huge plus if you want one less vendor to communicate with!

Portrait Locations 

Choosing a venue with ample portrait locations will allow choices for different photo opportunities adding variety and creativity to your gallery. 

Think about the location of the sun at the time of day we will be out there. If the front of the venue is beautiful but in full sun the majority of the day, then that won’t be a location we can get much use out of because no one loves taking photos while squinting towards the sun. 

Ideally photo locations would have diffused backlighting (sun shining through trees or buildings behind you). Of course my job is finding the perfect lighting, but if you have your heart set on a specific location we will have to take the lighting into account! 

You also want to be aware of where your guests will park. I’ve been to so many venues where the most scenic part of the property is nearest to all the cars, and we have to work around them to minimize them in the background. It’s something I like to avoid if we can. 

(Also, look out the windows and see if the parking lot is nearby, we can see cars through the windows too.)

And since we live in the South and guests love to arrive early, make sure that some portrait locations are out of view from guests’ arrivals if you want to stay hidden until it is your time to walk down the aisle!

Our goal is typically to finish photos by the time anyone is arriving, but sometimes timelines get backed up and we’ll still be finishing up as the earliest guests arrive.

Spaces and Guest Experience

When thinking about staying hidden, you need to make sure that there is space available away from the guests for the groomsmen and the bridesmaids to have a place to relax before the ceremony begins. One perk of a first look is that the necessity of separate spaces is not nearly as important if you have a first look early on in the day. 

Rose Hill has a beautiful, open, and sleek bridal suite that is perfect for portraits to start the day, along with a full lounge dedicated to the groomsmen. It’s super easy to accommodate large groups of people and is a great example of a venue that makes it easy to work around different types of timelines. 

Since a lot of North Carolina venues are on large properties, it is beneficial to ask about transportation around the venue, not only to maximize all the locations the venue has to offer, but also to transport older and less mobile guests. 

This has less to do with photos but you should also consider transportation away from the venue if you will have several guests drinking! 

Cocktail Hour

I love an outdoor cocktail hour because it’s a great time for more candid, interactive photos of you and your guests. Another reason I recommend doing a first look is that it allows me to actually capture photos of your cocktail hour and you also get to be a part of it! (Of course this isn’t a requirement, but it definitely is a perk!) 

Unique Experiences and Add-Ons

Venues can also have fun, unique experiences for you, your bridal party, and all of your guests. Merrell Estate offers a salon and spa for the girls to be pampered, River Landing provides a round of golf, Rose Hill has morning skeet shooting, Wrightsville Manor has a bar available for cute shots with your bridesmaids, and other venues have their own offers like Donovan Manor’s award winning in-house catering!

So as you go into your wedding venue tours, take this short list with you as a reminder of questions to ask and things to consider:

• Learn about the rain plans your venues offer and what that would mean for your wedding day if it does rain
• Notice the colors of your venue and make sure they compliment your future home design and your specific interests (white cream linen vs gold and tan, wood vs brick, white vs brown)
• Consider your guest count, their experience, and the available spaces for you and your bridal party

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, make sure your venue makes you feel like you, so that way your photos will too!

If you are looking for my help or opinion on your venue space and getting photos that you’ll love for a lifetime, I am always here to help!