Selecting your wedding ceremony venue and your reception venue are some of the earliest choices you make when planning your wedding day. We are fortunate to have a number of wonderful venues in the Rochester area that offer both ceremony and reception spaces, removing the need for you and your guests to move between locations. Using one venue for both ceremony and reception also ties the activities together, providing a seamless celebration for your wedding day.
Many couples envision an outdoor ceremony experience, either at the reception venue or elsewhere. If that’s your wish, here are some things to look for and keep in mind when visiting potential outdoor ceremony venues:
– Wedding party accommodations: Are there places for the men and women in your wedding party to dress, store personal items, and wait out of sight of arriving guests?
– Is there a place where your wedding party can gather for the processional lineup that will be out of sight of the seated guests?
– Are there restrooms available for your guests? Some guests will have traveled distances to be with you and may need facilities when they arrive.
– Is there adequate parking for your guests?
– Is the ceremony site accessible for your guests? Consider wheelchair, walker and crutch access. Consider the length and intensity of the walk from the parking area. Consider the stability of the ground (will they be walking on cement, grass, sand, wood chips?). And remember that your guests will range in age and mobility.
– Will there be seating for the guests? Is it relatively comfortable?
– Will there be shade for your guests at the ceremony time on your wedding date? On a related point – will your guests be looking directly into the sun?
– Is bug control provided/allowed at the venue?
– Is there power available close to the ceremony venue? This may be needed for both music and microphones for the celebrant, readers, soloists, or you to allow your guests to hear the ceremony.
If you select an outdoor wedding venue for your Minnesota wedding you will also need to have a bad weather backup venue that can gracefully be substituted on your wedding day if needed. Rain, wind, high temperatures and humidity and even snow can cause a ceremony to move indoors, and our weather is just too variable to rely on it cooperating on your wedding day. Last year one couple even had to move their ceremony due to flooding – a consideration if you’re considering a river or lakeside ceremony.
Make sure that you also know how you would implement your bad weather plan if needed. If you are using a single venue for ceremony and reception, your bad weather plan may be as simple as directing guests indoors area when they arrive. If you are dealing with separate ceremony and reception venues, you’ll need to have a communication plan in place to notify guests in a timely and effective manner.
It’s important to include these practical considerations when selecting your ceremony venue, so that your vision of your outdoor ceremony can become reality.