Before you start exploring various wedding ceremony venues and reading what they have to offer, you need to identify what type of wedding ceremony you want to host. By having some basic criteria ideas in mind, choosing a wedding ceremony venue will become a lot easier of a task to complete.

The Location of Your Venue 

Ideally, you want to choose a venue that is easy for your guests to get to. Regardless of if you have the ceremony close to home – or in another city or state – you need to consider how all of your guests are going to get to the venue.

If guests are going to be traveling a great distance to get to your wedding ceremony, it is important to think about the commute. While Google Maps and other forms of navigational tools exist, they are not always completely reliable. For this reason, you should include specific directions on how to get to the venue. This will save your guests a lot of time and headache.

If you are not sure how to explain the directions to get to your venue, you should drive to and from the venue a few times to get a clear idea of how to get there. Have someone ride with you to take notes of streets, highway exits, and any landmarks. This will make it easier for you to write up directions. Ideally, you should also do a test drive at night to make sure you are providing your guests with a well-lit way to drive home. You don't want your guests getting lost.

If your guests are driving more than a few hours, providing overnight stay as part of the ceremony may be a great idea. If you have guests who live farther away from the venue, choosing a venue near an airport and near hotels are also good ideas.

Consider Your Guest Count

For obvious reasons, you need to have a fairly accurate estimate of how many people will be attending your wedding ceremony. This is to make sure you choose a venue that will comfortably accommodate everyone. Furthermore, most wedding venues are going to want an estimate of how many guests you will have prior to the actual event. The easiest way to get this number is to send out RSVPs with the wedding invitations and ask people to RSVP by a certain time to get a head count. Naturally, you should always overestimate your guest count as there will always be a few stragglers who forget to RSVP.

While a wedding is intended to be your special day, it is vital to consider your guests and their needs when making decisions. If your guests are miserable and uncomfortable at your venue of choice, you are going to have a hard time enjoying your own wedding.