When planning your wedding, it all starts with the venue. Not only does it help you figure out the rest of your budget, but the venue also sets the tone for your wedding’s style. You can even use it for inspiration for your color scheme. Ideally, you’ll want to consider several options and come up with a shortlist.
There are many parameters involved in selecting a venue. From the capacity and cost to the style and location, it’s not so easy to find the perfect spot. Most couples also want that special feeling for their big day. To make the process easier, use a wedding venue finder.Â
These online tools are an efficient way to check out several options and create your shortlist. Let’s look at the key benefits and how they reduce stress. Then, we’ll dive in with the top five tools to use.Â
Why Use a Wedding Venue Finder?
Even if you already have a good idea of where you want to get married, using a venue finder makes sense. The best tools let you check availability, packages, cost, features, and, of course, photos. All of these factors play crucial roles in selecting and booking the right venue for your wedding.Â
A wedding venue search tool cuts down on the time you spend compiling the necessary information. Plus, anyone who’s starting from scratch can use the directory to get an idea of what’s available, what they like, and how they picture their wedding day.Â
Often, these tools are much more than a directory. They provide features for planning and organization. You can also use them for wedding venue comparison, which helps you directly compare features and weigh up the pros and cons.
Let’s be honest: wedding planning can be overwhelming, so you need all the help you can get. According to one survey, six in 10 couples seriously considered eloping, as wedding planning was stressful. When you use a venue finder, a lot of the hard work is done for you.
Top 5 Wedding Venue Finders
Most searches begin with ‘wedding venues near me.’ It’s one way of approaching it, but you’ll need to look through lots of sites before you get your shortlist. Plus, that can involve a lot of research and follow-up to get the details you need. Finding a directory or planning site is much more efficient.
Many also include links to vendors and have tips for choosing your venue and making arrangements. These top five sites take the stress out of planning. Most importantly, they focus on specific locations, which means you’re getting expertise and experience instead of general information.
1. Breezit
When you come across wedding venue finder Breezit, you’ll feel like it’s the solution to all your problems. That’s because it’s one of the best tools for wedding venue searches in California. It does a fantastic job of simplifying the wedding planning process. That’s thanks to its accurate pricing and calendar availability.
It also has a function to contact the venues through the site, which keeps things organized. The curated venue options help the browsing process. If you’re looking for inspiration, the photos and listing details will deliver what you need to make up your mind. We particularly like the level of detail you get at a glance.
What Makes Breezit Stand Out?
Breezit got the number one spot due to its features. You can set your preferences, including your budget, so it’s ideal for finding affordable wedding venues. Other filters include the event date, guest count, location, accommodation, and the option for third-party catering. We like the way it builds in flexibility for all kinds of weddings.
If you want style to be your main priority, that’s no issue either. The venues are listed with different style tags, so you can focus on the type of venue you want. There’s an option to look at only outdoor wedding venues. Alternatively, you can check the vineyards, museums, garden, or ranch venues.
Who Is Breezit For?
Breezit is best for couples planning a wedding in California. It lists venues across the state, suiting different party sizes and budgets. It’s ideal for finding unique wedding venues. Couples who know what they want, as well as those looking for inspiration, will find useful information on this platform.
2. Wedding Venue Map
The Wedding Venue Map has a directory of over 400 venues in central Florida. It has detailed information about a variety of venues, suiting large and small weddings. To get started, you can use the search function to find venues for under 50 guests up to 350 guests. Venues include resorts, restaurants, historic buildings, country clubs, and more.
The filter options are useful. You can choose to look at venues based on the ceremony and reception settings, choosing between indoor, outdoor, and covered outdoor. When you finalize your shortlist, you can send an availability check form through the site to see if they line up with your dates.
What Makes a Wedding Venue Map Stand Out?
One of the best features of Wedding Venue Map is the option to see wedding venues by style. You can tick multiple options to explore different types of venues. They include forest, ballroom, beach, industrial, intimate, waterfront, skyline, unique, and many more. It’s a feature that helps couples quickly get to the venue, which will make them feel confident that their day will be special.
When making your shortlist, it’s good to get as much information as possible. While the details are important, it also comes down to the visuals. Several venues featured on the site have 360 and virtual tours to help you get a feel for them.
Who Is Wedding Venue Map For?
The Wedding Venue Map is for couples planning a wedding in Orlando or central Florida. It’s a helpful tool for finding venues with a specific style. You can quickly check the capacity and location while also getting the necessary contact details.
3. Wed Society North Texas
As you may have guessed from the name, Wed Society focuses on venues in North Texas. They’re not all located in Dallas, either, so you can find lots of different locations. The venue profiles give you a snapshot of information, enable you to request a quote, visit the site, and see venue photos with weddings and wedding setups. Â
This site lists all kinds of vendors, not just venues. That’s helpful for wedding planning, but it does mean the venue features aren’t as sophisticated. You’ll need to browse the list, as there aren’t any filters for the number of guests, style, location, or availability.Â
What Makes Wed Society North Texas Stand Out?
Venues aren’t just about the appearance. You’ll want to know that your day will run smoothly, and that often comes down to the facilities and the staff. Fortunately, this site lists Google ratings next to the venues, and you can jump straight to the Google reviews to find out what other couples thought.
Another factor that makes this site appealing is the variety of venue types. It has hotels, farms, ranches, and vineyards. However, you can also find chapels, sculpture centers, botanical gardens, and lakeside resorts. We like the fact that the photography includes real weddings, too!
Who Is Wed Society North Texas For?
Wed Society is for couples looking to get married in Dallas, Fort Worth, and other parts of Northern Texas. Since there aren’t any filters, prepare to scroll to see what you like. It’s ideal for people who want one resource for their planning needs and want to contact vendors through the site.Â
4. Washingtonian
Ok, so the Washingtonian isn’t your usual venue finder. It’s a general resource for all kinds of things in D.C. It just turns out that weddings are one of those things. Head to the Weddings section, and you’ll find the Wedding Vendor Finder. Choose Hotels and Venues from the list, and you’ll see a selection of the top venues in the Washington, D.C., area.Â
Admittedly, the selection is fairly small, with fewer than 50 venues. However, the profiles are full of useful details, including proximity to the metro area, alongside contact details and links to the venues’ sites and social media channels.
What Makes Washingtonian Stand Out?
For starters, this site lists some Incredible venues. On the list are Lincoln’s cottage, amazing river views at the American Horticultural Society, and Union Station. While you’ll find hotels and traditional venues, there are lots of unique spots, too. Also, there’s a good mix of indoor and outdoor venues.
Most listings include real wedding photos, making it easier to picture your big day in the space. We also like that the venues get votes and recommendations, and you’ll also see the editor’s picks. It shows that some thought and professional opinions have gone into the listings, which helps guarantee quality.
Who Is Washingtonian For?
Washingtonian is for couples looking to get married in the D.C. area or nearby. It’s great for historic, unique, and significant venues. It’s an ideal choice for those who want recommendations from those in the industry or to see featured venues chosen by experts.
5. Fresh New Angle
Fresh New Angle or FNA lists wedding reception venues in the Tri-State Area. It’s useful to have the venues listed in that way, as many couples in those areas don’t feel the need to narrow their search to one state in particular. It means lots of waterfront properties, but it also leaves room for flexibility in your budget.
FNA is more like a directory than any of the other sites on the list. It doesn’t include photos, capacity details, or any kind of availability check. That means you still have some work to do. However, it’s a great resource for finding venues that match your style to add to your shortlist.
What Makes Fresh New Angle Stand Out?
Although Fresh New Angle is missing some features, it does have filters. There are a lot of wedding venues in the Tri-State Area. This site makes it easier to focus on the ones that suit you by using style filters. They cover categories like rustic, oceanfront, modern, country club, and hotels with lodging.
The site is mostly a list of venues with addresses. However, it provides a useful map view of all the venues. That means you can narrow your search to a specific radius and check out the suitable options. For example, a couple looking for venues between Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore can get a quick overview of the potential venues.
Who Is Fresh New Angle For?
Fresh New Angle is suitable for couples looking for venues in New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania. It’s a useful starting point to check venues in general locations that match your style.
Wedding Venue Search Tips
When using these tools, have this wedding venue checklist to hand to help you create your shortlist. It covers the major factors you need to consider and the questions that you need to ask. Keep your priorities and ideal wedding in mind when checking out the following.
- Style
- Budget
- Location
- Capacity
- Accommodation
- Catering
- Ceremony and reception space
- Availability
- Accessibility
- Features and facilities
- Reputation and reviews
- Staff and experience
- Payment plans
- Policies
Take the Stress Out of Planning
As you can see from the checklist above, there’s a lot to consider. Make it easy to gather that information by using a venue finder that has detailed listings, availability checks, reviews, and contact options. Having all that information in one place takes away a lot of the stress when it comes to choosing.
Cost is often a top priority, which is why many couples filter wedding venues by budget. According to wedding trends data, the number of couples planning to spend more than $50,000 has decreased from 13% in 2023 to 8% in 2024. The good news is that there are options out there for every budget. The best wedding venue finders on our list let you check package prices and find affordable options.
