Reno Wedding Venues : Planning, Budgeting, Happily Ever After

Truckee River Wedding by the Antique Angel

When it comes down to it, a wedding is one part love to two parts event planning. For many brides, a wedding is the biggest event she will ever plan, much less host and star in. Planning a wedding is an exciting undertaking. There are a few items to keep in mind as you're choosing a wedding venue.

Reno offers a wide variety of wedding venues, for all budgets and guest lists. Let's use your personality as a starting point to narrow down the choices! You may want to keep some of the personalities of your guest list in mind, too! If you're constantly stressing about the opinion of your mother-in-law, it may be wise to run a list of venues by her, before making your final decision (or, confidently, move forward with what YOU want!).

---

Fun & Casual Venues
-a local park
-someone's backyard
-someone's house
-your favorite business

Pros: These options may be more affordable, and allow for more of your personality to show through. You can control the costs by doing the food, decorations and set-up yourself.

Cons: for outdoor venues, you could become a victim of the weather. Keep in mind that most local parks require a permit and/or deposit, which will add to your expense list. Some of these options may be overly public. And, it may be stressful to plan and set-up around someone's daily life or business. Beware the hidden costs of DIY weddings!

Basic & Beautiful Venues
-a local ranch
-a local wedding chapel
-a local restaurant
-a State Park

Pros: These options may be more scenic, as well as allow for a controlled environment. Your costs will vary greatly depending on how many guests attend, but ultimately this will be significantly cheaper than a Prim & Proper venue. A last-minute wedding or wedding on a popular day will be much easier to schedule at one of these venues.

Cons: Chairs, decorations, centerpieces--much of this will need to be rented (except at a local wedding chapel). Keep in mind only one chapel in Reno allows for more than 25 seated guests.

Prim & Proper Venues
-a golf course
-a local mansion
-an exclusive restaurant
-a local church

Pros: When you have a big budget, you might as well go for it! These venues will be classy, allow for more personalized service, and provide for all-inclusive service. No special permits required.

Cons: Well, there's the cost! These venues typically have a lot of rules, and won't allow you to bring any items in. These venues may also be booked already well into the future, specifically for that magical date you want to get married on! These venues also require much advance planning. No last-minute love affairs!

Now that you've got the brainstorming wheels turning, consider how much time, money and help you will have in putting on this big event. The more time you have, the less money and help you need, and the more money you have, the less time and help you will need, and of course, the more help you have, the less money and time you will need! See how that works?! Be realistic on how much time and energy you will be able to put into your wedding; if you have kids and a full-time job, a full-service wedding will be your best option! Everything, from invitations to table favors*, takes time, money and help to complete! [We recommend that you seek out a friend with scrapbooking skills to help with your invitations!]

Once you have brainstormed your options, and gotten the approval of your sweetheart (and possibly your mother-in-law), start making phone calls and emails to the appropriate venues. Give the basics of what you are looking for in an easy-to-read format:
-bride and groom names
-proposed wedding date(s)
-possible time(s)
-number of guests expected
-any special requests, needs or expectations
-amount you wish to spend (this will quickly weed out the venues that are out of your price range!)

Once a wedding venue is secured (plan to pay a small deposit), set aside a time in your day or week to work on your wedding event. Rather than getting overwhelmed with completing all the tasks at once, pace yourself, by giving yourself 20-minute windows throughout the week to make phone calls, gather addresses and write out invitations.

Finally, remember the true purpose of your wedding. The success of your wedding event will not necessarily resemble the success of your marriage; it will simply tell you if you have a future in event planning! The stress of  planning your wedding will prepare you for the challenges of communicating with your lover, raising kids, co-mingling money, and setting boundaries with the in-laws. Take that approach when you're dealing with the stress of finding the right wedding venue--it's simply making you a better person, more prepared for a happily ever-after marriage!

*The wedding experts at the Antique Angel Wedding Chapel do not recommend using table favors. We have found that very few guests appreciate all the time and attention brides put into these. Instead, focus your efforts on making sure your guests have comfortable accommodations and transportation to and from your wedding!