After your engagement one of the first things you do is set a date and choose your wedding reception hall. This is a fun process, but is a lot of work. Reception halls vary by size, price, decor and more. You’ll want to find a reception hall that fits your style, guest size and budget. Below are the top five steps you need to take to choose the perfect reception hall:

Step 1

Think about your style – do you like the suburbs prefer the city? Do you like old world charm, or are you fine with a large suburban reception hall that will fit all of your friends and family with ease? Determine the general location you’d like your wedding reception to be in and then determine what type of facility would suit you.

Step 2

Now you want to take a close look at your guest list and how much money you have to spend. This will put certain places off of your list right away if they don’t hold enough people or are out of your budget. You can usually find capacity figures, and sometimes minimum spends, on the reception hall’s website.

Step 3

Make a short list of your top five wedding reception halls and call them for an appointment. This is the fun part, because you can envision all of your reception at each facility. However, it’s not all fun and games – make sure to take a list of questions with you to ask the reception coordinator. It also helps to take a digital camera so you can remember each place and the things you liked about it. After your visits, you should have firm answers on price, food, preferred vendors, cake cutting fees, down payments, capacity, operation times, etc.

Step 4

Now you need to make a decision and call and reserve your date. Wedding reception halls can book up quick, so if you fall in love with a place make sure to call them right away and book. You’ll usually need to pay a down payment so they’ll hold it for you.

Step 5

Now that you have your wedding reception hall, you’ll want to think about how to set it up and decorate it. Think about things like tables, table cloths, table centerpieces, wedding favors for your guests, slide shows or movies, your DJ and more.

Every wedding is different, but if you follow these steps you should be on your way to finding the wedding reception hall of your dreams. Remember, this is a special time in your life, so have fun with it and choose a wedding reception hall you’ll remember for years to come.