Why are wedding venues so expensive?
If you’ve started wedding planning, you have no doubt asked yourself the question, “Why are wedding venues so expensive?” As the owner and operator of the wedding venue Warrenwood Manor, I can tell you exactly where your money goes. I’ll admit, the answer is a bit boring, but the importance of this behind-the-scenes information cannot be understated. Venues earn their value by providing excellent customer service and beautiful, safe spaces for amazing events and memories to take place.
Brittney Adams, Warrenwood Manor
Venues Provide Excellent Customer Service
From your initial inquiry, through the booking and planning process, your venue should support you as you navigate the chaos of wedding planning. Venues should not only answer your questions quickly, but also offer useful planning resources and helpful suggestions based on their experience. If you’re planning your wedding without a wedding coordinator, you’ll definitely benefit from a venue that will help determine the set up for your event that works with your vision, and also functions well for the flow of the event. Additionally, venue staff should provide event management assistance, address facility issues and anticipate your needs in an effort to help make your event go smoothly.
Venues Create Beautiful Spaces
Pretty things don’t come cheap. Venues spend enormous amounts of time and money creating and maintaining beautiful spaces for your wedding. Since every inch of the property is photographed and experienced by your guests, everything you see inside and outside a venue is carefully planned, selected, and cared for by someone. The cost of decorating, cleaning, landscaping, and maintaining the property requires significant human and financial resources. To amplify these costs, additional expenses are incurred nearly every weekend from damages that must be repaired before the next event. The cost of your venue goes beyond the customer service you receive and what you see onsite. Your venue fee also goes toward paying practical expenses like mortgage payments and utilities. In order to provide you with a top-notch facility your venue must charge a fee that covers their costs.
Venues Keep their Property Legal and Safe
Legitimate venues value property aesthetics, guest safety, and facility functionality equally. Safety and function concerns are amplified with large groups of people and the guest experience can quickly be negatively impacted by a facility that’s not prepared. Thus, all venues are legally required to adhere to The Kentucky Department of Housing, Building and Construction regulations in regards to things like: handicap accessibility, electrical wiring, emergency exits, maximum occupancy, and restroom facilities. Wedding venues, including barns, spend ample money and time to provide a facility that meets all of Kentucky’s Building and Plumbing Codes. It should be noted that not all venues follow these standards and thus risk being fined or closed by the state. To avoid stress and uncertainty, make sure the venue you’re considering is legally up to code by asking to see a copy of the venue’s certificate of occupancy. You may even want to request proof of insurance from your venue to make sure they carry adequate liability and property insurance.
Warrenwood Manor Photo credit: Darling Tales of Darling Bones Photography
Headshot Photo: Wes Brown Weddings