After you have your guest list finalized, the next part of planning your wedding while in college is to start figuring out where you will have your wedding ceremony and reception.
Many couples choose their family church for their ceremony. Some brides-to-be or bridegrooms may decide to convert to the religion of their partner so that they may raise their children in the same religion together. I converted to my fiancé’s religion, which was a process that took almost a year; we will be married in the Catholic Church.
Still, other couples may choose to take the nontraditional route for their ceremony. Some may opt to get married in a meaningful place such as the home of a relative, some may have a destination wedding at the beach or in the mountains, or some may decide to commemorate a special place with significant meaning to both of them, perhaps the place they first met or where they got engaged. Then, there are those who may run off to Vegas or Atlantic City, pop in at the Justice of the Peace, or utilize the somewhat new trend of pop-up weddings.
Regardless of the venue you pick for your ceremony, you will have to consider the fees involved. Church weddings typically don’t charge for the officiant (but it is in good taste to give him or her a pretty nice ‘tip’), but you will need to pay for an organist and any other clergy people who may need to be involved depending on your faith. Let’s not leave out flowers and any other decorations that you may want for the ceremony.
I suggest you make contact with your desired venue as early as a year in advance depending what time of year your wedding will occur; mine will be in July, and the summer months tend to be the most popular. Once you’ve got your venue locked into place, it’s time to start shopping around for your reception venue.
If you have a large number of guests, you are going to want to make sure the venues you are considering for your reception will hold everyone with ease; the last thing you want is 500 people crowded into a tiny dining hall with a maximum capacity of 200 people. You may also want to consider, again, the time of year you are planning your nuptials and take advantage of that; since my fiancé and I are getting married in July, we will be renting a camp so that everyone can relax, enjoy the weather, and camp, yet still have several buildings, cabins, and a pavilion for inclement weather.
Some couples may even want to mix it up a bit. They may fly to Vegas with their parents to get married privately, but then have their reception at home with the rest of their family and friends to celebrate. Others may have a stag and drag a few months in advance of their special day to help raise money for the ceremony and reception. Often when couples have a stag and drag, they schedule such events as Chinese auctions, small games of chance, and other fundraising activities.
No matter how you plan your special day, take into careful consideration what kind of venues you would like for your celebration. Your ceremony and reception venues are the backbone that will set the mood for your entire experience. Consider carefully, but don’t delay; you want to make sure to lock them in before another happy couple does.
