Asheville, North Carolina is one of the most popular cities for destination weddings. With a wide variety of outdoor venues with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to downtown breweries featuring unique structural elements, Asheville has the right venue for you! The question is, what do you need to keep in mind when deciding on one of the many wonderful venues this city and its surrounding areas has to offer?

Having worked with hundreds of couples, majority of who are out-of-towners, we have a few ideas that may help you and your fiance choose the right venue for your wedding day!

Below, we will review a few important factors that go into deciding not only where to get married, but also when to get married.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING WHEN CHOOSING A VENUE:

BUDGET

Before you begin any wedding planning, make sure to determine your overall wedding budget. From there, you should expect to spend 20% of this budget on the venue fees alone. This does not include catering or bar, even if the venue is providing it. When considering a venue within budget, be sure to ask each venue what is included with the venue rental. This could include things like chairs, tables, a bridal suite to get ready in, etc. It’s important to research these costs in advance so you are not surprised by additional charges later!

In addition to making sure the venue fits your budget, think about vendor costs as well! Some venues have a “required vendors” list and most often couples cannot deviate from that list of vendors. So, research those vendors and make sure they will also fit within your budget. If you don’t think you can afford the required vendors at a venue or are set on a specific vendor dream team, we recommend looking elsewhere.

Having trouble figuring out your budget? Our full service planning package may be the perfect fit for you!

You can also read about the average cost of an Asheville wedding here.

GUEST COUNT

On your wedding day, you will be surrounded by everyone you love! So, you want them to be comfortable, right? Before considering any venue, figure out your estimated guest count. Not sure how to do this? We will review this in a later blog post in detail, but for now here is a quick rundown:

Usually the guest list should be divided in half so each spouse gets to invite 50% of the guests.

Start with immediate family and your closest friends. Think about groups of relatives or friends - whether it be your maternal grandmother’s side or your college buddies. Most often than not, there are “groups” your friends and family are typically categorized into. This should help narrow down your list as you look through your contact list to determine who you consider important enough to invite to your wedding day.

One good rule of thumb when debating whether or not to invite someone is this: if you haven’t seen them or talked to them in the past two years, it is okay to add them to the B list or reconsider inviting them at all. This may seem harsh, but your wedding is one of the most important days of your life and you should only be surrounded by your favorite people!

The most important thing to keep in mind when creating a guest list is to remember that this is your wedding. You do not need to feel pressured into inviting distant relatives, someone whose wedding you attended a decade ago but haven’t talked to since then, or anyone who you don’t feel comfortable having with you on one of the most important days of your lives! We’ve said it again, because it’s important.

Once you have your guest count figured out (it does not need to be an exact number!), that should help narrow down the possible list of venues for your wedding day! You want to find a venue that is large enough to comfortably fit your guests for dinner/dancing, but also be intimate enough that they are able to mingle and reach the bar! If you are considering having a band or buffet, make sure you account for the space you will need for these things as well.

Always ask your potential venue for some floor plans or layouts of past weddings to give you a better understanding of how things will fit in the space.

Photo Credit: Jessica Merithew Photography

EASE OF ACCESS

This may be one of the most important factors that goes into choosing the right wedding venue. Especially if you are planning a destination wedding in Asheville. While there are many beautiful venues in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a few may be difficult to get to. Thus, you may need to book guest transportation from a nearby hotel to ease your guests’ experience. For a lot of out-of-town wedding guests, they have never driven on the side of a mountain or may not even have a vehicle with them. If you are unable to budget for guest transportation (or even lodging if it is far enough away from a major urban area), you may need to reconsider the venue and go with one that is easier to get to.

If you are choosing to have your wedding closer to the city but are expecting a lot of local guests, make sure there is enough parking for your guests! This may seem silly, but if your wedding day falls on a weekend, it may be difficult for guests to find parking and get to your ceremony in time. A great solution to this is setting up a personal Uber or Lyft code for guests to use on the wedding day. Both companies offer options for couples to pay part of or full amounts of the charges.

LOOK AND FEEL

While ease of access may be the most important element from a guest point of view, the. most important for the couple is the “look and feel” of the venue. You perfect venue should leave you feeling inspired and thinking of creative ways to make the space yours. It should fall somewhere between a blank canvas and a muse for your dream wedding. While you should make the space your own, you should also celebrate its natural charms and highlight the things that may make the venue unique. Whether that be an indoor fireplace, a canning room at a craft brewery or an unbeatable view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Be sure to take advantage of what the venue has to offer!

When choosing the right venue for you and your fiance, be sure to keep your interests in mind!

If you are a craft beer enthusiast, maybe a downtown brewery wedding is the perfect fit for you. If you spend your weekends hiking the beautiful trails of the Blue Ridge Mountains, maybe an outdoor wedding nearby is the dream wedding spot for you. Perhaps you enjoy the history of the city and want to find a venue that celebrates the uniqueness of this town. Whatever the case may be, be sure to find a venue that reflects you and your fiance as a couple.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING WHEN CHOOSING A DATE AND TIME:

Although Asheville is nearly perfect year round (okay, we may be a bit biased), we do have a few favorite times of the year for weddings! And as the seasons change, the ideal ceremony time will change with it. In our opinion, the perfect time to get married is while it is still light out and so gives an opportunity for a beautiful outdoor ceremony. But, you must also keep in mind the sunset time if you and your new partner are hoping to catch the Golden Hour light and capture some incredible moments on camera.

ASHEVILLE SPRING WEDDING SEASON (MID MARCH TO EARLY JUNE)

While the mountains are blooming with beautiful greenery and flowers, and the cool breezes in the evenings, Spring is a wonderful time to be married! In our opinion, the best ceremony times for Spring weddings are between 5PM and 6PM. The average times for sunset during these months are between 8:00PM and 9:00PM.

ASHEVILLE FALL WEDDING SEASON (MID SEPTEMBER TO LATE NOVEMBER)

What is better known as “Leaf Season,” Fall in Asheville is a magical time! The mountains are filed with vibrant colors as we transition from summer to winter. While it is a beautiful time for weddings, keep in mind that this time of the year is also tourist season in Asheville. So, it is very important to not only get a head start on booking wedding vendors, but to also book things like hotel blocks and transportation as well. The best ceremony times for Fall weddings are between 4:00PM and 5:00PM with average sunset times varying from 5:30PM to 7:30PM depending on the month. Always check with your planner and venue for suggestions!

ALWAYS HAVE A RAIN PLAN!

As is true with most North Carolina locations, Asheville weather can be a bit unpredictable. Located in the mountains, Asheville is more likely to have afternoon showers than other places. Because of this it is very important to come up with a backup plan for your wedding day! Whether this be a secondary indoor location at your venue, or a fun tented reception, be sure to check with your planner and venue to work out the logistics on this one.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

While we have given you quiet a bit to think about as you start the search for the perfect venue, it is extremely important that you thoroughly research potential venues before you put down a deposit. Review their website, look over galleries from past weddings, read a few reviews (but don’t get too hung up on the one negative review out of the ninety nine wonderful ones), and schedule a tour! Always visit your potential venue in person, or a video call if you can’t make it in person, before deciding that it’s the right fit for you. Use both your wedding planner and the venue coordinator as resources when making your final decision.

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