Curious to know how you can find the best Seattle wedding venue, for you? So often, my couples come to me with one of two unique situations. Either they’re ready to work with me but they need guidance on how to find the best Seattle wedding venue. Or, they’ve found an amazing Seattle wedding venue and they can’t help but tell me all about it!

The beginning stages of planning a wedding can be some of the most daunting steps. After all, you’ve probably heard that you technically don’t have a wedding date until you’ve booked a venue. Which can leave you feeling the pressure of trying to find a venue immediately! You might be there right now. Doing some only research into venues, and they all seem equally amazing.

But, when you get to the venue for a meeting, you’re not sure what questions to ask. Or you may not be familiar with some of the terminology the venue is using. Also, it’s possible that you’ve never been involved in planning a wedding before, and, as the saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know“. I’m breaking down the ins & outs to help you find the best Seattle wedding venue for you & your partner, in this post!

What’s Your Style & Guest Count?

The first two things to figure out, before you even begin your search for the best wedding venue in Seattle are your (estimated) guest count & your sense of style! These are two items about your wedding that will be unmoving. They’ll also help you greatly narrow down your search for the perfect venue!

The PNW has wedding venues with some of the most unforgettable views. However, some of those views come attached to wedding venues that are rustic in nature. If your style is more upscale, and luxurious, and has nothing to do with the great outdoors, then you’ll know immediately you can rule out anything deemed outdoorsy or rustic.

Have a talk with your partner about the overall vision you have for your wedding day. Ask yourselves the following questions.

• Are we looking for a venue that is earthy or rustic?
• Are the views of the PNW an important part of our wedding day vision?
• Do we see ourselves going all out with dinner and decor at a luxury hotel?
• Does our style lend itself more to a venue in the city?

Equally as important is your total guest count! This will come into play when searching for the best Seattle wedding venue that can accommodate your total number of guests. There is a big difference between a wedding with a guest count of 50 and a guest count of 250. Neither is better than the other, they just have different needs when knowing what to look for in a venue. Not every wedding venue is able to provide seating for up to 250 guests. Conversely, some wedding venues have a food and beverage minimum. Which you may not be able to meet with a total count of 50 guests.

Is the Venue All-Inclusive?

Now that you have an idea of your style and total guest count, let’s go over this term a bit more in-depth. The term “all-inclusive” is pretty much what it sounds like when it comes to finding a Seattle wedding venue! An all-inclusive wedding venue will have everything you need on-site. In fact, they will provide you with a list of their own personal inclusions.

An all-inclusive wedding venue, will “typically” provide the following to their couples.

• Tables, Chairs, Linens and Serveware
• Food & Beverage
• Bar And Catering Staff 
• An On-Site Getting-Ready Suite
• A Day Of Coordinator
• Sound Equipment
• Complimentary Parking

As you can imagine, there’s a downside and an upside to an all-inclusive wedding venue package. The first is a food and beverage minimum. Many all-inclusive wedding venues will set a minimum spend amount for their wedding day package which will tie back to your total guests count. Again, if you have a total guest count of 50-100 guests, will you be able to meet the food & beverage requirement of the venue in order to book with them?

One of my personal favorite all-inclusive wedding venues in the PNW is Fireseed Catering. It’s an outdoorsy venue with gorgeous views, and it takes the term “all-inclusive” and up-levels it! They have on-site amenities like farm-to-table catering, a full baking staff (cake included!), dinner service, and two bars on location. One bar for cocktail hour and one bar for dinner service. Plus they offer an on-site wedding day suite for their couples to get dressed in. Also, they literally have ponies on their property! It sounds pretty amazing, right? It is! But it’s also very rustic. This goes back to the discussion about beginning the search for a perfect Seattle wedding venue by discovering your wedding day vision.

On the opposite side of all-inclusive wedding venues in Seattle are venues that are not all-inclusive. These venues may offer a few things from the above list, but not everything. For example, they may include tables and chairs in their wedding package, but require you to hire your own catering. Even further to that are wedding venues that are blank slates. These are venues that will require you to bring in everything. Including catering, tables, chairs, flatware, linens, and possibly more. 

The biggest thing to consider when weighing the option of an all-inclusive venue vs one that is not all-inclusive is your choice of catering. Some venues that do not provide catering will require you to hire a caterer from their preferred vendor list. These are typically vendors that the venue has worked with in the past, vendors they know and trust, and vendors that carry insurance coverage for them to work on-site at the venue.

Venues with a preferred vendor list are kind of narrowing down your options when it comes to selecting your wedding menu. Does the venue have a caterer on their list that you are interested in working with? Or are you staring at the preferred vendor list wondering if any of the offerings fit the vision of your wedding menu? Your venue and your choice of caterer will consume a large portion of your wedding budget, so it’s a choice to weigh carefully when considering an all-inclusive Seattle wedding venue vs one that’s not. 

Let’s Talk About Design & Decor

So you have an idea of your wedding day vision, a color palette, or an overall theme that you’d like to execute for your wedding day. How does the venue align with that vision? Is it a space where you can get creative with your decor? Will you be able to make the space uniquely your own? Or are there regulations regarding things that can be hung or constructed, or the use of open flames (candles)  in the space that will be used for your reception? Even with specific rules in place, most venue spaces can still be creatively designed with the use of scenes, draping, or floral installations.

A Seattle wedding venue I love is Almquist Winery, they are considered a boutique-style venue. They offer delicious in-house catering, a small space to get ready, plenty of space to dance, and a beautiful reception space. But, the biggest draw at Almquist Winery is how easy it is to get eccentric with your decor. In essence, making the venue “your own”!

Curious to know what to look for in your venue when it comes to design & decor? Some venues have design options that are “unmoving”. Things like loud carpeting, no natural light, and low ceilings. Remember, these items will all be in the backdrop of your wedding photos. Not only that but they also play a part in your wedding day experience.

If you are looking to host an intimate feeling wedding reception, a venue with low ceilings will feel cozy & warm. If you are hoping for bright wedding day photos, a hotel wedding venue with “busy” carpets will distract from the overall look. I always have a few photography tricks up my sleeve to work around things like this, but remember, your guests will be taking candid photos on their phones as well, and these are all very valid things to consider when finding the best Seattle wedding venue for your special day!

Where Will You be Getting Ready?

Some Seattle wedding venues are gorgeous, but they simply do not have the space or the option for you to get ready there.

If you’ve fallen in love with a venue that does not have a getting-ready suite, where will you be getting ready? This is actually a big decision for a few reasons! Oftentimes, when I first meet my couples on their wedding day, it’s in their getting ready suite. Those cherished moments of being buttoned up into their dress or having their bowtie tightened by someone very close to them, are moments to be captured. Usually, my couples will have their wedding party AND their closest family members in the suite with them as well. So they need a place to get ready that is able to accommodate everyone, is located close to their venue, and is worthy of being used as a backdrop for their once-in-a-lifetime wedding day photos. It’s a tall order to fulfill!

Some things to consider when choosing the location to get ready on your wedding day!

• Does the venue provide a getting-ready suite for both you & your partner?
• If the venue does not provide a getting-ready suite, is there a hotel nearby that you can use in order to get ready?
• If you are opting for a hotel, is the suite large enough to accommodate everyone who will be with you that morning?
• If you are using a hotel’s suite to get ready, but not using the hotel as your venue, does the hotel have any stipulations for wedding photography?
• Does the hotel’s decor (which will be in the backdrop of your getting ready photos!) lend itself to the rest of your wedding day vision?
• What is the distance from the hotel to your venue? Is it easy enough to travel between both locations?
• Will the distance between your getting-ready location and your venue take away from the time booked in your photography package?

In Conclusion

So, we’ve gone over guest count, vision, catering, design & decor, and where to get ready! Those are all great starting points for finding the best Seattle wedding venue for your big day. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help in the form of opinions & feedback from people you trust. But above all, remember that your wedding day is an experience that you and your guests will cherish for lifetime. Don’t stress, have fun, and enjoy every step in the process leading up to your beautiful union!