In Switzerland and, of course, abroad, there are plenty of great venues and possibilities where you can celebrate your own wedding. The choice is almost limitless and yet many venues are already booked for the next two years. So if you are looking for the right wedding venue, you should start early enough and, above all, keep a few important restrictions and selection criteria in mind. Are you looking for the right wedding venue?
Type of venue
- What type of venue would you like for your wedding? Do you need rooms for the ceremony, for an aperitif and for the reception?
- Should the various activities on the day all take place in the same place or is a change of venue an option or even desired?
- Can church or civil weddings be held in the desired venues, if such are planned?
- How far are the distances and what is the traffic volume on the planned day when changing venues? How far and how long are the distances?
- What style do you want for the venue? Should it be a castle, a stable, an industrial hall or rather a restaurant? Would you like to get married in a church or outside in the meadow?
Location of the venue
- The geographical location is also important when making your choice. In which canton or town would you like to get married or what radius around this location is reasonable for you and your guests to travel to?
- How easily accessible is the venue? Can it be reached by public transport or would you have to organize a shuttle bus? How many parking spaces are available and do you have to pay for them? Can public parking spaces be reserved for the guests?
- Should the venue be on a lake, in the mountains or on the side of a forest? If the venue is by a lake, it is important to bear in mind that this poses a safety risk for unsupervised children.
- Do you need overnight accommodation? Are these available at the venue or in the direct vicinity?
- Is the venue located on a passageway or walking path? Is there enough privacy in the venue?
Rooms
- Are there enough large rooms? Are rooms available for all daytime activities? Are there any additional rooms for children’s entertainment or places for the bridal couple to relax?
- Are good and bad weather options available that also match the style of the wedding and are a real option?
- Are there any restrictions for the guests, such as guests who are difficult to walk or in wheelchairs? Is the venue designed appropriately?
- For fire safety reasons, there are sometimes restrictions regarding the maximum number of people. How many people may and can actually celebrate in the venue in particular?
- What infrastructure is available? What do the chairs and tables look like? Is it necessary to hire a tent, parasols or furniture?
- When can the rooms be used or decorated? When do any materials have to be collected?
Special conditions
- How important is the exclusive use of your venue to you? Would you like to rent the premises and possibly also hotel rooms completely for your guests and not have any external guests on site? Is this even possible and at what price? Are there other guests or possibly even a second wedding in the same venue?
- In Switzerland, there is generally a noise protection ordinance that prohibits loud music from 10 p.m. in outdoor areas. Are there any other restrictions regarding music or a closing time? How important is it to you to party into the early morning hours?
- Be careful with all-inclusive offers for drinks and celebrations – these are usually calculated in such a way that they are also profitable for the business and are not geared towards the bride and groom.
- Are there any restrictions regarding the season or day of the week? Is the desired date still available?
Contract
- What restrictions and costs are included in the contracts? It is worth checking the contracts with the venues carefully, as additional costs are often not included in the offer. For example, tap or plate money, furniture, infrastructure, extensions and staff after midnight.
- What happens if the wedding has to be canceled? For personal reasons or for reasons of force majeure? What is agreed in the contract? What deadlines must be observed?
Price
- Is there a minimum consumption or rent for the venue? What is included in the minimum consumption?
- How much may the venue cost including consumption? Our rough rule says that the venue together with food and drinks should not account for more than 50% of the set budget. Otherwise it will be difficult with the other service providers that are still needed for the wedding.
Of course, there is a huge selection of venues and it will still be very difficult to fulfill all of the above points according to your wishes. It is therefore important to set priorities and, if necessary, to use professionals such as wedding planners, who may also have insider tips and know venues that are not marketed as wedding venues. They can help you to find the right wedding venue. And what professional wedding planners can do in any case is to assess whether the above-mentioned points are met and what costs the bridal couple can ultimately expect.
