One of your first tasks as a bride is to find the perfect location, which will help set the tone for your wedding.  When you start searching for your ceremony and reception site keep a few things in mind:

• Your guest list.  You don’t need the final list, but you should have a rough estimate.
• Your budget.  Having an idea of what your wedding budget is before you go looking will ensure that you’ll find a location you can afford.  You don’t want to fall in love with a space that’s over $250 a head, if your budget will only allow $75 a head. 
• Your wedding’s look and feel.  Do you want to get married outdoors?  At home?  In a church?  By knowing what you want, you’ll be able to narrow down the spaces you schedule appointments at, and won’t waste time looking at spaces you’ll never book.

I originally wanted to get married at my grandparent’s home, where my parents were married.  Unfortunately, the space wasn’t big enough to accommodate all of our guests, and my grandmother refused to cut down a large tree in the middle of the yard.  (We ended up having the rehearsal dinner, a BBQ, in the yard.)  When we went searching for locations, I insisted that we find a site that had some outdoor space.  In one weekend, we visited a dozen spaces - country clubs, mansions you can rent, hotels - and of course at the last space we went to was the perfect spot:  a synagogue with a beautiful ballroom (in our color palette, pastels) and a small garden in the middle of the building for photos and cocktail hour.  Needless to say, it was a rainy day in June, and while we did get to take some photos outside, we didn’t get to use the garden. 

Anyway, the lesson is: if you are looking for an outdoor space for your wedding, make sure you have a rain plan - either a facility on the property where you can hold your ceremony and/or reception if it’s raining, or reserve some tents and a few days before the wedding have them installed so you’re covered, literally, in case the weatherman predicts rain.

For the rest of this week, I thought I’d highlight some unique locations you may want to consider for your wedding, so I may post more than once a day if I come across some other interesting tips and products.  And if you know of a great space for a wedding, please post a comment with a link to it for other brides to see.