Boutique Inn vs Hotel or Resort vs Family Home or Estate

Location, location, location. Where you get married is one of the most important parts of the wedding. It’s the place that you’ll remember for the rest of your life and the entire vibe of your wedding is based on your selected venue. It’s important to make sure that you do the correct research to find the place that is best suited for your wedding dreams.

While you may have imagined your entire lifetime where you would get married, sometimes there are circumstances that are now swaying you in another direction. In this episode Janice and I uncover and talk through all the pros and cons of the the different types of wedding venues that there are. Janice and I talk about Boutique Inns, Lodges, B&Bs, Hotels, Parks and gardens, Historic Venues, Private Halls, Golf and Country Clubs, Resorts, Museums, Lofts, Estates, Villas or your home (or a family home).

Let us give you insight in what you can and should look out for for the time you'll have to invest into your planning, the costs involved and the features and flexibilities vs the limitations and restrictions of all of the above.

Janice Carnevale has been a wedding professional in the Washington DC area since 2002, and in 2006 she founded Bellwether Events to help modern, professional couples plan a wedding with purpose so that it stays with their family and friends for a lifetime. Bellwether Events has been a part of over 200 weddings to date. Janice works primarily in the DC metro area, but has traveled to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Napa California, and Edinburgh Scotland for her clients. In 2013, Janice published The Elegant At-Home Wedding, a free ebook detailing how best to plan a wedding at your home.

The book can be downloaded, again for free, from her website. Janice lives in Falls Church with her husband Larry and 2 rescue dogs, Luna and Sparkles. When she isn't working, you can find her in section 309 Row C seat 17 at Nationals games from April to October.

Hotels and Resorts Pros:

◦ Perfect for couples who don’t want to be bogged down by the complications of wedding. You know who’s going to be catering, who’s going to be serving; the hotel staff, you know what the chairs look like, and what the linens look like so it reduces that kind of stress out of the wedding.

◦ It’s a good option when you’re not looking for a bunch of customisations so it appeals to couples in that way.

◦ What also appeals to most couples is everyone stays at one place. There’s no need of transportation and buses which reduces the wedding cost as well. It’s convenient for the couple to move down from the wedding suite down to the ballroom by just walking down a couple flight of stairs.

◦ If you have a lot of guests from outside of town, it’s nice for not putting them through the trouble of moving through all of the city that you’re in. If you’re lucky enough to still have grandparents attend your wedding, it can be convenient for them to stay in one place.

◦ Another benefit of having hotels or resorts as your wedding venue is you don’t have to worry about things like power and electricity. You don’t have to worry about restrooms for the guests as well.

◦ You don’t have to worry about weather changes because they always give you a backup space to hold your event.

◦ Pre-wedding parties, rehearsal dinners, brunches, welcome party can all take place in the same venue if the guests are coming from outside of town and they need somewhere to stay for the wedding.

◦ A hotel or a resort is awesome for if you want the guests to have access to a golf course, a spa, a tennis court and that can really enhance the guest experience.

◦ Less expensive.

Hotels and Resorts Cons:

◦ Hotels and resorts often have access limitations to various spaces for your setups and also, how long you can be in them.

◦ Service charges and fees may be higher at these places and your guests may have to pay parking fee which they may not pay somewhere else.

◦ Often look same from wedding to wedding. Not suitable if you want customisation to your wedding and want your wedding to look different than every other wedding on Pinterest.

Home and Estate Pros:

◦ One of a kind wedding, a blank canvas where you can really make your wedding your own and unique.

◦ Every time you go there, your memories will come flooding back.

◦ So much more flexibility and no limitations with time. If you want to put the tent up 5 days before the wedding, you can totally do that at a home or estate wedding.

◦ You can pick any caterer that you want. You can pick your own dance floor, seating arrangement or lighting. You really get to make a lot of your own decisions.

◦ The getting ready photos are one of a kind at home or estate. The natural lighting is better and also, the memories of getting ready in your childhood bedroom is also very magical.

Home and Estate Cons:

◦ No alternate backup space in case of weather changes. That’s something that you have to plan ahead from day one.

◦ There may be noise ordinance where you’re not allowed to make noise above a certain level. You may be asked to shut down in some cases.

◦ Most expensive.

Boutique Inn Pros:

◦ You can do a full buyout as they are smaller. You can have the full place to yourself for the wedding festivities and

they’re more flexible with timings and limitations.

◦ You get the best of both worlds and the place feels homey as yours is the only group in that area.

◦ You don’t have to clean up afterwards.

◦ You can do a lot more customization with your decor and installations.

◦ Least expensive.

Boutique Inn Cons:

◦ You’re limited when it comes to the amount of guests who can stay on site because the place is smaller.

◦ People don’t immediately think about these places in the first place.

There are benefits and negatives for each of these depending on the wedding you are planning.

Where you get married is such an important piece of the wedding puzzle and if you pick the right one, it has the ability to transform your wedding into everything you’ve ever dreamed of. There are a lot of things to consider when deciding a venue for your wedding, but it can also be a lot of fun to search.