There is relatively much talk about choosing the right place for the celebration, but almost every bride, when starting to plan her wedding, is faced with this big question - where to celebrate her wedding. For those couples who are still planning their wedding day, together with the wedding organizer Artus Pastors / Oga Events we have prepared answers to the most popular questions regarding the choice of the place of celebration.

Where to hold a wedding?

Arta points out that there is currently an active reservation of places for the next wedding season, and many places for July and August 2019 are already taken. "For the number of guests up to 60 people, it is easier to find a place for the celebration, because the offer is larger, so there is also a greater chance that the place will be available.

As the number of guests increases, the number of suitable places decreases rapidly. Of course, such places often have to be reserved a year in advance," advises Arta.

Speaking of the most popular places, Arta points out that couples are always looking for non-standard solutions and pay more and more attention to the quality of the meal. "As more and more attention is paid to the quality and appearance of the food, weddings are more and more often celebrated in various restaurants that are able to provide excellent service.

Instead of holding a two-day wedding celebration and ensuring that the guests spend their money as well, couples invest in multi-course dinners," observed Arta.

Although wedding celebrations in hotels are a common practice abroad, this trend has not yet taken root in Latvia. Arta explains this by the fact that Latvians still want to celebrate their wedding in nature or outside the city.

What costs should be expected?

Of course, one of the most important aspects when choosing a wedding venue is the cost. Arta Pastora points out that at the moment, each place of celebration draws up a very individual price list. "Others like that couples see all the costs by position, while others like that the amount includes at least the basics - hall rent, sleeping options for guests, closed area, tables, chairs, etc.

Prices for celebration venues are different - starting from 600 EUR and ending with 4000 EUR and more, but the cost of renting optimal places is on average around 1500/2000 EUR. In addition, the more guests, the more expensive the place is, realizing that there are not many options to choose from, as well as the place itself has much higher costs and the employees hired to keep everything organized and clean in the morning," says Arta about the costs.

What are these hidden costs?

Of course, in addition to the rental fee of the venue, the so-called hidden costs must also be taken into account. Arta points out that there are such celebration places where you also have to pay for the waste generated.

"The venue should always ask about the final costs, that is, what exactly will be included in the price.

• Will cork money be included;
• are there tablecloths;
• about entry and exit times;
• about lighting bonfires for the procession;
• whether the territory will be closed directly to them;
• who arranges / cleans the rooms in the morning before breakfast? Is it even being done?” about questions that couples tend to forget to ask the place of celebration, says Arta.

Five main prerequisites for a couple to consider when choosing a wedding venue

1. The question must be answered whether the place of celebration really corresponds to the planned number of guests. Often, couples who live abroad, when inviting guests, calculate that probably not everyone will come. But what if everyone comes? When planning the number of guests, you should also calculate the place/room where the musicians, photographer, video operator, wedding organizer team will stay. If the only place is in the celebration hall itself, then these people should also be taken into account in the number of people.
2. You need to find inspiration pictures in advance to understand the desired arrangement of the tables. It should be taken into account that not all ideas will be possible to implement in all the offered celebration places. It is true, however, that the long tables that are currently back in fashion will be easier to adapt to the rooms.
3. When choosing a place for the celebration, you have to answer the question, how much should be invested in the room so that it looks like the inspiration pictures? The more you have to bring, the more expensive the total cost will be. There are things that can be changed by investing additional funds, for example, changing the chairs on offer to ones you like, but there are also details that will be almost impossible to change, for example, the color of the wall of the celebration room, which does not match the wedding color palette chosen by the couple.
4. You need to calculate the total cost of the celebration place - room, beds, chairs, tables, service, corkage money, etc. Only by adding everything together can you get the true number for comparing multiple locations.
5. It is necessary to specify the time when the team of organizers and decorators, guests can arrive, and by which time everything must be collected. Taking this into account, it will be possible to decide whether the place corresponds to the planned daily plan or whether the daily plan should be changed due to the location. For example, it often takes time to set up and tear down large decorations. This will be better understood by the organizer in the consultation or the selected decorator, knowing how quickly the couple's ideas can be realized.

MORE ABOUT WEDDING ORGANIZATION HERE: AGENCIES AND WEDDING OFFICERS

Photo: ANDA UPMALE , ANNIJA VELDRE , BILLY LOTZ , EMILIA BOGĐANOV , GATIS LOČMELIS , KRISTINE JAKADELA