Just Engaged? The First Five Decisions to Make Before You Book Anything

The ring is on, the phone calls are done, and now everyone from your aunt to your coworker is asking when and where. Before you answer any of that, there are five decisions that make every other decision easier. Get these settled and the rest of wedding planning stops feeling like guesswork.

Ready to look at dates? Call (585) 352-3300 or contact us.

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1. Your Guest Count, at Least Roughly

This comes first because it decides everything else. Venue options, budget, catering, even the kind of day you can have. A 90 person wedding and a 250 person wedding are different events with different price tags, and you cannot shop for a venue until you know which one you are planning.

You do not need a finished list. You need a range. Sit down together, write out the people you cannot imagine getting married without, then add the families you both know will come. That number is your starting point.

2. Your Season, Before Your Date

Couples often arrive with one specific Saturday in mind and are disappointed when it is taken. Pick a season first and stay flexible inside it. Around Rochester, peak runs roughly June through October, and those Saturdays go 12 to 18 months out.

If you are open to a Friday, a Sunday, or an off-peak month, you will have far more choice and better pricing. We wrote a whole piece on that in Sunday and weekday weddings.

3. What Kind of Day You Actually Want

Formal and seated, or relaxed with stations and a long cocktail hour? Ceremony on site, or at a church with a drive in between? All in one place, or several locations?

Couples who answer this early stop wasting weekends touring venues that were never going to fit. Most of ours want the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception in one place, which is why the grounds and the banquet hall get used together for a single day.

"The staff and event planner at Chef's catering were extremely professional and helped make our day both organized and amazing . The food was incredible and all staff ensured each guest was cared for." - Kelly & Scott

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4. Your Real Budget, Including the Parts Nobody Quotes

Decide two numbers: what you are comfortable spending, and the absolute ceiling. Then remember that a venue quote is not the whole wedding. Photography, flowers, music, attire, rings and gratuities all sit outside it.

When you compare venues, compare the total. A low room fee with an outside caterer, rentals and a day-of coordinator often costs more than an all-in number. Our guide to what a Rochester wedding venue actually costs breaks that down.

5. Who Is Helping, and With What

Not the wedding party, the decision makers. Are parents contributing and does that come with input? Is one of you running point on vendors? Will you hire a planner, or use the coordinator your venue includes?

Every wedding here comes with a designated event coordinator, which for most couples replaces a separate day-of planner entirely.

Want to see what your day could look like? Book a tour.

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What Can Wait

Colors. Flowers. Favors. Signature drinks. The dress. All of it is easier once the five above are settled, and none of it should drive your venue choice.

Then Book the Two Things That Go First

Once you have a season and a guest count, book your venue and your photographer. Those two book furthest out around Rochester. Everything else can follow.

We are at 1875 North Union Street in Spencerport, about 20 minutes from downtown Rochester, with an in-house kitchen, a remodeled hall seating up to 325 and a team that has run this day hundreds of times. More on our weddings and receptions page.

Congratulations. When you are ready, get in touch or call (585) 352-3300.