The first step in wedding planning is (or should be) choosing your venue. You haven't officially locked down a date until you've booked with your venue! If you book anyone else first, you may find your ideal date is harder to pin down at the venue of your dreams. Once you've decided what kind of venue you'd like to use, check out their website and socials to see what kinds of events they may have going on!

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How is an open house different from a tour?

Venue open houses are a little different from venue tours because they're open to the public. On a tour day, you'll have 100% of your vendor's attention, which is a huge plus. During an open house, you'll have less direct attention from the vendor, but get a chance to see the venue in action. Many venues will hire planners, decorators, or florists to come in and create the vision you can expect to see on your big day. If you (like me) aren't super good at visualizing, this is a great time to get a direct visual. Many of these events also have exclusive discounts and meet-and-greets with their preferred vendors!

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How can you prepare for a vendor open house?

Much like preparing for a bridal show, preparing to visit a vendor during their open tour event starts with prioritizing. Write up any questions you may have about the venue that you'd like to see answered while you're there, like capacity, bar package options, preferred vendor lists, and other niche concerns like "can I bring my dog" or "can I bring a DJ with cold sparklers to make my first dance epic?" Questions about other vendors you're thinking of, like food trucks, live painters, photo booths, DJs, and other unique services could also be handy to ask at this time. You can also take this as your first walk around the venue and plan a follow-up tour with the venue to get one-on-one time for your questions to be answered.

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What should you do during a vendor open house?

This one's easy! Eat, drink, and have fun! Enjoy chatting with vendors, and keep an ear out for exclusive deals that may only be offered at that event. If you were careful to set out your priorities, you and your fiance may even decide to book on-site that same day! If you're definitely not looking to book, make sure you take pictures, write down answers to your questions, and take a real in-depth tour. I always like to stop by the bathroom. You can tell how much a venue cares about the little details by taking a quick bathroom break! Is the TP stocked, do they have good-smelling soap or nice lighting? Your guests are certain to visit the restroom during their time on-site!

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Should you book on-site at a tour event?

This is 100% up to you and your fiance. Decide beforehand if you're willing and able to book while you're at the event, in order to take advantage of any same-day deals that may be available. If you're open to it, this can be a great way to save some $$! If you're not sold on a venue and truly just want to gather information, make sure you go into the event with that shared priority in mind. Graciously accept information, give out that wedding email address, and maybe even set up a tour to come back while you're there if the venue makes the top of your list.

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How can you find out about these events?

First, you can pop by our West Michigan Open House article to check out the venue open houses we've collected there! We've got all the info you need, including links to sign up or RSVP. You should also hit that "follow" button for all of the venues you'd like to visit, since most will announce their open houses there!

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Can you meet your friendly neighborhood videographer at these events?

Yes! Your favorite wedding videographer might just be at one of these events! Particularly the Studio D2D show on March 8th 😉 If you'd like to know if we're visiting (and if we're offering exclusive open house deals on wedding video), shoot us a message! We'd love to chat.