Have I told you that I absolutely love our (hopeful) wedding venue? Finding it was probably one of the easiest parts of the planning process so far. Locking in our reservation has been another story. Last February when we decided that we wanted to get married locally, an internet search for Ojai wedding photos yielded many of the breathtaking photos below.

Source: Jessica Loren Organic Photography

Our favorites were taken at The Dent House, a private estate located in the heart of Matilija Canyon. Now, almost eight months later, we are excited and relieved to be finalizing our venue. Yesterday, the four page rental agreement arrived in my inbox! Luckily my fiance is a lawyer, so I am hoping that the whole daunting contract process will be more of a breeze. As we read through the agreement, I am realizing more than ever all of the little details we will need to work out to make sure our special day goes off without a hitch.

Sources: Kurt Boomer Photo, Jessica Loren Organic Photography

With this venue we will need to bring in everything from tables and chairs, to bathrooms and a generator. We know this will be more work than a traditional wedding venue, but it will also allow for endless creative possibilities for all aspects of the wedding.

Sources: Kurt Boomer Photography

With gorgeous natural scenery, another huge perk is that we will be able to take all of our wedding photos on-site.

Sources: Braedon Photography, Kurt Boomer Photo

Do you have any pointers for finalizing a venue rental? What do you think are the most important things to look out for?

Photo (and top text) from Signals vs. Noise blog: "Refreshing to see a design firm publish what their services cost and what you get with the engagement. –Design Vineyard’s site"

I had to post this because I whole-heartedly agree.Within the wedding industry, we have the same problem. Most vendors don't seems to display much help in terms of pricing info, and it honestly couldn't be more annoying. Going through the hassle of e-mailing every single vendor you MAY be interested in just to get pricing info is ridiculous and incredibly time-consuming for the bride, not the mention the vendor who has to reply to way too many inquiries of unqualified pospects.

I checked out a venue and when they found out about this blog they specifically asked me not to post anything about their pricing on the blog. Their reason, "We don't disclose pricing because we want all couples to e-mail us so we gain their contact info and we know everyone that is interested in our space." Well, that sounds good in theory, but the problem is, were they ever interested in your venue? Or were they interested in getting pricing info so they know whether or not they can afford being interested in your venue?

I know that my budget is tight, but I don't think I am the only one. The way I don't go over budget is by knowing the prices before I know if I can fall in love with a vendor and their work. If I can't afford it, I can't fall in love with it. That's just the bottom line.

If the point is to make your customers and potential customers happy, it shouldn't be an issue to steer some people, who couldn't afford your product in the first place, away to be able to give more focus to those that are at least qualified to work with you. Display your pricing structure (or at least a range) and then you will only get qualified leads who you can actually spend quality time on pursuing and brides can spend their time focusing on finding the vendors that fit their vision, both creative and monetary.