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According to the White House Millenials Report from 2014, it is stated that the Millennials are delaying marriage and yet, over 80 percent (Millennials) of high school students say that they will marry and have kids, more than Generation Xers and Baby Boomers did at similar ages. As many researchers and marketing professionals agree that the Millennials are technologically connected and diverse. They are placing creativity and innovation above all things so as the wedding trends grow big on social media sites and digital outlets, the Millennial couples will use digital resources, read up on reviews instead of using traditional techniques to find wedding venues and event sites.
Don’t Know Where to Get Married? There’s an App for That!
There are many wedding apps that serve to answer the planning aspects of a wedding, like iWedding Deluxe, Wedding Gawker and WeddingScan, and there are other to help all engaged couples find a bit more.
Appy Couple
Appy Couple app focuses on creating an interactive experience where the bride and bridegroom can communicate with their bridal party and other guests.
Wedding Wire
Wedding Wire provides two great service: wedding reviews and wedding site searcher. Wedding Wire is found to be an easy tool not only used by Millenials but all by both Baby Boomers and Gen Xers as the website offers a comprehensive vendor catalog with over 200,00 reviewed wedding vendors from across the US. It takes a few steps to easily search based on location and preferences.
Wedding Spot
With the Wedding Spot, wedding party can search for a wedding site by location, budget, styles, and capacity.
Things to Consider Before Booking Your Wedding Venue
Choosing the right venue as it is usually the first and most expensive decision a wedding couple makes. There are certain factors that are usually considered in the decision making process and well look at those which usually form the core of the decisions. Most couples now spend over $30,000 just on their wedding day alone, and even in the least expensive areas, the average cost of a wedding still runs nearly $25,000.
Driving and Traffic Considerations
Guests may be travelling a considerable distance by car to get to the wedding destination. It’s usually a factor that’s put into consideration especially when keeping in mind accessibility and convenience.
Venue Affordability
As a cost-conscious wedding planner, most work with the Millennials closely. Millennial couples tend to have unique negotiation styles and they will be involved in the booking of the event site all the way to keep the venue cost down. They prefer to pour more money into food and beverages and entertainment. Being flexible on the date can be a great negotiating tool, as certain days of the week tend to cost less.
Venue or Date Availability
It is a common practice to overbook a wedding/event site if the date is popular among couples. It would be good to ask the venue contacts on the amount of events they hold within the same day to get a better idea. Some venues have online calendars, others you can email for rough availability.
Style of the Wedding
Does the venue have a kitchen and can it provide catering to your wedding? If so, often a venue will waive the facility fee and only charge a deposit along with the cost of food for each attendee. Those venues without kitchen facilities may have a partnership with a food provider that you’re required to use, or you may be free to bring in your own vendors. Many venues have an exclusive relationship with certain vendors, food vendors, linen vendors, etc. If the event site does not have linens you can use, this will lead to another negotiation milestone. From rustic chic to outdoor or from ethnic to a seaside celebrations, the style of the wedding will also affect the location choice.
Attendee/Guest Count
How many people are anticipated? The number of people anticipated will determine whether the wedding will be carried out in a hall or an entire floor.
Special Requirements
Couples are marrying outside of their religion and opting out of traditional church wedding ceremonies more now than ever. Some couples are opting to have a friend perform the wedding ceremony, even if the friend isn’t currently a minister. Sometimes, places have strict rules and regulations. If most of the guests of the millennial couple smoke, then a location that doesn’t restrict smoking for example is usually taken.
Parking for Wedding Guests
Parking is seldom a critical factor if the couple gets married outside an urban area, but make careful planning is usually taken if the wedding is planned at a parking-challenged place like New York City.