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- Alexis Alvarez
5 Things That Make a Great Getting Ready Venue
So you’ve got all the details planned: a great venue, the photographer you’ve been lowkey IG stalking for the last year, all of the pretty details, but have you been intentional about selecting a great getting ready venue? It might seem like a below the line type of priority, but we’ve seen many couples frustrated on their wedding day because they didn’t put a ton of thought into the practicality of where they were getting ready.
Here are the 5 things we think make a great getting ready venue:
Space - We’ve had dozens of couples book a standard hotel room for their getting ready venue & nearly every single time, they’re disappointed. It’s just not big enough. When you consider that you’ll have anywhere between 5-10+ people filtering in and out of your room all morning, plus photographers & videographers, your Wedding Planner, and your hair and make up artists… it’s a lot of people. Then add in all of your wedding party’s crap is going to take up, the hair & make up stations, the photographer’s bag of goodies, our emergency kit, & food for everyone. And just for good measure, the heat that will be produced from all of the movement and styling tools? The splurge for a suite is well worth it.
Light - Even if just for hair & make up, you want great natural light. But also consider all of the photos that will be taken in this room of you & your wedding party getting ready, your pretty detail shots of your dress & such, & for my brides out there: the photos of you getting in your dress… lot’s of natural light is a must.
Location - Be smart about the location of your getting ready venue. While your home might be free, getting from your apartment in Lincoln Park to your venue in the South Loop at noon on a Saturday is going to be a nightmare. We recommend selecting a getting ready venue near your venue & then selecting your photo locations as landmarks nearby.
Photo Ops - This one is two-fold. Look for great photo ops physically inside/around your getting ready venue for your bridal portraits, 1st look, etc. but also great locations to use for your wedding party photos nearby.
Hospitality - So this one isn’t really a must, but if you’re going to spend the money honey, make it worth it! Book your getting ready venue somewhere that has a hospitality team. One that you can call for champagne or room service & one with a a great housekeeping team that can come tidy up so you’re not coming back to stale muffins and flat Prosseco on your wedding night.
So, no, a world class getting ready venue is not technically a necessity, but there are so many reasons to consider the extra investment.
Wondering if you need a Wedding Planner?