Your wedding venue is the literal foundation for all your wedding planning- and we get it, choosing where to have your special day can be a difficult decision! Are you stuck between the seemingly never-ending debate or indoor vs. outdoor? Don’t fret! We’ve got some insight for you as you consider all your options! Read below for some important things to consider when deciding the location for your venue!

If you’ve dreamt about saying “I do” with your toes in the sand, overlooking the lush mountains, or tucked away in an intimate garden, then an outdoor wedding might be just what you are looking for!

Pros!

Outdoor weddings (especially here in Hawaii) offer a natural beauty that is hard to replicate anywhere else! This can be a great bonus for all your photos throughout the day… and talk about epic backdrops for your wedding formals or first look!

Having your wedding in an outdoor venue allows for you to have a lot of options for space! Most outdoor venues are on larger estates, ranches, or private properties. This means that there can be more design opportunities- think amazing lounge setup for cocktail hour!

Cons!

You can’t control the weather! The reason outdoor venues are so beautiful- with their lush greenery and pretty flowers, is because they are nourished from the rain. This is a risk that you take whenever you have an outdoor event; but by working with a reliable and trained team of professional vendors, you can definitely prepare for the various weather elements.

While the upfront cost of an outdoor venue might seem cheaper than a hotel, the cost for rentals and catering can get very high depending on your design preferences.

Imagine having all the luxuries and amenities at your fingertips, while still being able to add design elements that you’ve been eyeing on Pinterest (plus the bonus of air conditioning all night long), then perhaps looking into resorts and hotels for your wedding venue might be the perfect fit!

Pros!

A lot of hotels and resorts come with all inclusive elements such as basic rentals, catering, bar, and AV equipment. This can be super helpful, especially if you don’t want to handle juggling multiple vendors for each element of your wedding! Knowing that they have a large inventory of items in stock can be a life saver!

You don’t have to be getting 1000’s of google alerts about the weather! Having an indoor wedding means that you don’t even have to factor in how the rain will impact your day. (Though, you’ll still want to be considerate of it if your ceremony is outdoors, or you are planning to utilize any outdoor area for photos)

Cons!

With indoor venues, you are definitely more restricted on space! The ballrooms can only hold so many guests- and they likely won’t knock down a wall to make the space bigger! This just means you have to be more strategic with your setup, and more importantly, your guest count!

When it comes to photos, your photographers are always looking for the best lighting. Depending on the indoor venue, that might be much harder to find. A lot of hotels and resorts dim lights in common areas to accommodate other guests, and this can mean that there are limited options for photo locations!

Whether you choose to get married indoors or outdoors, knowing all your options is vitally important! Have an open and honest conversation with the venue manager and your wedding planner to find the best fit for what you want to make your wedding day everything you dreamt of!