The choice of the wedding location is one of the most complex ones during the wedding planning period, so I thought I’d write this post as a mini guide to help you find out where to start and how not to risk turning this beautiful experience into a reason of stress.
I am referring to the Covid emergency. All the structures had to reorganize spaces and settings, but beyond the interventions that the locations can make directly, there are important decisions that the spouses can make, such as privileging the outdoor spaces, starting from the celebration of the rite, as I told in this previous post.
So do not start your search immediately by placing all your trust only on Google, on a portal of wedding suppliers and professionals or on the review of an acquaintance of yours; if you are tempted to follow this procedure first read the post I wrote on ” How to make the right choices to organize your wedding.”
What you need to do before you start looking for the wedding location

- Wait a second longer. Reflect on the type of event you would like to carry out and then try to imagine the place and location that should host it.
- Once you have imagined the style of the wedding and the most suitable structure for the kind of wedding you have always dreamed of, you can then choose which locations to contact for first information and which to see closely by requesting a meeting.
- Surely the ideal would be to contact a professional Wedding Planner first, – especially in a delicate moment like this when you have to pay the utmost attention to the rules, the clauses of the contracts and the procedures to be followed -and, only afterwards, together with her, select which wedding locations would be right for you.
In this way you will be easier and you will have greater guarantees, but…
Let’s pretend that you want to start the preparations as soon as possible, that you will contact him / her immediately afterwards and that you want to start from the choice of the location for your wedding.
In order not to be disappointed by any upcoming decrees and limitations, reason according to the anti-covid restrictions that were imposed on us last summer.
We have no guarantee that they will be the same for next season too, but it could already be a great starting point.
And therefore: well-spaced tables, use of the mask in the common areas with the sole exception of when sitting at the table, distribution of wipes and hand gel and… also remember to ask the catering manager what their procedures are for the buffet aperitif service.
But what are the elements you need to take into consideration?
The type of structure
Villa, castle, resort or farmhouse. The choice is yours based on what we have said before.
Its capacity and plan B
How many rooms it has, how many people can accommodate and if it has a valid proposal in case of bad weather, are the first “filters” that will help you in your selection.
The location and the context in which it is located
The place that surrounds it, the distance from your city and its location are extremely important.
The distance from the place where the ceremony will take place

How far it is from the church is not to be underestimated and, alternatively, it would be useful to know if there is one in its vicinity or if officially recognized civil rites are allowed.
Rooms or hotels nearby
If it is not very close or if you have guests coming from outside the area, it is advisable to find a convenient solution for them too.
Obviously then we must add the more “basic” questions relating to the price, the type of restaurant (if internal or catering if necessary) and any extras (opening hours, open bar, lighting, mise en place,…). All fundamental elements for the organization of the wedding.
These are no less important insights than the previous ones since the expense connected to the location and the wedding banquet is among the most expensive of all the preparations.
In fact, it is certainly useful to have a precise table on hand immediately with the breakdown of your budget to avoid wasting time with structures that do not reflect it.
And how do you choose the locations in time of lockdown?
- Many structures have organized themselves in an exceptional way with video tours to show all the spaces in a virtual way.
- Spaces, among other things, have already been adapted according to what are presumed to be future regulations.
- There are those who have even worked to show the couples of future spouses illustrative images of the reception rooms set up in different ways, to help the spouses to imagine all the set-up solutions that they can create.
- Each of us in this period has had to adapt our working method.
For me, for example, little has changed. I continue to meet my couples, but instead of doing it personally, through Skype or other digital media that come to our aid more than ever at a time like this.
So don’t worry. What matters for now is having ideas and being able to get in touch with new realities, albeit virtually, will already be a big step forward in the hope that we will soon return to our “normality”.