Brides.  Grooms.  Listen up!

We’re about to give you some important insight into wedding venues and booking dates.   

Interested in learning more?  

Read away.

Are you having challenges finding venues that are available on your preferred wedding date?  Is your wedding a year or more away?  Do you wonder if you have to push back your wedding another year just to secure a date?!

Don’t worry.  This is a common issue that many couples are not privy to knowing the reasons why.  Now, we are not saying these are any of the specific reasons why you are having difficulty – it may simply be that your date has already been booked, however, there may be other reasons and we’re here to provide suggestions on what to do about it.

One of the most common questions we hear is:

Our desired wedding venue says our date is not available but it may be in the future.  I don’t understand!

This is a very valid question and one we have some insight on…

Many venues are not able to book social events (including weddings) until closer to the actual date.  

Why is that?

This is when you need to understand that most venues are a business (as they should be).  They need to fill their hotel to the best they can to be successful.  This means that not only do they want to book their ballrooms, but they also want to book hotel rooms as well.

Many weddings do not provide many hotel room bookings.  This is to be expected as so many guests are local.  

However, many conferences and conventions can utilize a ballroom and fill up most (if not all) of the sleeping rooms available at the hotel.  A conference/convention also needs to utilize the ballroom (especially for set up – yes, think a Saturday for a Sunday start day of a convention) and if the ballroom is not available, the conference/convention will look elsewhere.

We know.  It’s not a very pretty reason.  But it is how many hotels operate – and stay in business for that fact!  

What to do about it?

If this venue is a MUST HAVE, there are two things you can do…

First, change your date.  Work closely with your venue sales manager to look at a variety of dates that are available.  This could be because room nights have already been booked and occupancy is high, therefore, allowing the ballroom to be booked for a social event.

You can also consider changing your date to around a holiday.  Think the Saturday before Easter Sunday or the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Many conferences/conventions stay away from holiday weekends which can be a wonderful opportunity for open booking space and time for your guests to gather for a special occasion and holiday.

Second, wait.  Yes, this is tricky and risky.  If a convention books your date, you’re definitely out of luck.  But if you’re willing to take the risk, ask your sales manager the earliest you could book that date if a convention does not.  Keep in mind this could be as close in as 30-90 days.

Third, be willing to book guest rooms.  This can be a last resort, but one that is sometimes an option if your venue is non-negotiable.

Ask your sales manager how many room nights you would have to book (whether your guests book these or whether you book them) in order to secure the space on your desired date.  You more than likely will need to guarantee these rooms in a contract and pay for a large percentage of them even if your guests do not book them (this is called “attrition”).

If you choose to go this route, make sure you understand the details of securing guest rooms as you may be left with a large bill for unused rooms.  But hey, if you have guests coming in from out of town or would like a free stay for the night, they’d probably love it!

If you are set on a certain venue and are still having difficulty securing a date, please contact me.  Many times I can work with couples and the sales manager to find out the issue and work together to find a good solution.  Keep in mind you may have to stay flexible, but it may just be worth it if it’s your dream.

Please contact me at michele@michelebutlerevents.com for your Orlando or Central Florida wedding questions and needs and…let’s get your wedding booked!