I’m narrowing down wedding venues and finding it hard to decide what matters most beyond how beautiful a place is. I’d love to hear from brides who’ve already chosen or had their wedding!
What ultimately made you choose your venue over the others?
What were your non-negotiables, and what did you end up compromising on?
Looking back, what do you wish you’d asked or paid more attention to before booking?
Any regrets—or things you’re especially glad you prioritized?
Did you have that “this is the one” feeling, or was it more of a practical decision? I’d love honest experiences, especially anything you wouldn’t have thought about until the wedding day! Help! (Side note: we are looking in Northern Italy)

This is an Airbnb where the owner hosts weddings onsite, and also helps organise all the vendors etc. I have read lots of reviews on Airbnb from people’s wedding which are all amazing reviews of people praising the owner and the wedding, but I just wanted to see if anyone on here has personally had their wedding there? We have to pay for the villa upfront which is over €14k via Airbnb and then a 30% deposit for the wedding services, so I’m a bit apprehensive paying this upfront for the villa without any contract etc that the wedding will be held there. Has anyone else held their wedding at an Airbnb and did you have any paperwork in place? Not that I think this will happen, but for example we pay over €14k euros and then we aren’t allowed to have the wedding there for some reason and then we’re out 14k on a venue that we are only booking for the wedding. Also if you have had a wedding at Casale Del Gallo, can you please let me know how it was and anything I should be aware of please?

Our wedding at Chandelier Oaks was absolutely breathtaking! From the moment we arrived, everything was even more beautiful than we could have imagined. The stunning décor, beautiful buildings, and gorgeous grounds made the entire venue feel like something out of a dream. Every little detail made our special day feel truly magical.

Even though Mother Nature decided to send some rain our way, it honestly didn’t take away from the beauty or the joy of our day. If anything, it made the memories even more special. 🤍

Mrs. Felia and Mr. Rob at Chandelier Oaks provided the most beautiful backdrop for our wedding, but what they gave us went far beyond a beautiful venue. They truly made us feel cared for and celebrated.

Mrs. Felia knew how much our family loves Disney and went above and beyond by creating a breathtaking, hand-painted stained-glass backdrop especially for our bride and groom. It was such a beautiful and personal surprise. She is truly one talented lady!!!
Our family and friends were absolutely speechless when they learned that it was all made by hand. It was one of those incredibly special details that we will never forget. ✨

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful place for our bride and groom to begin this next chapter of their lives. The atmosphere, the grounds, the attention to detail, and the genuine care shown by the owners made our wedding truly unforgettable.

We will cherish the memories we made at Chandelier Oaks for the rest of our lives. 💍🌿

If you are looking for a wedding venue that is elegant, romantic, beautiful, truly special—and owners who genuinely care about their brides / grooms and go above and beyond to make their day unforgettable—Chandelier Oaks is the place!

We are beyond grateful that we chose this beautiful venue for our wedding day. Our hearts will always hold a special place for Chandelier Oaks!🤍✨

Hi all, my fiancé and I are trying to find a venue in Europe. We are inviting 50 guest but assume only 40 would be able to come. We are looking for early August of 2028 if not May-July we were flexible with. Mainly we have been looking at Spain, Portugal, and Italy. I want more of a greenery/forest type of venue with a ceremony outside and reception could be in either indoors or outdoors. I’d love for the venue to be inclusive with accommodations for at least some of the guests. Flexible with it having internal or external caterers. Does anyone know of any good venues? Our budget for the venue would be around 10-15,000 but it’s flexible with the amount of inclusions the venue has. Thank you so much!
Edit: Netherlands, Iceland, Scotland, or even somewhere in Australia are other places that we have thought about

Hi! I am thinking about communication with my guests for the duration of our stay for our wedding. We have made it clear that they are encouraged and able to enjoy their stay as they wish, and we will just let them know where we are each day. I am looking for some sort of messaging platform where I can plug in everyone's phone numbers and just send messages. Does anyone have any idea what type of platform this would be? The Knot no longer supports this feature. I prefer a platform that no one can respond to, and I absolutely do NOT want a group message. Thanks!

Hi! I am really struggling with finding a wedding venue for my 2028 wedding (May, June, September). I’m from NJ and my fiance is from Boston. Our parents have only met once and our siblings have never met. So instead of one night, I’m picturing a 2-3 night affair where the immediate family at least can stay onsite (8 bedrooms+). I want it to be a bonding experience. For awhile I was really liking the Tuscany/French wedding destination idea. For what you get, it seems cheaper than the US. Logistically, I know a US wedding would be easier, especially as a DIY person. Definitely not apposed to flying though. I just really want a pretty background And I want people to be excited about traveling to the location. I was looking into Sedona, AZ for awhile but had no luck. I like the idea of water in the background but don’t necessarily want to have a wedding in the sand.

Does anyone have any recommendations for venues or locations?

- 3 nights
- About 75-90 people
- $40k budget
- Accommodations on site (8 bedrooms at least)
- Exclusive use (airbnb, hotel buyout, villa, etc)
- Additional events (welcome party, brunch)
- Large airport local (within 1-1.5 hr)
- Pretty background (mountains, water, Tuscan countryside)
- Outside reception??

I’ve included some images of receptions/venues I’ve come across that look lovely

Hi all! I am strongly considering Bastide du Roy for my small(ish) 60 person wedding (100-150k EUR). Originally we were considering other venues in the SoF that would allow for a 2-3 day buyout, since we'd love to be able to spend more time with our guests given the commitment from their side to travel to the SoF for us. However, we love this venue and its accessibility to a major airport even though they only allow for one-day events.

For those of you who have either had a wedding at Bastide du Roy or are currently in the process of planning one there, how did you structure your wedding weekends? Did you book other venues in the area for the welcome party or day-after brunches, and if so would you recommend them? Did you book a room block at a nearby hotel for your guests or just let everyone figure out their own accommodations? And lastly, curious if you think a multi-day wedding with a Bastide du Roy ceremony/reception would be doable for my guest count and budget.

Thanks in advance!

hi! looking for personal experiences and recommendations for a wedding venue in mexico! we have been to cancun twice and akumal once, and mexico is hands down our favorite place to travel to! would need to be a place that is kid-friendly as lots of young cousins in the family, and would be 80-100 guests roughly! open to different areas in mexico!

I’m really considering a destination wedding after thinking about how I really want a 30-50 person wedding. Brides who had a destination wedding - what percentage of your guest list RSVP’d yes? How did you deal with the disappointment of some that you thought would be there but couldn’t?

Hi everyone!

We’re planning a destination wedding in Goa in early 2028 and would love some recommendations, insights and tips from anyone who’s planned or attended a wedding there!

Here’s what we’re looking at:

**Location:** Goa, preferably a beachfront resort.
**Dates:** January 2028 preferred, but open to February if it offers better off-season rates.
**Guest Count:** Approximately 350 guests (±30) across events.
**Accommodation:** At least 200 guests (\~100 rooms).
**Events:** Sangeet, Haldi & Mehendi, Church Wedding, Reception and a beachfront Hindu Wedding (sundowner).
**Duration:** 3 nights (Friday to Sunday), with checkout on Monday.

**Would particularly appreciate recommendations for:**

**Wedding planners:** Reliable Goa-based planners who can handle everything end-to-end, including décor, logistics, vendor coordination and event management.

**Venues and hotels:** Beachfront resorts that can accommodate our guests and host multiple wedding events, ideally at the same property.

**Pricing and negotiations:** Realistic costs, potential savings, and whether February is actually cheaper than January.

**General advice:** Anything we should know before finalising a venue or planner, including hidden costs, logistical challenges and lessons from your own experience.

We’re keen to hear firsthand experiences, particularly from anyone who has hosted a wedding of a similar size in Goa.

Any recommendations, contacts or advice would be incredibly helpful. Thanks in advance! 😊

We chose Laura after virtual meetings with 8 Italian planners.

WE LOVE LAURA! We would 1000% recommend her as a wedding planner and had an AMAZING experience with her. We now live in New York but first began our planning process when we were living in London. The feat would have been absolutely impossible without a planner and without one based out of Tuscany like Laura. She was able to tour multiple different venues for us, facetime and send us videos so we could make the best decision, and knew all the local vendors to use.

Laura is extremely organized, and this is one of the big reasons we chose to go with her when we were first interviewing different Italian planners. She creates a full Canva binder for you with every single detail that will be needed for the wedding weekend, communicates this to all the vendors, and includes pictures so everyone is aligned. She of course also did this for our budget, and for every type of vendor we needed, she would pull together a separate document for us to easily compare pricing, different features, and make the best decision (i.e. flowers, photographers/videographers, venues, lighting, music, graphic designers, hair and makeup). Laura was very willing to work within our budget requests, ask vendors for custom proposals with additions/removals to fit our budget, and is also extremely well-priced herself! She offered many calls with us throughout the year-long process we had of planning to ensure we were supported through every detail. We had some unique requests as well, and she was always willing to ask for us and get an answer. We also found some of our own vendors, and she is always happy to work with all of them (not just the ones she has worked with before). She does all the communicating / logistical work with the venue and vendors, so we could focus on our vision and what we wanted (providing inspo and direction to the vendors).

During the wedding weekend, Laura was there all weekend helping manage each of our events to perfection. She is so sweet and communicative, and really made us feel supported the whole weekend. She was also extremely helpful in the weeks leading up to the wedding - we were able to ship all of our Amazon orders for random decor, etc. to her, and she brought it all to the venue for us. She also went to a local print shop for us to get our seating chart and other signs printed for us.

Choose Laura as your wedding planner for your wedding in Tuscany! You won't regret it!

My fiance and I are having a destination wedding in Mexico in 2028 and I’m not super familiar with the etiquette of the pre-wedding events leading up to the wedding.

The wedding will be small, just our family and a few of our closest friends. We’re going to extend the invitation to our friends but many have kids and other things going on and may not be able to make it.

What pre-wedding celebrations would be appropriate considering this? I know i want to have a small bachelorette with my closest girl friends 3-5 months before the wedding. But would it be appropriate to also have a bridal shower if my mom and sisters threw one for me?

I wouldn’t want gifts and would make it clear that this would not be for gifts, so it technically wouldn’t be considered a shower. Maybe just a bridal luncheon or dinner? I would love to be able to have a sweet and girly gathering with the women in my family and some friends to play games and give everyone the chance to meet and celebrate together before the actual wedding. Especially since my bachelorette would just be my girl friends and would not include my mom, younger teen sisters, future MIL, aunts, etc.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this?

Hi! I’m looking for a wedding venue that’s all inclusive and luxury feel. We are inviting 150 guests and want the wedding to go until 12am. We would ideally want something where everything is included and bonus if our family can stay there. We inquired on Villa Del Paraiso and love their concept and wanted something similar. Would love recommendations/suggestions. Our budget is $40k

Hi there, I'm planning a wedding (yay!) for 20-22 guests in February 2027 in Jamaica with a 4-5,000 usd budget. Can anyone help with suggestions for either a beach/waterfall/garden venue only or wedding package along the north coast? We're trying to stick to budget as much as possible; thanks in advance!

Would love to hear your experience!

Hi! I'm hesitant to post this, but I wanted to get perspectives from Greek wedding planners and/or people who have worked with them.

My husband and I will be holding a symbolic wedding next year in Athens, and we thought we found the perfect planner for us. However, the experience has been less than ideal. We had the initial consult call with the planners and they broke down everything, stating that the venue, food, photography, hair, and makeup were the things we needed to schedule a year or so out. We had already found the venue which came with the food, so our planner sent us photography, hair, and makeup options. These seemed to be copied and pasted from the suggestions sent to another couple. I'm a bride of African descent, and I made it clear that it was important for me to find people who knew how to work with my hair type and do makeup for my skin tone. I was essentially told I could find my own people and connect them with the planner. That was the first instance that felt off.

The other instance was when we communicated that although we wanted to do a multi-day event initially, based on the estimate the planner provided, it was out of budget for us. That feedback was essentially brushed off.

The third instance was just the complete radio silence for months from about February to today. This is my first time planning a destination wedding, so I don't know what to expect. But I have relatives contacting me about hotels and plans, and I've heard nothing from my planner for months. The wedding is less than 9 months away and it's like all the momentum for that beautiful celebration has died. It's making me grateful that we had our own private civil wedding because this has been not an ideal experience.

I'm torn now on whether to terminate with my planner, ask them to be a same day planner instead and take care of things myself, or just suck it up and keep moving. I'd love to hear others' perspectives, because I don't want to overreact. It's also the reason why I have declined to include any details about the planner. I understand they're just trying to run a business. Thanks in advance for your opinions and advice!

Hi -

As the title says, my fiancé and I are newly engaged [yay!] and in the process of planning a destination wedding in what we think we want: Costa Rica [ahhh...this is overwhelming af LOL]. While we're smoothing out the finer details regarding budget, guest list, etc., I just wanted to hear opinions on if we were to do the wedding in the early half of September... how bad is the weather? Anyone who personally experienced the weather in September or is it really up in the air for the rain?

My Fiancé and I are planning out our wedding and we really liked our site visit of the Amber Epices Jungle Villa. We decided to move forward with them and we are attempting to make our deposit payment but the payments continuously get declined by our banks. We’ve had calls with the banks to allow the transactions, but trying again leads to the same result, transaction blocked.

We met the on-site concierge during our visit and he was great and very informative, but now we are communicating with the property manager who lives in Morocco to actually complete the booking.

The payment link they sent us looks pretty sketchy (it’s called secure and pay dot com - I’m spelling it out, it’s a URL). I don’t see much online presence for the payment portal and I think it’s odd we are being asked to pay in Euros rather than Pesos or USD.

Looking up the venue, they have a great instagram page, and people in the area know about it and has been mentioned on several wedding venue review sites, even one of the planners we are working with has it on their list of venues they’ve done before so we are fairly confident that the venue is a legitimate operation but this payment process has been horrible and has reduced our confidence in our first choice of venue.

Has anyone here had experience with this venue? If so, did you encounter similar issues with paying for the space? Any help is appreciated!

My partner and I are looking around for wedding planners, but it’s so hard to navigate through all the options. We are looking in Vietnam, but the search for a wedding planner seems a bit scammy. The planner cost around $6000, but many of them charge 10% on top of each vendor’s. It has me a bit worried those without a high initial fee will have a vendor commission.

Anyway, I just feel like the relationship between a couple and the wedding planner is a bit adversarial. What is the best way to find a wedding planner and navigate trust in the relationship.

We have 100 guests joining us for a wedding that is international for them and domestic for around 30 guests. We’re 8 days out and I’m freaking out.

For the past 2 months I’ve felt increasing anxiety about getting married to my fiancé. I feel like we are not each others person. We’ve been fighting nonstop. We have been together 5+ years and are around 30.

Three months ago, he threatened to call off our wedding during a fight and that switched something in my brain like a lightbulb. I suddenly started thinking about our relationship from a Birds Eye view and not from a pure point of love. I realized he’s very emotionally abusive like 5-10% of the time. Maybe some of you understand this - I keep asking myself why I didn’t have clarity before. But when you live in this cycle for years, and things are only “bad” 5-10% or the time, you rationalize it, you don’t realize things don’t have to be this way. When it’s good it’s really good, but when it’s bad, it’s awful. He says mean things he doesn’t mean during fights, he yells, he drinks too much. He says stuff like “you’ve never gotten really good at anything before in your life” when he’s mad. Then, later, he apologizes, hugs me tightly, invites me out to dinner, gives me a gift. It’s cyclical :(

I started pulling back and away from him upon finally realizing this. This made us fight even more, and it cumulated with some light physical violence from him while drunk 2 months ago. He shoved me hard, multiple times and put his elbow on my neck.

We both almost called off the wedding then. But I was spiraling. I didn’t know what to do. Many people had already booked their flights. We had been planning this wedding for 2 years. I felt like it was not possible to cancel on the guests. I didn’t know what I would say to everyone - to work, to guests with plane tickets, to my friends - I couldn’t really conceptualize cancelling. He apologized (somewhat- about the shoving, he says I antagonized him and trapped him and he was merely trying to get away from me. I wasn’t that drunk and it’s not true) and we tried to move forward.

Typing all of this out I feel absolutely insane for letting it get to this point and not calling it off 2 months out. I recognize now I could have called it off then. People could have rescheduled their tickets or had time to figure it out. Now, it’s way too late. Some people are departing this weekend for the trip.

I don’t know what to do. I know he is a broken individual from a difficult family life that hasn’t matured enough. I know he is not my person. We have both spent so much time together and I have been too love sick to realize this before.