Weddings > Ideas & Advice > Ceremony Site Selection

Ceremony Site Selection

Pick the perfect location for the heart of your wedding.

One of your first wedding planning decisions will be to select your ceremony site and your officiant. Since the ceremony is the heart of any wedding, it should set the tone for the entire day.

A wedding ceremony can be held anywhere from a church to your reception site to a judge's chambers to a remote mountaintop. Whether you're starting your search from scratch or you have an affiliation with a particular church or synagogue, you need to check on some details before deciding to hold your ceremony there:

  • Is it available for the date and time you want? If there are any weddings or other services booked for that day, how will that affect your event?

  • Is it large enough to hold your guests? Is there adequate parking?

  • Does the officiant have any requirements you're unwilling to satisfy, such as couples counseling classes?

  • Do you like the officiant and feel that he or she is the person that you want to join the two of you in marriage? If not, can you bring in someone with whom you're more comfortable?

  • Does the site have any restrictions concerning music or photography? For example, some churches require you to use their organist, which can limit your music selection.

  • Will the site provide any services, such as pew decorations or aisle runners?

  • Who is responsible for cleaning up the site afterwards?

  • What are the costs involved? Many sites are free or available for a small donation, but others may charge a fee or require a permit. Officiants may expect a donation (often in the $100 to $250 range). Services such as clean-up and parking may cost extra.

  • What does the officiant's standard service consist of and how much freedom will you be given to personalize it?

  • When can your florist start setting up any pew or altar arrangements?

  • Will the site be available for a rehearsal at the time you want to schedule it (generally the evening before the ceremony)?

If the answers to all of these questions are satisfactory, you may want to go ahead and reserve the site, even if that means putting down a deposit. Then you could continue looking for second options (and weigh forfeiting your deposit in order to trade up), but you'll have the peace of mind of knowing you have an acceptable site locked up.