Finding your place

   Of all the details that go into planning a wedding, none are so important as the ceremony and reception sites. Choosing a site can be daunting, though, if you don't know what you're getting yourself into.

    Fortunately, if you come prepared with a little bit of information and knowing which questions to ask, choosing a site will go more smoothly.

    As a general rule, local professionals say you should choose your site about a year in advance. Some can work with your plans if you contact them just a few months before the big day, but if you want your wedding to be exactly how you've been dreaming it, you should allow a little more time.

    If you're going to have the ceremony and the reception in separate locations, you should arrange the ceremony site first - especially if it's a church, says Marty Gagg, special events coordinator at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Churches often fill up quickly, and you'll have to be flexible in choosing the wedding date. 

    "You don't need to have all your arrangements done (early), but you need to have your wedding site and the reception site," Gagg says. "Once you have that, it's all downhill from there."

    Kerri Jo Painter, wedding and event coordinator at the Craftwood Inn, suggests that couples do some research online and attend bridal fairs to get a few ideas for reception sites. Many locations offer virtual tours online that will help couples get a feel for a site's ambience before visiting.

    Before visiting a site, Painter recommends settling a few key issues: whether you want an indoor or outdoor wedding, whether you want a ballroom or a smaller, more intimate setting, the size of your budget and the number of guests.

    But one of the biggest pieces of advice offered by the pros is simply to be flexible with your plans - and to stay relaxed.

    "Just try to be as flexible as you can," Gagg says. "Otherwise you're going to stress yourself out."

QUESTION TO ASK

What are the facility's rules concerning alcohol?

What are you allowed to bring in? Can you bring centerpieces, linens or food?

Is there a cake-cutting fee?

How much time are you allowed in the space?

Does the facility provide music?

Does the facility provide a dance floor? If so, is there an extra fee?

What are the minimum and maximum number of guests the facility can accommodate?

Can the ceremony be performed there?

Does the facility offer rooms for the bridal party to get ready?

How much time does the wedding party get beforehand to decorate? Will the facility do the decorating for you?

If you're having an outdoor wedding, is there a place for shelter if the weather turns bad?

Does the facility allow outside catering?

Is the facility insured?

Will vendors have easy access to the site to set up?

Does the facility provide tables and chairs?

How much outside noise will interfere with the ceremony? Is the area private where the ceremony will be held?

Sources: Larry Ash, owner of Hillside Gardens and Nursery; Suzanne Boynton, director of catering at Embassy Suites Hotel Colorado Springs.