Which wedding venue should we book?
Venue tours are designed to sell. Each one is dressed for a wedding on the day you visit, and each coordinator is good at their job. After three tours, the budget you agreed at home is hard to remember.
A weighted matrix brings that conversation back to the kitchen table. Agree the weights together before the tours, score each venue the same day, and compare once you are both calm.
Open the tool with this question filled in. Two to five minutes, no account.
Start this decisionWhat should you weigh?
Five factors cover most versions of this decision. Rename them, drop the ones that do not apply, and add your own. Phrase each so a higher score is always better.
- Fits our budget
- Hire fee plus the minimum spend, service charge and required extras.
- Capacity for our guest list
- Comfortable for your real number, with room if it grows.
- The feel
- Whether you can picture the day there. It deserves a row, and a weight.
- Easy for guests to reach
- Travel, parking, and places to stay nearby.
- Catering flexibility
- Whether you can bring your own caterer, or choose from the menu.
What does it look like worked out?
Three venues: a barn outside town, a city hotel, and a garden estate. Weights run 1 to 10, scores 1 to 5.
| Factor | Weight | Barn | City hotel | Garden estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fits our budget | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Capacity for our guest list | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| The feel | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Easy for guests to reach | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Catering flexibility | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 99 | 98 | 94 |
Each total is score times weight, added down the column.
Barn wins by 1 point. A one-point win is a tie. The matrix has done its job anyway: it narrowed the choice to the barn and the hotel, and the table shows the trade between them. The barn is cheaper and feels right. The hotel is easier for guests.
Where do people go wrong?
Scoring a date clash. If the venue has no date that works, it is out. Check availability before you score anything.
Weighing it alone. Two people usually weigh the feel and the budget differently. Set weights separately, compare, and agree before the tours.
Common questions
- What questions should I ask a wedding venue?
- The total cost with minimum spend and service charges, capacity, available dates, catering rules, and the finish time. Each answer maps to a row.
- How far ahead should we book?
- Popular venues book a year or more ahead for peak dates. Score the shortlist early so you can move when a date opens.
Ready to weigh your own?
The question and starter options come filled in. Change anything. AI suggests factors; the answer comes only from your weights and scores.
Start this decision