Important Facts about Finding Your Wedding Venue in Croatia

Important Facts on Finding Your Wedding Venue in Croatia

You have just got engaged and starting to plan your wedding in Croatia? Even if you have been imagining and planning your wedding day since being a child, you are probably overwhelmed with the huge number of various options and possibilities at this moment and don’t have a clue where to start organizing the wedding. There is no room for panic, because feeling a bit confused when starting to lay out the wedding plan is completely normal.

First thing’s first – to lay out the wedding plan, you need a wedding venue to set it up on. There are numerous facts which need to be taken into account while choosing the wedding venue. Below we have enumerated the most important aspects of the wedding venue which can make or break your dream destination wedding in Croatia, such as: the number of guests which you are planning to invite, the budget that you have set aside for your destination wedding in Croatia, style of the wedding etc.

Before you start the venue hunt, it is important to consider the following few factors, which will have a detrimental impact on your ultimate decision. These factors will filter out some of the wedding venues from the start, so you will not spend any time exploring wedding venues that don’t fit your wedding design.

1. Guest Count

Wedding guest list may be the most important list which needs to be prepared prior to choosing the wedding venue. While you may be taking special care not to forget any of your close friends, or while weighing out should you invite a distant relative or leave room for somebody else, it is out of the question that guest count will be changing each minute. On top of that we haven’t even mentioned yet that newlyweds’ parents also have their friends, which they intend to invite.

Long Wedding Table for a Wedding with a Large Guest Count.

Unfortunately, most of the wedding venues have a strict capacity of the guests that can be accommodated. This is not to be taken lightly, because increasing the number of guests may be impossible after confirming the wedding venue. Cancelling the venue may even incur penalties. Because of that you must be sure about the absolute maximum number of guests that will reside at the wedding venue during the ceremony and celebration.

Wedding venue’s interior capacity must also be considered, because you don’t want the guests to overcrowd the venue in case of bad weather. Keep in mind that a decorated tent can also be a problem solver if it rains. But tent must also be reserved well in advance. Large tents, such as wedding tents are not one-size-fits-all. This means that even a tent requires you to make the guest count clear. However, the tent must be placed on a flat or at least almost-flat ground. Can the venue for your wedding accommodate a tent? If your wedding venue doesn’t provide enough interior capacity, make sure that it at least hosts a suitable ground for the tent.

2. Wedding Budget

Wedding decoration and flowers highlight the wedding venue's attributes.

Venue is usually the largest share of the wedding price, but wedding venue prices vary a lot. Wedding venue price is predominantly governed by the food and beverage costs, but there are usually additional charges. Some wedding venues in Croatia charge the exclusive rent fee. Certain properties don’t have the same cost for hosting a wedding or an event.

Decoration cost depends mainly of your taste, but also of the venue type. A beautiful venue, equipped with a lot of decorative furniture or interesting details does not require as much decoration to make it pop. So don’t let yourself get tangled up in the venue just because of its seemingly affordable price. Its additional costs might ultimately take a big bite out of your budget!

It is best to request assistance from an experienced professional on this subject. Local wedding planner in Istria has probably already organized an event at the venue you are interest in. The planner will warn you about short-comings of the venue you are looking at. She may even advice you to change your mind in favor of another, better-suited wedding venue. It is advisable to inform the wedding planner of your budget, so that she can suggest a better fit for you.

3. Wedding Venue Location – Sea or Inland?

Wedding venue location may be the first thing that pops in your mind when you think of the wedding. Wedding in Istria can be held at a beautiful beach or in between vast vineyards, with the wedding party under the faint star light or in a private villa, far away from the city light and traffic noises. Nonetheless it is well-thought to prioritize guest count and wedding budget over the venue location. It will make your wedding planning much more straight-forward. After filtering out the venues which are suitable for your guest count and budget, you should proceed to select the location of the wedding venue.

Inland Wedding Venue in Istria. Wedding is organized at the villa with a pool.

4. Wedding style

Most popular wedding venue styles in Istria are royal, elegant, rustic, chic and modern wedding. Elements from multiple styles cannot be combined in a single wedding, so you should decide which wedding style are you going for. In some venues a single style prevails. E.g. a seaside hotel is suited for a royal or elegant wedding, while an agritourism is perfect for a rustic wedding.

The decorator will use colors, flowers, centerpieces and other decoration to accentuate the chosen style. Along that, if you choose a venue specialized for the wedding style you are going for, then less decoration will be required to set the mood. You will be able to reserve the budget for other suppliers, but at the same time the wedding style will not be compromised.

5. Wedding date

Wedding ceremony in front of the authentic Istrian villa in the shade of the trees.

Some venue managers don’t accept weddings at their property during high season in summer. Other wedding venues are not open during winter season.

Weather in Croatia during summer is mostly sunny, but it easily gets too hot to stand in the August sun under a heavy dress or a dark suit for a few hours. Therefore, weddings in Croatia are usually set in the spring, early summer and autumn. Wedding venues are usually overbooked during these parts of the year. Because of that it is very important to go through this list of the guidelines on finding and choosing the perfect venue in Istria, determine the guest count and budget, decide on the venue location and style, and book a venue as soon as possible.

If a specific date is a determining factor for your wedding, then do your best to book a venue at least one year in advance, just in case. On the other hand, if your wedding date is flexible and it does not matter whether the wedding will be held on Saturday or a week day, then you may let yourself book a venue up to 6 months in advance.

Making the Final Decision on your Wedding Venue in Istria

Wedding venue is set up near the pool, in Istria at the sunset.

After going through all of the stated elements about choosing the wedding venue, you will probably end up with a few venues to choose from. Now is the time to make the final decision where will you vow yourself to your soulmate. But don’t hurry, because this might be the most important step.

To help you compare venues you may check out the wedding venue photos, other newlyweds’ comments and reviews or even our quick questionnaire to help you choose the venue. Notice: you don’t need to submit any personal details to use our questionnaire. Your wedding planner will gladly show you the photos from the previous weddings or you can browse wedding galleries yourself, but none of these options will give you the same experience as being present at the wedding venue yourself. It is highly advisable, if possible, to visit the venues before agreeing on the venue choice. You will be able to taste the food, meet a few members of the staff, get the idea of the wedding property proportions and where will the furniture and decoration be placed. The wedding planner will guide you through the venue and demonstrate the flow of the wedding according to the timetable. During the visit you will get to feel the vibe from the venue. No words or photos can substitute that.

Red Carpet welcomes guests to the Wedding in Croatia. Istrian villa is used as a wedding venue.

Start Planning Your Wedding in Croatia

Now it is time to start planning your wedding. Wedding planning is very simple, but organizing a wedding which flows smoothly and coordinating all guests and suppliers requires a lot of virtue, or stress if you are doing everything single-handedly. We did our best to streamline the wedding planning process for you to follow. We pointed out the most important facts that you must consider, while you can let us take care of the rest. Flammeum is a wedding planning agency specialized in organizing weddings in Istria. Our top priority is to make the process of your wedding planning stress-free! If you’d like to receive our guidance on planning your wedding or find out about the price of the specific wedding venue, contact us. If you are not yet ready to commit to a wedding planner, you can still browse the most popular wedding venus in Istria, or you can even solve our questionnaire to find the most suitable wedding venue for your wishes.

Author: Sanela

Photography: Dalibora Bijelić | Lukart | Moon Weddings