Hello friends! Welcome to another Wednesday!

A few weeks ago, Brendan and I went to our first Wedding Venue Open House at The Schoolhouse Dallas. And it was — so fun!

So, what is a Wedding Venue Open House and why should you put it on your list of things to do while wedding planning?

Wedding Venue Open House

An Open House is your chance to see a potential venue on your list outside of doing a tour. They bring in preferred vendors and it’s a great opportunity to have a wedding planning date night!

For us, it helped the wedding planning process feel more real. Plus, we got to pet a llama, alpaca, and a donkey AND try appetizers and drinks AND cake flavors. I mean, you really can’t ask for a better way to spend a Tuesday evening!

The Whys

For the most part, these events are free (though with COVD many require ticket reservations), so that is immediately a front runner of why you should attend.

Meet the Venue

An Open House is also a great way to take a look and explore a venue to see if you like the vibe, could picture yourself getting married (or just partying) there, and explore all without the pressure of being on an individual tour.

You will also get the chance to meet the venue coordinator and sometimes other staff members!

Often times you can find these Open House events listed on a venue’s Facebook or Instagram page, as well as their website. Or, on occasion, you’ll find them pop up as ads on your social media!

Meet Vendors

Open Houses are also a great chance to meet different vendors, and get a feel of what kind of vendors you’d like to look for.

For us, we’re looking for a few unique twists to include in our wedding so meeting a bartending service that has a drink dispenser in a Steamer Trunk was very cool. Plus, we got to taste a few flavors of cake – including French Toast flavored! (Check out the list of featured vendors at the bottom of our post!)

Speaking of drinks and snacks – Open Houses often feature a caterer and the provided appetizers were DELICIOUS!

Personally, meeting people face to face is how I want to work with all of my vendors. I always offer it as an option to my own couples – to meet with me face to face before booking. In fact, I encourage it!

It is absolutely vital to me as we figure out whether we’re a good fit for one another. After all, each vendor is a piece of the puzzle that helps to make your vision for your wedding come to life!

Use It as a Date Night

While you can totally bring second, third and fourth opinions with you (aka bridesmaids, parents and others) – we found it to be a great opportunity for a low pressure date night/wedding planning combo!

With fun and tasty snacks, drinks, and the opportunity to take pictures with cute animals – all for free – it’s perfect!

Featured Vendors

The Schoolhouse

Speedwell Event Co. (Planner)

Llamamazing Party Animals

Basically Bakers

Le Force Entertainment (DJ/Photographer/Lighting/Photobooth)

Render (Event Rentals)

Dallas Drafts

Lorena Burns Photography

Don’t Forget!

Keep up to date on our whole Wedding Planning 101 Series! Every Wednesday we’re posting on our wedding planning journey – the ups and downs! All from the perspective of me – a wedding photographer – and my fiancé – not in the wedding industry at all!

Part 1 | We’re All In This Together

Part 2 | The Wedding Planner

Bonus | Our Proposal Story