Maybe your December wedding date makes a warm, indoor reception venue a must-have, or maybe you hate sand so the beach option is completely out. Whether the temperature or your wedding theme was the determining factor in your decision making, now that you have decided that a St. Louis banquet hall is a good option for your wedding, use this guide to select the one that best fits your wedding dreams, needs, and expectations.

List the Options

Begin with a list that includes all of the options in your city of choice and the surrounding area. Banquet halls can be located in a number of different places including hotels, country clubs, reception venues, convention centers, and even historical mansions. Search online and ask friends and colleagues; if you are working with a wedding planner, they should have a good idea of what venues exist. Once you have a large list, you can start narrowing it down based on the following criteria.

Pick a Theme

If you haven’t had your wedding theme picked out since you were six years old, decide on that before moving ahead with a banquet hall reservation (don’t forget to include your fiancé in the brainstorming). Having a theme in mind will help you narrow down your list of options more quickly; for example, if you choose a modern theme, you won’t want to hold your wedding reception in a historical mansion.

Follow Your Budget

After the theme, your wedding budget is probably the next biggest factor in determining your perfect reception location. Even if a certain location fits your theme perfectly, scratch it off your list immediately if you can’t afford it. Also, keep in mind that the less money you spend on a banquet hall, the more money you could spend on your dress and the honeymoon.

Set the Date

Many banquet halls are reserved months in advance, so booking a wedding venue and picking a date should be the first things you cross off your wedding to-do list. As soon as you have narrowed down the list by theme and budget, call all of the remaining venues to find out their availability for the date range you have in mind.

Iron Out the Details

Now that you have a shorter list, it is time to get more details about each location. Ask how many guests the venue can hold, whether or not they have a catering service on site, what the menu items include, how much parking is available, how big the dance floor is, and how much privacy you will have (will there be another reception happening in the next room?). If you ask lots of questions, and have a theme and budget in mind, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the St. Louis banquet hall that can make your wedding dreams come true.