As you start planning your wedding, you have a key choice to make early on: whether to use one wedding venue or two. While many couples opt for what seems like the easier choice, to use only one venue, a two-venue wedding day actually has many advantages. Here are a few of the reasons why you might choose it. 

1. To Increase Options

When you arrange only one venue for both ceremony and reception, you're limited in choices. The location must have both a great backdrop for the ceremony and be able to house a large party, including kitchen facilities, a dance floor, and vendor parking. This reduces your options for both parts. By splitting up these needs, you can tailor each locale to its particular needs or your wants. 

2. To Take Off-Site Photos

Nearly all couples will have photo sessions done on the big day, usually before and after the ceremony. If you plan to stay at your single venue all day, you're often limited to this site for your photos — usually due to time constraints and distances of travel. By moving locations between the ceremony and reception, you have the excuse and logistics to relocate your wedding photos to an entirely separate spot.

3. To Avoid Turnover

Turnover is the process of removing all your guests from the ceremony location and hurriedly changing its layout and decor to form the reception venue. Turnover can be quite labor-intensive and stressful, particularly if you're doing it largely using your friends and family. The best way to avoid this rushed activity between halves is to use an entirely different spot for both parts of the wedding.

4. To Hold a Specific Ceremony

Do you and your fiancé have a specific spot intended for your ceremony? The most common is a church or other house of worship. If a church wedding is your goal, you likely have no choice but to find a more appropriate venue for the party afterward. 

5. To Save Money

Can the use of two venues actually save you money on the wedding? The short answer is it may. If you can use an inexpensive or free venue for one portion of the wedding, usually the ceremony, but possibly a reception space instead, you can save significant money by hiring a traditional venue for just part of the festivities. This could mean fewer rental hours, less rented items, and fewer services needed. 

Want to know more about the benefits, challenges, costs, and logistics of using a separate venue for the ceremony and the reception? Start by meeting with a venue location in your area today. No matter what you choose, the additional choices you have today are sure to help you craft a perfect day. Contact a local wedding venue service to learn more.