The first thing to do is to set your budget and filter your searches accordingly. The last thing you want to do is fall in love with a venue you can't afford.

Most venues will list the capacity of their venue on their website. Always double-check the capacity, by looking at photos and visiting in person. Some venues can be a little optimistic about what is a comfortable capacity for a room. Also, don't pick a venue that is too big for your wedding party as it can kill the atmosphere if the venue feels half empty.

It's always important to consider where your guests have to come from and how accessible the venue is if you have a lot of guests who can't drive. If you are a couple who are both from the same hometown that should be easy. If you are from opposite ends of the country it's a more difficult calculation. It may make sense to get married in a hotel if large numbers of guests have to travel a fair distance. Alternatively, you should check if there are plenty of places to stay in the local area.

This is especially important if you are expecting a lot of guests to stay in hotels. I live in a town that has a couple of large events every year that make room rates triple. Traffic is also much worse on these weekends. Save yourself and your guests some trouble and avoid weekends like this.

Over the years I have been to some weddings where the couples had gambled heavily on the weather being perfect only for two inches of rain to fall on the day. Most often this is a capacity issue where the venue depends on guests having access to outside areas to feel comfortable. When you look around a venue always imagine that it is pouring rain. Consider if the rooms are big enough if you can't go outside. Can you access the toilets without getting soaked? Spending some time imagining worst-case scenarios could save you a lot of heartache later on.

I shot this image in late spring when these flowers were at their peak. I revisited the venue two weeks later and they were gone!

If getting a large group photo of everyone is important to you, make sure the venue has a space where you can do it.

Some venues tie you to their own suppliers. Not only can this limit your ability to personalize your wedding, it can also push up costs. You may not be able to bring a home made wedding cake or choose your own florist. So always double-check what is allowed.

In all my time as a wedding photographer, I have only been to one or two weddings where I think the couple was disappointed. The overwhelming majority of wedding suppliers are excellent and you have to work pretty hard to actually have a bad wedding, having a perfect wedding is much easier!