Why Should You Attend an Open House?

Apr 7

Written By Karima Neghmouche

So you’re thinking of attending an open house?

Yes please! Please do attend an open house! Open houses are suuuuuch an awesome way to see a venue in action, meet and find vendors, brainstorm on layouts and set ups, and so much more! Let’s dive in a little more into that, shall we?

**ALEXA, PLAY “LET’S DO THIS” BY HANNAH MONTANA**

First off, what in the widest world is an open house? who can attend? how does this thing work?

WELL, MY FRIEND. AN OPEN HOUSE IS WHERE A VENUE WILL OPEN ITS DOORS FOR AN INVITE TO SEE THEIR VENUE, MEET THEIR PREFERRED VENDORS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER. THERE’LL BE TABLES SET UP WITH A VENDOR AT EACH TABLE. THERE’S NO OBLIGATIONS TO MEET EVERY VENDOR AND NO PRESSURE TO BOOK ONE RIGHT THEN AND THERE. THERE’S SOOOO MANY BENEFITS TO ATTENDING AN OPEN HOUSE. LIKE, IF I TRIED TO LIST ALL OF THE BENEFITS, I’D BE HERE ALLLLL DAY. JUST TRUST ME ON THIS ONE. YOU’LL WANT TO GO! ANYONE CAN GO, EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T BOOKED THAT VENUE YET. HERE ARE THREE QUICK TIPS FOR ATTENDING OPEN HOUSES:

Bring a person or two along with you
Create a wedding planning email address
Enjoy yourself!
Okay, now to get into the nitty gritty. Are you ready?!

1. OPEN HOUSES ARE GREAT FOR SEEING A VENUE IN ACTION

When you go to a venue tour, you most likely are scheduling a private tour with the venue. Obviously, during these private tours, there’s really nothing going on, right? During open houses, you get a little glimpse into how your wedding day might feel. There’ll be people walking around, lots of yummy appetizers and cake being passed out, music playing, and all those fun things. Open houses are the perfect opportunity to drop in and see the venue in action, and to see how the staff interacts throughout the event. I mean, a beautiful venue isn’t really anything if they don’t have a fantastic staff! Pay attention to that detail as well as you arrive and exit.

2. OPEN HOUSES ARE GREAT FOR MEETING VENDORS

Have you had your eye on a vendor that you’ve been following on Instagram that you really want to meet? An open house is a great time to drop by and introduce yourself! Us vendors love nothing more than meeting new faces and we always get super giddy when you take some time to stop by our table to say hey. You get to see our personality, see us in our element, and you get the opportunity to get to know us just a tad more. Of course, no pressure to book right then and there. BUT do set up a consultation with us if you get a good vibe and want to grab some coffee to make sure we’re the perfect fit!

3. OPEN HOUSES ARE GREAT FOR ENVISIONING YOUR BIG DAY

At an open house, it’s always a great idea to bring a person or two along with you. Whether that’s your S.O., mom, maid of honor, or whoever - bounce your ideas off of them! At an open house I attended at Olde Dobbin Station, I set up in the corner of the chapel where couples often have their ceremony. Because I had a backdrop, couples got the opportunity to see something set up in the corner in person to see if they liked the thought of their ceremony there or perhaps somewhere else in the chapel. You can also get an idea of where you might want your head table or sweetheart table, your buffet, your guest tables, sign in and gifts, cake, etc. etc. Utilize this visit to bounce some ideas off of others that you bring along! Maybe they have some ideas that you might not have thought of. Or maybe they see the perfect spot to put your donut vendor or photobooth. This is actually a huge time saver to take this time to brainstorm and envision how your big day might look and will save you a possible headache or two down the road!

4. OPEN HOUSES ARE GREAT FOR SNAGGING THOSE DISCOUNTS AND GIVEAWAYS

Often times at open houses, vendors might provide a discount or a giveaway of some sort. These may be in the form of 10% off hair and makeup, a power planning session giveaway, a free engagement session, or a free welcome sign just to name a few. There’s so many fun things that you can find at an open house! It’s a great opportunity to save a little bit of mulah and book that dream vendor of yours. Talk about a win-win!