How to choose a venue for your destination wedding.

Your wedding venue is one of the most important decisions you will make. Here’s how to do it in 3 easy steps.

Your wedding venue sets the tone for your day. This can be an incredibly overwhelming choice, especially when planning a destination wedding. In this blog I’ll walk you through steps to follow that will make your search far less stressful.

A bride captured on 35mm film.

Step one: You have a few ways of beginning your wedding venue search.

1. Hire a luxury travel planner. They often have great connections and hookups that can be beneficial if you’re booking out a boutique hotel, or are looking for something truly unique.

2. Hire a destination wedding planner. Planners often have connections to a multitude of wedding vendors, including venues.

3. Use my customized prompts with ChatGPT or Claude to help create a list of venues that will be the best fit.

NOTE: If you are not hiring a wedding planner, I highly recommend focusing on all-inclusive wedding venues. It is a lot of work trying to source multiple vendors, especially in another state or country. An all-inclusive venue will make planning far less stressful.

A groom buttoning up his suit at his destination wedding in the Smoky Mountains.

Step Two: If you haven’t already filled out my Destination Wedding Framework, you’ll need to do that first.

Click here to do so.

One that is completed, move on to the following…

Step Three: Type the following wedding prompt into ChatGPT or Claude. Make sure to fill out the bracketed sections.

I've already worked through a wedding vision framework and chosen my destination. I want you to act as a destination wedding planner and wedding venue researcher. Your goal is not to show me the most popular venues, or venues sponsored or from ads. Your goal is to find the venues that best match the experience I'm trying to create.

Here's my destination:

Destination: [Insert destination]

Here are my wedding priorities:

[Paste your answers from Framework Questions]

Please do the following:

1. Briefly summarize what you believe I'm trying to create emotionally and aesthetically.

2. Use my priorities—not popularity—to identify the five venues that best fit my vision.

3. For each venue, explain:

   • Why it's a strong fit for my priorities

   • The atmosphere it creates

   • Why it works well for my guest count

   • Whether it suits an outdoor ceremony and/or reception (if applicable)

   • What type of couple it is best suited for

   • Any limitations or trade-offs I should know about

4. Rank the venues from best fit to least fit based on my answers—not on online ratings.

5. If you think I'm overlooking a venue style (estate, villa, boutique hotel, vineyard, historic property, cliffside, garden, etc.), explain why I should consider it.

6. Include official venue websites whenever possible so I can continue my research.

7. Search for current information before making recommendations, and avoid suggesting venues that are permanently closed or that no longer host weddings.

Finally, tell me which two venues you believe is the strongest overall fit and explain why.

The reflection pool at Cheekwood in Nashville, TN.

Now you have some venue ideas to choose from, all based on your own wedding framework.

Looking for a destination wedding photographer? Click here to learn more about what I offer…