Beyond the Booking: Making the Most of Your Wedding Venue with Raman Bains
In this episode of Now That I’m Engaged, How Do I Get Married?, Kevin and August sit down with the incredible Raman Bains, owner of R&R Event Rentals and Brownstone Gardens, to talk all about making the most of your wedding venue, beyond just the booking process.
From understanding what’s actually included in your rental to working within venue rules without compromising your vision, Raman shares candid insights from her dual perspective as a venue owner and décor expert. Whether you’re eyeing a blank canvas or a full-service spot, this episode will help you feel confident, prepared, and inspired.
Highlights:
- How to maximize your venue layout for flow, impact, and guest experience
- Creative ways to personalize your space (even if the venue isn’t "on theme")
- The key questions to ask your venue team before signing the contract
- What you should know about catering, staffing, and set-up timelines
- How rentals, lighting, and small décor choices can elevate the entire look
- Tips for working seamlessly with your vendors and venue staff
Plus, Raman shares why sometimes spending a bit more on the right venue can save you thousands on décor and the one thing couples consistently underestimate when planning their space.
Connect with Raman:
Instagram ~ Brownstone Gardens
Connect with Kevin and August:
Transcript
All right, welcome to another episode of Now That I'm Engaged, How Do I Get Married? We're here today with Raman Bains. She's going to be talking to us about some wonderful venue stuff. And we also have the wonderful co-host August. But Raman, before we jump in, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today?
Raman Bains (:Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Arummin. I am the owner of R &R Event Mentals, which is a boutique decor design company that specializes in cultural and Indian, South Asian weddings and celebrations. And then I'm also the owner of Brownstone Gardens. It's an outdoor wedding and event venue located in Oakley, California. And I run both businesses with my husband, Ravine.
Kevin Dennis (:Perfect. All right. Well today we're here to talk about beyond the booking making the most of your wedding venue So I was really excited to jump into this topic because I don't think we've really tackled much on wedding venues So really excited to jump in. All Yeah, I think yeah, so let's start off after booking a venue What should couples focus on next to really bring their wedding vision to life in that space?
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
August Yocher (:Just one episode, I think. So yeah.
Raman Bains (:Yeah, absolutely. So I think this varies a lot based on the type of venue that you book. So just really quickly to like maybe distinguish a couple of different venue types. ⁓ So there's like, if you guys are familiar with like a Wedgwood Wedding, kind of like an all inclusive venue that just kind of has everything in house. I think that's an amazing, you know, couple client experience, but maybe very different than a winery or like a standalone venue that offers
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:potentially venue only rental versus venue plus catering plus bar versus venue that allows you to bring in like outside catering. And so I think it's hard to answer a little bit only because there's so many layers of like what a venue could potentially be for a couple. ⁓ But I would say that one of the first things is understanding what kind of venue you have booked and or are looking to book. I'd say is where to begin if you're looking for
a seamless experience where you kind of want it done for you, like an all-inclusive type of venue might be the way to go. If you're looking for something that you can customize a little bit more, then you definitely want to find a venue that potentially allows you to bring in your own catering bar, other vendors of your choice. And then if you're looking for something in the middle, you might want to look for a venue that has kind of like the basic items, but then allows you to bring in maybe to core and other elements that
you can customize that space further.
Kevin Dennis (:Well, and was going to ask real quick before we get even further, like what should couples know when they're shopping for venues? Like should they know their guest count? Should they know rough like dates that they want to have the event or like, is there things that they should know before they even tackle this task?
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Absolutely. And you know, the hard thing is when you're looking for a venue, you probably don't know very much. Once you get engaged, it's probably one of the first things that you're like, okay, where is the wedding happening? Because without a venue, you don't have a date. You don't have a lot of, you know, the elements. But in order to book a venue, you need to know things that you might not know yet. And so, guest count, super important. I don't think you need to know exactly, but you need to know...
Kevin Dennis (:Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:Is the venue in like, if you need a guest kind of 300, does your venue accommodate up to that number? So at least having a 250 to 300, 100 to 150, I'd say within a 50 % ballpark is a really good place to start. So having a general guest count, knowing what you're booking the venue for. Is it ceremony only? Is it a ceremony and a reception? Do you wanna host a rehearsal dinner? Like what?
Kevin Dennis (:Hmm.
Mmm.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:do you need the venue space for? Because that will help you determine how many hours of rental time or like a day you need the venue for that time period. ⁓ And then I think it would almost be like, it sounds really funny, but like as a couple, like close your eyes and sit together and talk through like, what would be your ideal wedding? Because if one person is like, I really wanna be married outdoors in a garden.
you know, that's something that you're going to think about as you're looking for a venue, because then maybe the, you know, hotel ballroom is not the type of wedding that you want. So I think it's really having those discussions of like, before you do anything, it's what is your best case scenario ideal, and then at some point getting realistic and like filtering down from there.
Kevin Dennis (:Ideal, yeah.
Yeah.
August Yocher (:Well,
and one thing I was going to kind of piggyback off of Kevin's like question with too is going into it kind of from your designer decor standpoint. Do you feel like a lot of couples should also have that vision in their mind too? Like obviously we want to know the guest count and those kind of things, but having a vision of like what vibe of a wedding do we want? Because I feel like booking a certain venue can definitely change the vibe of the decor overall too.
Raman Bains (:Absolutely. think a lot of it, again, it's a little bit tough because you might have like an initial something that you're drawn to. And then as you get into wedding planning, you realize like, that's not realistic or I can't find that here or that's above the budget. So I think decor, like a realistic decor conversation, in my opinion, comes like much later down the line. But to your point, I think, ⁓ I guess I should say like a lot of our couples from our venue business and our decor business, they
They come to us often and they say like, we want something different. We want it to feel different. We want it to be a different experience from all these other weddings that we might've attended. And I think venues have such a, a cookie cutter way of like, this is where the ceremony happens. This is where the cocktail hour is. This is where the reception is. And there's only so much wiggle room between that. But I think couples coming in with like a very, very open mind and almost...
knowing, okay, like a welcome table is super important to me because I want guests to come in and be greeted by like photos of us. And that's like something I want them to experience. And then a couple knowing from like a design standpoint that I really want a, ⁓ you know, amazing arbor or arch or flowers for the ceremony, like whatever that might be. I think it definitely would be helpful to know that so that you can find a venue that then accommodates to those design elements that you want to bring in.
But I think realistically, lot of couples usually don't get there until much later.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah, I was gonna say so a lot of couples don't read the fine print when booking a venue You know, so they're like, I didn't know it did You know, this was a rule or I didn't know this had a rule So I feel like every venue has rules and which I think is a good thing Some people think is a negative thing but but like what are some common like restrictions couples should be aware of when they go to book a venue or
Raman Bains (:That is for sure.
Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:How can they work with them or around them? You know, all that kind of stuff.
Raman Bains (:Absolutely.
I'd say biggest piece of advice I could give any couple is read everything from every vendor that you ever talk to. Never assume your DJ is providing you a speaker if they have not told you they're providing you a speaker, like the most basic elements. And so from a venue, mean, every venue is very different in what their rules and regulations are going to be. I'd say the biggest thing that you want to be aware of is are you getting food from your...
August Yocher (:Hmm.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah.
Raman Bains (:venue, are they providing the catering or are you bringing in your own caterer? I think that's a huge, could be its own podcast, multiple topics actually. It could be its whole thing. But I think obviously food is such an important element. It's such a large expense of the wedding day. So it's like, who, where is it coming from? And then with the catering, where's the staff coming from? Like does your caterer provide the staff?
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah.
August Yocher (:For real. For real. Yes.
Kevin Dennis (:Mmm.
Raman Bains (:busing the tables, cleaning the tables, refilling the buffet, or does your venue provide the staff of filling the water goblets, setting the napkins, like all of these things, and it could skew either way. So I think catering is very, very important to understand what that entails, what's required by the catering and how that price is potentially broken up because there could be a disconnect on like X venue looks inexpensive because their catering package is
you know, $300 versus this one is $600, but first venue is only providing food and nothing else. And so it's understanding what is included in potentially the pricing and the way things are broken down because each venue will break down their pricing differently as well.
Kevin Dennis (:No. ⁓
August Yocher (:Hmm.
Kevin Dennis (:I was talking, we had a rummage on our other podcast, but we were saying you never compare apples to apples. It's really hard. That's what I think. I think even when they're like hiring a DJ or rentals or whatever, it's still not apples to apples. So we make it really hard for couples. So the easier we can be. Yeah.
Raman Bains (:I agree,
there's no standard of like, here's your checklist of what you get. feel like every venue you look at, like their invoice probably looks very different. Even to read, it probably reads very differently. So it's almost unfortunate, I think in our industry that it is such a shock for couples. I think when they come in and they really don't number one understand the terminology potentially, and then they come in and they don't understand like, well.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:this venue is giving us these things, why is this venue not giving us these things? It is very hard to compare. But then I think that's with working with the right venue and or planner, depending on the route that you take to understand the differences and ask questions. think ask a million questions if you need to, because you want to be sure it's a couple. What you're getting into your venue is the backbone of your wedding. And you have to be comfortable with that.
Kevin Dennis (:That was joke. Go ahead. Go ahead, August.
August Yocher (:Yeah, and I... ⁓
well, I was gonna say I used to work at a venue and do venue sales. And I will say, like, I never felt like any type of way about a couple asking too many questions. Like, that's... It's literally what we're there for. And like, it is such an overwhelming process. And you're so right. Like, looking at each different venue, it's not gonna be the same way out each time. So, so much homework you're doing, so much legwork you're doing, and then like math, too. my God. Like...
Raman Bains (:Never.
August Yocher (:The venue I worked at, was pretty like inclusive, so they included a lot of things. But then a lot of times people would look at that price and be like, my gosh, that's a lot. And we would have to educate and break down and be like, it's really not though, because you're getting staff, you're getting an open bar, you're getting all the rentals for your tablescapes. There's so much included in that. And if you were to go outside and do that a la carte with many separate companies, you're going to be looking at the same and or higher price in the long run.
Raman Bains (:100 % and it's hard to convey that to somebody that just sees like a number in the thousands and is like wait that's even more than I you know I thought or I spent on my car or like whatever it might be it it's a lot it's a very big investment yeah
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah, yeah.
August Yocher (:Yeah.
It's scary. Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:I always joke, I was going to say my joke is that they look at these venues like they're buying a home and you know, they really go through and really nitpick them and go crazy from there. So anyway, so what kind of questions? Yeah, no, I get it too. And it's, yeah, I'm always like, yeah, yeah, I see your point on that. ⁓ all right. So what kind of questions to couples be asking their venue? Like when we're going through the process, you know, we were talking about questions.
August Yocher (:I get it though.
Raman Bains (:I do too, yeah. I think fair.
Kevin Dennis (:to help avoid those unexpected surprises later in the planning process.
Raman Bains (:Yeah,
absolutely. I think this also comes down to like, again, the type of venue. So I think as a couple, like if you're wanting something ⁓ that is potentially like private, meaning you're renting out a full venue for the whole day versus you're renting a ballroom in a hotel, like you're asking, is there gonna be other events happening on this day? Are there going to be other people around? Like, for example, some venues are also wineries where they do wine tasting for maybe a portion of the day in a certain area of their venue.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Kevin Dennis (:Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:Like,
what does that look like? So I'd say anywhere that's potentially like a public space plus a venue rental. A good question is how much privacy are you getting if that's important to you? ⁓ Another kind of out of the box question, I think would be towards like the amount of hours that are the venue is available. I think it's not a given that you're the only event happening at the venue on a given day. So.
if you want a 12 hour rental, is that even something the venue would accommodate? Is there a morning ceremony and then your evening ceremony happening on the same day and what that looks like as well?
August Yocher (:Yeah, and think it's just also like you were saying before is reading the contract too, because a lot of times those answers are... or those questions are already answered. And again, back when I worked at the venue, I felt like the top questions we got about like restrictions were just in this one section of the contract. And it was like, obviously we could, you know, spell it out for them verbally, but it was also like, it's in, you know, section, you know, eight. Like you can go...
Raman Bains (:It's in there. Yeah.
August Yocher (:look right there and it's going to spell everything out for you. And I feel like it's also like nice of the venue to to try to offer alternatives to and that's why it's like nice going on the tour and having those questions prepared because like maybe there was something you were expecting to do and you know it is you know prohibited or restricted at that venue. But I'm sure that's something they get a lot and they can probably help you ⁓ pivot and do something a little bit similar but it's still within the guidelines of the venue.
Raman Bains (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah, absolutely. I'd say most venues that you're going on tours and you're chatting with, they want to be flexible. They want to work with you to an extent, right? Of course, there's things they have to be within a realm of. But I'd say maybe a red flag is you go to a venue, you ask a general question, and they're not giving you maybe any flexibility. I'd think that's something to even consider as, is that something that we want to be dealing with now for potentially a year onwards? Of how much are they willing to work with us and how
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm. Totally.
you
Right?
Raman Bains (:I don't want to say like how far can couples push it because they want to be respectful, but like how can they, as you said, get what they want within the realm of what the bendy is willing to do for them.
August Yocher (:Yeah, because I think the right venue to will understand to like we were saying, this is such a huge investment and a big day of your life. And they really, yeah, like you said, really want to help. So, okay.
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Absolutely,
like our venue we have, oh sorry, we have like a 10 p.m. like a music ordinance for Contra Costa County. It's an outdoor venue and it's like such a deal breaker for most couples. Totally fair, like couples that want to party all night, like this is not the place for you. And there's only so much of the venue like we can do about that. But what we have offered our couples is like, you know, a kind of a soft exit, like exit with like, you know,
August Yocher (:no, go ahead, go ahead.
Raman Bains (:tea and coffee and desserts, like a little bit of like a mellow after-party vibe. Just because you can't have music doesn't mean you can't like enjoy the space. And so I think there are workarounds. It's just, again, working with couples to seeing what that looks like for a specific venue.
Kevin Dennis (:Well, and I always say they really think they want to go all night long, but once they yeah, I know.
Raman Bains (:They don't agree with you, but you can't you can't tell somebody cut your party
you because they will hate you forever. ⁓
Kevin Dennis (:I know it's
August Yocher (:Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:just,
it cracks me up because some of these brides are starting makeup like at four o'clock in the morning. And the last thing they want to do is be partying until midnight. anyway, yeah. Yeah. It really is.
Raman Bains (:I agree with you, 10, 10.30 is a really nice, it's a really nice end time, bedtime, it's good.
August Yocher (:Yeah.
Yeah. Okay, well, let's kind of switch gears a little bit. we want to ask next, how can understanding your venue's layout help with planning things like the seating and the decor and just the overall flow of the day?
Raman Bains (:Absolutely. I think again, given your venue, it's a, I guess if it's a, let's imagine it's a ceremony cocktail hour reception. So essentially three separate events within a space, you ideally, if it's important to to have, I guess like a flow from one area to the next, you want to find a venue that potentially has either three separate areas and or multiple spaces they can reconfigure, right? So you have a ceremony area, guests are moved to a separate area for cocktail hour.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:guests are then moved to like a third area or a repurposed area for a reception. Ideal world, three spaces makes it better for your vendors and we think it makes the flow easier. It's less stressful on the day of in my opinion. Then there are venues that are just kind of like a blanket one space. You're doing everything. And I think that's the type of venue that requires a little bit more from like a rental decor design standpoint to really define the different spaces. And so bringing in potentially, you know,
dividers and hedge walls and tables and chairs to like carve out what is the ceremony space? Where do we kind of define now this cocktail hour area by building in a bar, you know, that's in the middle of the space so everyone can like kind of be there and then building out a reception area. So I guess in terms of layout and kind of like the rentals and things that are needed, it's really gonna depend on the venue that you choose and then on the vision that you have and then on the budget.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:that is allowed for
August Yocher (:Right.
Kevin Dennis (:⁓
Raman Bains (:the,
Kevin Dennis (:yeah.
Raman Bains (:because there is a lot of costs that comes with building out, you know, all of those different areas as well.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah, I agree. speaking of rentals, like rentals can play a big role in the day, you know, to really help make this the look and the feel of the space, you know, feel different from, you know, everybody's wedding, you know, because that's you were mentioning, like the Wedgwood properties, a lot of their weddings look the same, you know, but that's the perk of being at another venue where they don't all look the same. So but what should couples consider when
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah. Well.
Kevin Dennis (:Like looking at a venue when it comes to rentals, like furniture, lighting, table scapes, linens, you name it to make it. Yeah.
Raman Bains (:Absolutely, to make it unique to them, think
the first thing that couples unfortunately have to get really clear on is like, what does the budget for that look like? Because I think we all have like a very grand Pinterest, like you see an amazing bar with these cocktail tables and low tables that are like bistro style and you look at that and then you go to a rental company's website and you're like, okay, each of those pieces is X amount of money plus a rental fleet, plus a delivery time, plus labor.
Kevin Dennis (:Okay.
August Yocher (:you
Kevin Dennis (:You
Raman Bains (:it is, there is a cost associated and I think it's maybe not for everybody or it's scaling that to fit you. So I think first it's understanding like what is the budget for that Pinterest wedding if that's what you're going for actually look like. ⁓ And then it's thinking about the space that you're working with. So at a venue where you have maybe multiple, you know, spaces.
Kevin Dennis (:Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:I always like to bunch decor into one area, because I think it makes a bigger impact than spreading it out over a large space. And so if I had a limited budget, I might focus on that first entry moment and really do a beautiful table with an arch, with a champagne wall all there, versus spreading all those three individual elements over a larger space where they all just don't make as big of an impact together.
August Yocher (:⁓
Kevin Dennis (:Well, they don't look like much when they're all separate. Yeah. Yeah.
Raman Bains (:That's a thing, exactly.
August Yocher (:because I never
would have thought about that, but that's so true and like and especially in the entryway like when the guest first walks in like that is gonna have such a whole impact on their perception of the entire wedding.
Raman Bains (:Yeah,
exactly. And then I think it's also like ideally choosing a venue where you're already in love with the venue bare bones. And that's not always the case, but if you're able to find a winery or something that you just, like the brick on the wall, you like the trees, you like what it has, it almost was worth paying more for a venue like that as opposed to a venue that you really, really have to dress up.
Kevin Dennis (:Hmm, no.
Raman Bains (:⁓ Because it doesn't need as much. It doesn't need as much love because it's already there to kind of give it what it is that you want.
Kevin Dennis (:One of the funny things that happens to us every once in a while, because we do the draping and stuff as well, is someone will come up to us, I hate the color of the walls in this venue, I want to drape it all. Well, your rental price now has gone through the roof because you don't like the color of the walls, where if you probably spent a little bit more time researching, you could have probably found a venue that you like that you like the color of the wall.
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Yeah.
And you know, and I feel like a lot of it comes down to like, well, this fit all of the other criteria. The catering made sense, the bar made sense, XYZ made sense, so we went with this venue. And I hear that a lot with my rental couples, but it's so funny. I'm always the person at a winery, like, you don't need anything. You don't need the draping, you don't need this. Like, it's fine how it is. Like, it's beautiful. I'm always the one like downselling the things that you need because it's not always necessary. Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah.
August Yocher (:for
your own decor. Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:Well, I have a bad joke, but I always say we're going to drape the whole room. We might as well be in a tent in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere because it's going to look the same as if we were. Yeah. Yeah.
Raman Bains (:Right? And then the cost is huge and couples don't
understand like, yeah, how you said, like you could have spent a couple thousand more, you know, or a couple hundred more per person and gotten what you wanted as opposed to like draping cost is huge. Yeah.
Kevin Dennis (:Mm-hmm. Heads
August Yocher (:And it's almost
Kevin Dennis (:up.
August Yocher (:like, that's so interesting. I've never even thought about that. It's like, you're almost like reallocating like part of the decor budget potentially for the venue. So you spend, yeah, less on decor in the long run. That's so interesting.
Raman Bains (:for the venue.
Kevin Dennis (:Mm-hmm.
August Yocher (:But yeah, mean, like when again, I know I keep referencing it, but it's just we're talking about venues. But yeah, one of the venues I worked at, it was like they had recently remodeled it. So at the time it was like you don't really need much decor in here. So that was like kind of one of the big selling points of that venue is that, you know, it's it's new. It has this fancy new look and there's lots of just.
stuff going on, so it doesn't really feel like you need much other than like centerpieces unless that's something that you've envisioned all along. And it's yeah, again, more of a Pinterest type wedding.
Raman Bains (:Yeah,
a lot of our brides, and maybe it's because we do have a decor rental business, so they're obviously coming to us for that service, but they come with very, very, very grand ideas. And everyone wants to kind of do something different than what they've seen previously. But I think a lot of people don't realize the space itself, whatever those bare bones that you're starting with, if you choose the right place, you don't need all the extra glitz and glam and sparkle. It does enough on its own.
August Yocher (:Yes.
Raman Bains (:It just has to be the right fit for what it is that you're going for.
August Yocher (:Right. Well, and I kind of want to change gears again because this just kind of... We've been talking a lot on the podcast and just in general, and I'm sure you've been getting this a lot too, but personalization with couples has been such a big theme lately. Have you been seeing a lot of that on the decor side or even the venue side of things?
Raman Bains (:Yeah!
Yeah, absolutely. mean, from the decor side, people want like, you know, the menus, the signage, all of that to be like custom. But going a step further, they want their installations to be custom. if so, you know, if they're doing like a ceremony arbor, they want it to be different than what they've seen previously. They want it to be fresh and new. And, ⁓ you know, the color palette of that to then match the aisle to then flow into the reception. So we're seeing a lot of like cohesiveness from
August Yocher (:Hmm.
Raman Bains (:the beginning of the event to the end of like color palettes as well, all just kind of flowing from one to the other. So it just feels very, very intentional, very well thought out. I do think couples are visually, there's just more out there. So I think they just have more ideas than maybe they did like three, four years ago.
Kevin Dennis (:But also too, I think it falls on where are you on the order of your friends getting married? Are you one of the first people getting married? Or are you one of the last? you're one of the last, because that's happened to us at one of the venues we work at a lot too, is like, hey, I'm like the fourth person of my friends to get married here. I want to make it look different. And what can we do to make it look not like everybody else's wedding? And yeah, so I think a lot of that happens. It falls in it too. ⁓
Raman Bains (:That's true. That's very true.
how interesting.
Interesting.
Kevin Dennis (:Be one of the first, because I always say it's a whole lot easier to be one of the first than one of the last.
Raman Bains (:Yeah, I know.
I got married in: Kevin Dennis (:I'm with you on that.
August Yocher (:Yeah. Well,
and going back to what you said, ⁓ like, it's so true that there's so much media out there now between, like, yes, Pinterest has been, it's been a thing for a while, but like even Instagram and TikTok now have just way more examples. And then, and we're not going to get into this today, but AI too is just like popping off with that kind of thing too. So I'm sure you get so many...
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Yeah.
August Yocher (:like grand images and then people just don't understand the price points or the amount of effort or labor that goes into those installations.
Raman Bains (:Absolutely. And then because we have a decor business and then separately we have our venue, we work at other venues as well. so like, ⁓ you know, Kevin and I were kind of chatting about this earlier, like not every venue gives you adequate amount of set up time or breakdown time or a realistic like install for a larger production. So there's a lot of, know, going back to the questions that couples should be asking their venues, like what does it look like if I do need my vendors to come in four hours prior? Is that?
Number one possible, what is the cost associated, if any? ⁓ And again, is there an event prior to mine or would you potentially book an event prior to mine if I don't want to make that decision on day one? Like you're signing a contract for a venue and you don't even know yet what you're doing from a production standpoint because you haven't had those design conversations. You maybe don't have a lighting vendor yet. You don't have a decor team yet. Like if I want to add on time later, what does that look like from a venue standpoint?
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah, good stuff. All right. So speaking of vendors, you know, working at a venue, you know, how can a couple, you know, ensure that they have a really solid team, you know, like from planner to rental, to florist from venue staff, like all working together smoothly on their wedding day, there's nothing worse than those sour grape vendors out there.
Raman Bains (:Yes.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Absolutely. think ⁓ based on the venue that you've chosen, seeing if they have either in-house vendors slash preferred vendor lists or something of that sort, that would be my first stop. These are people that the venue, have proven to the venue that they can work well there, follow the rules, deliver really good past experiences to couples that have already worked at the venue and likely are people that work well together and or work a lot together. So that's the first place that I would start would be a preferred vendor list.
⁓ And then maybe getting references of additional services needed from those vendors. So like if you book a lighting company, you book a decor team, like asking them, hey, who's another vendor I could bring in for desserts or XYZ if there's not someone already kind of listed. The open directories and things like that, you know, it can be kind of hit or miss because you don't really know what you're getting. I'd say definitely if you are looking at.
know, Instagram or somewhere else for vendors, just do a little bit of research, like read some reviews. You definitely want to ⁓ be sure of what you're getting. I feel like there can be a lot of like misinformation out there and you just want to be fully sure like whoever's going to come in on the day of your event can execute what it is that you're looking for.
Kevin Dennis (:sense.
August Yocher (:And then I think next, I kind of want to go back to one of the things we talked about earlier, which was, like, let's say a couple does decide to book the venue for different factors other than, you know, the venue's overall aesthetic or for, you know, their vision or decor purposes. What should a couple do if they are feeling like a little stuck in the decor stage or like feeling uninspired by their venue? What advice would you give them to spark some creativity?
Raman Bains (:Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely. So I'd say if you are booking a venue because it checked all of your other boxes, but you're not like in love with the space, I think ideally you go into it knowing you're going to have a higher budget for rentals, decor, things like that. I would actually go full and hire either a planner and or design company, like whatever realm that is for you of somebody to really build out the space. Because if you are looking at
Kevin Dennis (:Hmm.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Raman Bains (:let's say like, you four walls, you wanna cover them up. So you need lighting, you need draping, and then you need the tables to match, but the tables can't be set until the draping is done. Like there's logistically a lot of, I guess, layers to like installation and things like that. And so having like a planner, coordinator, designer, I feel like there's lots of like overlapping terms of what that could mean. But someone that's at the head of like...
making sure all these different factors are coming together seamlessly because you potentially are working with multiple companies. But I'd say at the beginning of that, it's having the budget to do so. That would be my biggest thing of like, be realistic with how much you're spending on decor and rentals because it might even be higher than your venue cost of that.
August Yocher (:Yes.
Mmm. Yeah. That's so true.
Kevin Dennis (:So what are some like common mistakes you see couples make when it comes to like using the space of the venue?
Raman Bains (:I'd say being too, like not open-minded to like see change. like, you you've seen a wedding where there's like an arbor and then there's chairs and you've seen every other person do it. So you just like kind of go that route. There's nothing wrong with it. It's, you know, it's what I guess like people are used to seeing, but I'd say be open-minded to like, how can you maybe use that space for like...
Kevin Dennis (:Mmm.
August Yocher (:Hmm.
Raman Bains (:know, rectangular dining tables and have like a dinner setting in what is typically a ceremony area. And then, I don't know, change up like an existing venue just to be creative and be different. think that that's a mistake that people make is just going with the flow on like what the venue has said and outlined for you as like the different spaces. I think another mistake that people make about just like if you book a venue, kind of bare bones.
is thinking like a little bit of decor or touches won't make a difference. So for example, someone that doesn't have like a humongous budget, but still goes on Canva and makes custom menus and has like a really nice napkin with a menu, with the flower, with the cutlery, like that can make an impact in your space. I think it's underrated how much we can do on our own.
Kevin Dennis (:Mmm.
Raman Bains (:⁓ And so I think if you're somebody as a couple who's like, know what, we've already spent a lot, it's expensive. We don't have this huge budget to do all this draping. I think don't underestimate what you can like bring to the table with little touches that could be impactful for your day.
Kevin Dennis (:And those little touches are the things that people remember. Yeah.
Raman Bains (:They do, even like my
favorite is always like the table numbers with like people, like the ages growing up, like table five is age five photos of the couple. Like I love that so much. And it's something like, it's so simple. You might've seen it, but it doesn't matter because it's for you on your day. It's personal to you. And I think things like that are what we forget. Exactly. Exactly.
August Yocher (:Mm-hmm. I love those.
Kevin Dennis (:that's funny. I've never seen that. Yeah.
Well, it's going to look different. Yeah, it's going to look different for everyone. Yeah.
That's really cute.
August Yocher (:There's so many
little things like that. like, I remember like there's been times where a couple like maybe they have this vision of doing like a full beautiful tablescape, like all different types of rentals on the table. But like if someone, you know, doesn't have the budget for that, even just doing like just a colored napkin instead of everything or something I've been seeing a lot is just like the water goblet is colored and then it just adds that pop of color and just brightens the whole space and you're not spending
Raman Bains (:Yeah?
August Yocher (:a whole lot of extra money on.
Raman Bains (:I also think a mix and match is really cool. If you wanted to do head tables that are just a little bit more elevated and you can't do it for all of the guest tables, I think it still does enough to the space to give you what you wanted as a vibe without breaking the budget. So I think there's definitely ways ⁓ to enhance a venue with personal elements and or a smaller budget. I think it's just being creative with it.
August Yocher (:Totally.
Kevin Dennis (:it. All right, if a couple can only do one thing to personalize their venue, what do you think that one thing would be?
August Yocher (:I gotta let her marinate on that one.
Raman Bains (:Okay, if, there's like too many,
Kevin Dennis (:I know.
Raman Bains (:there's too many things. I think if your crowd is like very into the bar, I think doing something cool at the bar, whether it's like cocktail napkins or a specialty drink or like something bar related. I've seen stirs lately, like people are doing like custom stirs, like just little things. I think that's super, super cute. If your crowd and or you personally are not really into the bar, I think a really cool seating chart.
August Yocher (:Hmm.
Kevin Dennis (:Specialty.
⁓ that's cute.
Raman Bains (:I think somewhere where guests can go find their name, pick something up, or a mirror moment is really popular with a decal with the couple's names or ⁓ wedding information and people can take selfies. Having something interactive, think, would be the second thing that I would say is a really memorable investment.
Kevin Dennis (:I just did a wedding not that long ago and the couples they had this beautiful wall and they had these little itty bitty bases with small little bit of flowers with their names on it and everyone got to and then once they brought it it then added more decor to the table but the but the overall look of it and it looked good even once it started getting picked through like it was a cute I've never yeah
Raman Bains (:Yep, I love that. Yep.
Yep.
Mm-hmm. And it's exciting. I think the guest
experience of like going and getting something and like, this is for me. And like, it makes the guests feel important. It makes it feel like you've thought of them. It's very intentional. It doesn't have to be this humongous installation. It can be something very simple, but guests will appreciate that. And then it makes it worth it.
Kevin Dennis (:Mm-hmm.
Love it. All right, as we go to wrap up here, kind of want to, what's the one thing when it comes to venues that the couples need to really, like we want to hone in on them. We're shopping for a venue. What's that one thing that we should, every couple should, you know, think about having their mind when they're going to make that purchase of the venue.
Raman Bains (:one thing that couples should think about. ⁓ I think it's...
Kevin Dennis (:or you wish they
knew, you know, even if you wish they knew they knew it, you know, like any.
Raman Bains (:⁓
I think it's just going back to that read the contract. Read the contract, don't assume. I think that's the biggest, biggest takeaway is just know what you're getting yourself into. Ask those questions. Yeah, and read the fine print. It's so important.
Kevin Dennis (:I love it. And I also think too, I think they need to be open-minded when it comes to dates, because I feel like they are. I want a June wedding, while all the June weddings are gone, you know, but we still have... Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Raman Bains (:I agree. I agree with you.
or they're more expensive because it's prime time. So yes,
I agree with you. It's, yeah, flexibility is huge. And like a weekday wedding, I know it's a little bit out of the box. It's not for everybody, but a weekday wedding can be like, you know, something like really to think about if your guest count is flexible, if you're flexible as a couple, it can be a real win-win for you.
Kevin Dennis (:I know we're all here in Northern California, but I joke that we're starting to become a little bit like Las Vegas because we do have weddings during the week. It's just like, oh, there's a Monday wedding. Oh, there's a Tuesday. It's like, little bit of Vegas is coming shining through. All right. All right, Robin, as we wrap up, we'd love to know what your favorite part of a wedding is.
Raman Bains (:We do, yeah, all the time.
Yeah. Yeah.
Love it!
⁓ my favorite part of a wedding. Okay. This sounds very stalker ish, but it's when it's when the couple is like, they're not in the limelight. They're not in the ceremony. They're just like off in a corner. They're just like having a moment. feel like it's so much of what we do. You you lose sometimes that intimacy with your, person at a wedding and it's just, you see them like talk and interact and enjoy each other. And it's just, it's really nice to see like just that love that they've been working up towards this like.
Kevin Dennis (:⁓
Raman Bains (:big goal and for them to have a moment to themselves. I just, like to see that.
Kevin Dennis (:I agree with you because it's very rare that they get to have those moments at a wedding. I always say if you want to have fun at a wedding, you need to be a guest at someone else's wedding because you get to fully get to enjoy it. And then I also say that bride usually spends more time with the wedding photographer on the day of her wedding than she does with the groom. ⁓
Raman Bains (:Yes.
1000%.
Then the group, yeah, yeah, yeah,
absolutely. And we see that so much and a little bit of it breaks my heart because I'm just like, you've worked towards something together and you wanna celebrate and then you don't even get to be together, you know, for the day. And so, yeah, those little moments where they just, you know, they take it in, they hold hands, they walk around, like that's really nice to see.
Kevin Dennis (:Yeah, love it. All right, Robin, how can our couples find you and get more information?
August Yocher (:I'm gonna have to get that one in green.
Raman Bains (:Yeah, Instagram is the best place at R &R Event Rentals or at Brownstone Gardens. That's our ⁓ wedding venue. ⁓ I'd love to chat more with you guys at May DM.
Kevin Dennis (:All right, we will have all her information and Brownstone's information in the show notes. so thank you for being a guest here today. We had a great time. All right, we'll talk to you soon.
Raman Bains (:Yeah. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
