How to Shortlist Wedding Venues in Spain for 2027–2028
To shortlist wedding venues in Spain, define your guest count, preferred dates, overall wedding budget, and event format first. Remove options that cannot meet those requirements, then compare three candidates using the same brief. Assess the whole celebration each venue would support before choosing which one to explore further.
For couples planning from the USA, a useful shortlist makes remote decisions easier. Each venue should have a clear reason for being included, with confirmed information separated from details still awaiting a reply.
At Casamiga Weddings, venue selection connects the location to the wedding you want to host. This guide focuses on building a shortlist for Barcelona, Costa Brava, Girona and nearby areas for 2027–2028.
Define your brief before collecting more venues
Start with a brief that you can use for every enquiry. You can still refine your design later, but your first shortlist needs a consistent basis.
Part of your brief | What to decide |
Guest count | A realistic estimate, including guests who may need accommodation. |
Dates | Your preferred date or season and acceptable alternatives. |
Wedding-day budget | The overall budget, including planning fees and supplier costs. |
Event format | Ceremony only, ceremony and reception, or a wedding weekend. |
Guest location | Where guests are likely to stay and how they will reach the venue. |
Personal priorities | The few features you would find difficult to compromise on. |
Separate essential requirements from preferences. An essential requirement determines whether a venue can stay on your shortlist. A preference helps you choose between venues that already fit.
For example, a sea view may be a preference, while space for your confirmed guest count is an essential requirement. If staying at the venue is central to your plans, accommodation becomes an essential requirement too.
Reduce your longlist before choosing your top three
Use the brief to filter your initial list. Set aside venues that clearly cannot accommodate the guest count, event format, or budget you are working with. Keep unresolved information marked as unknown rather than assuming the best.
Then select three candidates with a clear reason for inclusion. You might compare three similar coastal settings, or three different options that all meet your essential requirements. The aim is a manageable decision, not a universal rule that every couple must see exactly three venues.
Three is a practical comparison format. Add another candidate when it answers a specific gap in the shortlist; adding venues without a reason usually makes the decision harder.
Compare three venues using the same information
Send the same guest count, dates and event format to each venue. An attractive rental figure is difficult to compare with an inclusive proposal unless you can see what each covers.
Comparison point | Information to collect | How it helps you decide |
Spaces included | Which ceremony, reception and party spaces form part of the proposal. | Shows whether another location is needed. |
Cost coverage | Venue hire, catering, required suppliers and additional services, with VAT identified. | Makes the proposals comparable. |
Guest arrangements | Where guests can stay and the transfers required. | Shows the impact of the location on the celebration. |
Your priorities | How each venue meets the features you consider essential. | Keeps the choice connected to your brief. |
Unresolved items | What remains unconfirmed and who will check it. | Prevents an incomplete reply from appearing better than a complete one. |
Keep venue hire, supplier costs and the planning fee visible as separate lines within your overall budget. Accommodation or additional events may sit in separate budgets; state that clearly so one option does not appear cheaper simply because it excludes more.
Compare complete wedding formats rather than isolated views
A ceremony location and a venue for the full wedding day can both belong on your longlist. To compare them fairly, assess the complete plan each would require.
For example, Jardines de Santa Clotilde in Lloret de Mar is presented as a ceremony-only venue. Its shortlist entry therefore needs a reception location and the connection between them. Convent de Blanes is presented as a venue supporting ceremony and reception at one location. These are different formats to compare, not interchangeable rental offers.
For a two-day or three-day wedding, record which parts of the weekend each candidate can support. A venue that fits the main wedding day may still require other locations for your welcome event or next-day gathering. Additional events need their own scope and budget.
Record why each venue stays on the shortlist
Give each candidate a short decision note: why it fits, its main compromise and the information still needed. This makes the shortlist useful when both partners are reviewing it from different locations or time zones.
A simple status system is enough: meets the requirement, needs confirmation, or does not fit. Review essential requirements before comparing aesthetic preferences. A venue with several unknowns should remain provisional.
Once you have a preferred candidate, move to the detailed booking review. Use our separate guide for the checks to complete before committing to a venue.
Choose venue selection or full wedding planning
Professional venue selection is useful when choosing the location is your immediate priority. Full Planning suits couples who also want help with the design, suppliers, budget and delivery of the wedding day.
Support | Published fee | Suitable next step |
Venue Selection | €750 + VAT for three venues | Get a researched shortlist and comparison based on your brief. |
Platinum Full Wedding Planning, Design & Management | From €5,950 + VAT | Connect venue strategy with individual design, suppliers and management of the main wedding day. |
These are professional service fees, separate from venue hire and third-party supplier costs. Your agreed scope should explain how venue selection is handled within Full Planning and whether any previously paid selection fee is credited.
Our main planning focus is destination celebrations with wedding-day budgets around €50,000 and above. The first step is a Discovery Call to discuss your guest count, dates, priorities, and format. Detailed venue recommendations and a personalised proposal follow that conversation.
Questions about your venue shortlist
How many wedding venues should we shortlist??
Three is a useful starting point once you have filtered by essential requirements. It keeps the comparison manageable while allowing you to assess different options. Expand the list if a specific requirement remains unmet.
Can we build a shortlist without visiting Spain
You can begin with current venue information, comparable proposals,, and local professional input. Keep the difference between online research and verified details clear, then decide whether a visit is needed before your final commitment.
Does exclusive venue selection guarantee private use
A curated shortlist does not by itself guarantee exclusive hire. Confirm which spaces would be reserved for your event, for what period and under which conditions in the venue’s own proposal.
Ready to turn your venue ideas into a shortlist? Share your dates, guest count, main wedding-day budget, and priorities, then book a Discovery Call with Casamiga Weddings.
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