The nightmare of choosing wedding reception venues in your local town

wedding reception venues

What could be a better solution to the problem of deciding on a wedding reception venue than a weighted decision matrix.

We think you will find it useful to use a decision matrix template to help choose which venue to have your wedding reception at. It can be a difficult decision that starts out as exciting, even romantic but then the downward spiral can begin. The perfect venue is too expensive, the nicest is too far away, the cheapest would mean slashing the guest list and so on and so on. When you finally get down to a shortlist you can now be so involved and emotionally tied up in the whole thing that you can’t see the wood for the trees and making a decision is just so hard. And that’s even before your future mother in law has given her opinion!

Take a deep breath, write down the factors that are most important to you (yes, you not mother in law) and use the decision matrix here to help you decide between the wedding venues on your shortlist. We had a go at thinking through the most important factors and here are the ones we think you’ll be thinking about the most…

Cost of the reception: This has to come top because however perfect a wedding venue is, if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. You could try haggling but most venues get booked up so far in advance this is unlikely to get you very far. If you’ve been saving since you were a small child or you have very rich parents then, lucky you but you may want to decrease the weighting we gave this factor.

Distance from registry office/church to reception: Of course this only applies if you’re having a ceremony somewhere other than where the reception venue is. If you are then make it within 20 minutes’ drive maximum otherwise it’s a pain for your guests and you might even lose some!

Is the wedding venue recommended? Ask around and find out which places have got a good reputation, ask your friends, the vicar, but don’t believe everything in the brochure!

Which wedding reception venue should we choose

Facilities: Is there enough room to comfortably seat all your guests? Will everyone be able to see and hear the best man’s speech? Can you fit a band or disco into the dance area? Is there a quiet space for Great Aunt Fanny to have a rest? Are the bedrooms cheap enough/good enough for those staying? Lots to think about huh?

Food: What’s the choice and quality like? You could dine anonymously before making your final decision as there’s nothing worse than poor food at a wedding reception.

If you have any other tips or a nightmare story to tell then please leave them below in the comments before downloading a decision matrix from here.

Which games console should I buy for Christmas?

Games Console

This post is a little dated now but the same principal still applies, a weighted decision matrix will definitely help you to decide which console to buy.

Xbox? Playstation 3? Wii U? PC? Tablet? Smart Phone? PSP?, DSi?, DSi 3D?!?? Ahhh, which games console should I buy for Christmas? If like me you don’t know your nunchucks from your Mario’s choosing which games console to buy can be a nightmare of a process. So why not use a weighted decision matrix template?

All of the different games consoles have their pros and cons but when it comes down to it, they are all pretty good. Much better than the ZX Spectrum I grew up with anyway! Understanding which one to get is more about what you want to use it for rather than which one is best as that is a debate you can join in below in the comments. Like I said they are all good!

So what differentiates them and why should you care? The biggest difference in the consoles I listed is whether or not they are handheld or you plug them into the TV (or a monitor in the PC’s case). You also have to consider the cost of course plus the suitability of the games for those who are going to be playing them. The Wii for example caters for younger gamers. Do you also want your console to be able to connect to the internet or play Blu Ray’s? Are you happy to play games on a tablet or phone?

which games console should I buy

Do you care about high definition graphics or is the gameplay more important? Bundle the factors up into a decision matrix and this should help you to be able to make your decision. Let us know what you decided in the comments.

What to look for when buying a house

buying a house

The weighted decision matrix is the perfect tool to use to compare one house against another.

Buying a house will be the single most expensive decision you ever make. Considering you will be living there for a good few years and paying for it for even longer it’s probably best you give it some thought!

Talking to an estate agent recently, I was amazed when they told me that some people will have a 10 minute walk around the house then make an offer. Stop! Don’t do that, make a list of everything you need to factor into the decision and then use one of our weighted decision matrix templates.

We’ve thought of a few things you need to consider but let us know if you’ve got anything we’ve missed via the comments.

I’ll skip over the cost, hopefully by now you will have researched what you can afford and at least have a target price in mind. If not then there are loads of mortgage calculators our their to help you. Everyone always says that the most important factor is location, location, location and you know what they’re right! But check it out properly, the house might be in the right place but if it takes 10 minutes to turn out of the drive in the morning because of traffic you might want to think again. Has that ever happened to you?

So here are some things to consider but if you want a really exhaustive list of everything to consider and more besides check out the link to money saving expert at the bottom.

First of all, on viewing the property do you smile, do you whisper, “I love it” to your partner? Has it got the wow factor? This is a gut feel, emotional response but who wants to get all objective about buying your home? Well, actually we do because emotion is all well and good but it doesn’t pay for the damp in the loft you forgot to check out or the plumbing that doesn’t work properly does it? So, always do a proper fault check and let your head rule your heart on this one. Any faults needn’t be a deal breaker just negotiate the cost of repair off of the price.

Consider the distance to work and or school. Are they in opposite directions for example! Obvious but not everyone thinks this through apparently and you don’t want to be racing to work everyday, stressed and late do you now.

Is the neighbourhood as good as you think or is it actually better than expected? Talk to people, talk to the local policeman and post office owner. They will all have valuable insights and experience you may not have.

Lastly, it’s nice to have a big garden isn’t it? Actually it isn’t if you hate cutting the grass, weeding or picking up leaves in the autumn so be realistic and don’t become a slave to it.

which house should I buy

So much to think about isn’t there? What tips do you have when buying a house? Please let us know in the comments and use the decision matrix here.

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