Choosing Between Venues - How to Decide, Advice, Regrets?

What was the virtual tour like? Was it a live walk through or is it more like a mashup of videos from other weddings? I hope it was more than a glorified powerpoint at the very least. Did they show you anything besides the ceremony and reception space? When we visited, we requested to see everything: lobby space, bridal suites, the private bathroom (no bride should have to pee on the same toilet as her guests!), the public bathroom, the furniture and linen samples they provide, etc.

I was quoted on 25 venues before visiting 12 in person but I'm apparently an outlier around here - you can see this thread on how other ladies chose their venues (most saw no more than 3 before making a decision). But you do what you think works. I know covid is putting a stop to a lot of plans but at the very least I would definitely wait until you see your remaining two spaces before making a decision. Hopefully the other two will be more in-line with your budget and expectations.

When we were deciding between our finalists, we also cost-analyzed every aspect of the wedding in every possible combination to see which one would work best for us. For example, food at Venue X generally cost more than Venue Y but Venue X offered more options so we could pick a menu that was priced similarly as Venue Y. Alternatively, the space at Venue Y is huge (twice the size of Venue X) and very plain (white walls everywhere with no pillars, no architectural elements to jazz it up etc), which meant we had spend a ton more to decorate it whereas Venue X is smaller, has natural lighting, pre-set mood lighting and drapery that pretty much means I need to spend very little to decorate and that money I save can go towards the more expensive food option at Venue X.

I feel like your choices are too far on the opposite sides of the spectrum to be a fair comparison. How many venues have you talked to and did virtual tours with? If you continue to dig further, I think you can find venues to your liking that aren't as polarizing as your current choices. Maybe a similarly beautiful spot but not as close to home that will be more within your budget?

Personally, I wouldn't book any space that is double your budget. Wedding budgets always balloon out of control without discipline and to go into it with one of your biggest line items over by almost 100% is starting on the wrong foot, in my opinion.

Also, I highly recommend physically visiting the space for yourself to inspect it in person before committing to anything. Not sure how thorough the virtual tours are but when we did our site visits, a handful of our options that looked good online became instant write offs after a closer look in person.