The Couple Journey
How Bidwell works for wedding couples
Transparent offers with locked rates, blind names during bidding, your free AI Venue Planner — from sign-up to wedding day in plain English.
Bidwell never charges couples. No fees, ever.
TL;DR
- Post anonymously. Venues reply with binding prices.
- Your AI Venue Planner compares bids, coaches negotiations, and helps you shortlist with confidence.
- Pay the venue in Stripe installments. You never pay Bidwell.
Sign up
2 min
Post request
5 min
First bids arrive
24–48 hrs
Book your venue
Your pace
Create your free account
Takes about 2 minutes. No credit card required.
Start with name, email, and password. Optional extras — location, guest count, budget, style — help us match you faster. Only name and email are required.
What we ask for
We email a verify link. Click it, then post your first request.
Post your wedding request
A guided 4-step form. About 5 minutes.
Your request is what venues bid on. It's anonymous at first: they see wedding details, never your name or contact info.
Step 1 — Event
- Main date or flexible range
- Up to 5 backup dates
- Guest count estimate
- City, state — up to 4 extra markets if you want
- Multi-day OK (e.g. rehearsal + wedding)
Step 2 — Style
- Pick types you like (barn, garden, ballroom, …)
- Short vision in your own words
Step 3 — Amenities
- Must-haves as checkboxes
- Nice-to-haves separate — shows where venues can flex
Step 4 — Budget
- Min/max all-in budget (space + F&B + service + tax)
- All-in vs. rental-only — keeps apples-to-apples bids
- How flexible dates are
- Extra notes (e.g. dog in ceremony)
Your privacy: Your request goes up without your name. Venues see wedding facts only — not email or phone. You choose who sees you when you shortlist.
Requests run 30 days. Not booked? Renew or tweak and repost.
Venues bid on your wedding
First bids typically arrive within 24\u201348 hours.
Verified venues in your market choose whether to bid. Each bid is a binding offer — rates and inclusions lock when you accept.
What a bid looks like
Bid #1
Garden & Outdoor · Venue identity hidden
$12,500
94% match
What you see in each bid
- Total or per-guest price
- Line-item charges
- Food/bev min — in total or extra?
- Full inclusions list
- Venue type + capacity
- Catering, bar, vendor rules
- Which of your dates work
- Planner match score and value notes
What stays hidden until you shortlist
- Name & brand
- Photos + reviews
- Street address
- Chat
Why semi-blind? No names during bidding means less logo bias. You judge price, package, and fit first — like a blind audition.
Bid validity: 14 days from when the venue sends it.
Bid revisions: Venues may update up to 2 times (3 versions total).
No limit: You can get as many bids as venues send.
Shortlist, compare, and negotiate
Take your time. There's no deadline to decide.
Shortlisting
Shortlist a bid you like. That unlocks name, photos, reviews, address, and chat. Up to 5 shortlists per request.
Side-by-side comparison view
Venue A
$12,500
94% match
8/10 must-haves
Venue B
$14,200
91% match
10/10 must-haves
Venue C
$11,800
87% match
7/10 must-haves
Side-by-side comparison
Stack up to three shortlists side by side: price, capacity, inclusions, and trust signals in one view.
Counter-offers
Almost there? Send a counter-offer. Your AI Venue Planner shows the estimated acceptance probability and suggests amounts that balance savings with likelihood of acceptance.
Tours and direct messaging
After shortlisting, message in Bidwell and book tours. Ask anything before you commit.
Accept a bid and book
Lock in your venue with a booking fee.
Pick your venue? Accept the bid to start checkout. Quick path:
Review the booking summary
Venue, dates, guest count, total, and line-by-line inclusions.
Agree to terms
Terms, Privacy, and cancel rules — read and accept.
Sign digitally
Type your legal name on the contract.
Pay the booking fee
25% of total (min $500). Stripe checkout.
Venue confirmation
The venue has 48 hours to countersign. Miss the window? Booking cancels and you get a full refund.
Confirmed? You get a reference #, venue contact, signed contract copy, and your pay schedule.
Payment schedule
Spread across installments. 100% collected before the event.
Installments depend on how soon the wedding is when you book. All charges run through Stripe. Bidwell doesn't bill you — you pay the venue.
Standard schedule
You book 90+ days before the wedding
Deposit
At booking
Mid payment
90 days out
Final
30 days out
Compressed schedule
Wedding 30\u201389 days out when you book
- 50% at booking
- 50% 14 days before
Last-minute booking
Under 30 days out
- 100% upfront
Each due date has a 14-day early-pay window and a 3-day grace period after.
Plan with your venue
Work directly with your venue to prepare for the big day.
After confirmation, plan together: tastings, walkthroughs, vendors, day-of flow.
Direct communication
Chat in Bidwell or use the venue contact you get after booking.
Contract amendments
Add-ons (e.g. brunch, bar upgrade) can raise the total. Your signed price is a floor — it can go up with changes, not down without agreement.
Guest count adjustments
Per-person bids: rate per guest stays fixed; total moves only if headcount changes. No sneaky bumps.
Wedding day
Everything you were promised, delivered.
By wedding day you're paid up. The venue delivers what their bid promised — same rates, same inclusions, same package.
Locked rates and inclusions
They must deliver what the accepted bid lists. Flat totals and per-guest rates stay locked. Surprise fees or bait-and-switch can get them removed from Bidwell.
Cancellation policy
Change of plans? Refunds depend on how far out you cancel (chart below).
All couple-initiated cancellations include a $250 admin fee. If the venue cancels, you get a full refund — always.
Common questions
Cost, privacy, off-platform booking — quick answers. Tap a row to expand.
Ready to let venues compete for you?
Free account. First request in a few minutes. Venues usually start bidding within a day or two.