FIND YOUR PERFECT VENUE
We know finding the perfect cannabis friendly venue can be tricky, so Irie has compiled a list of things to consider and ways to research potential venues in your area.
The most important things to know are the local details and regulations to make sure it’s legal and possible to host your cannabis-friendly event.
No. 1 DOES IRIE SERVICE YOUR AREA?
Irie Weddings & Events currently services the following areas around the country:
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Denver, CO
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San Francisco, CA
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Los Angeles, CA
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Detroit, MI
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Grand Rapids, MI
Our teams can travel anywhere within a 2 hour radius of our local hubs. Please note that your delivery/travel fee will be based on mileage from our local hub to your chosen venue.
We add new branch locations each year! Check back in with us if we don’t currently service your area because we may soon!
No. 2 ARE RECREATIONAL DISPENSARIES OPEN IN YOUR AREA?
All cannabis must be purchased from a recreational dispensary, NOT a medical dispensary. ​
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Recreational cannabis can be “gifted” from you to your 21+ guests. Cannabis CAN NOT come from a medical dispensary because it’s considered to be your medicine, which by law is deemed “non-transferable”.
No. 3 INCREASE YOUR ODDS
Venues without liquor licenses have the most potential. Choose a venue that’s privately owned AND on private property.
LOOK FOR:
- Family owned farms and estates
- Art galleries
- Privately owned museums
- Zoos or botanical gardens
- Family or friend’s private property
- Private mansions or vacation villas
- Luxe property rentals
AVOID:
- City, county or state owned buildings
- Public organizations
- Country clubs with directors or community board
- Educational or college properties
- Place of worship
NO. 4 VENUE LAYOUT
Make sure the venue has an outdoor space available (especially if you want to offer a smoke friendly option).
Choose a venue that has some room around it. Many venues that are stacked on top of each other in a city area may be less likely to say yes because they need to keep the consumption out of view from the public.
Choose a venue that has a flexible layout and offers different potential locations for the cannabis bar. There’s a chance that not all of your guests will be interested in the bar or children may be present, so placing the bar in an area that’s not front and center can be preferable. View the venue on Google Earth to get a birds-eye-view of the whole property.
No. 5 NARROWING IT DOWN
Herecomestheguide.com is hands down the best resource for venue filtering
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At the top of the home page, choose “find wedding venues” and click “wedding venues by state”
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Select your state.
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Once on the results page, scroll down until you see filters appear on the left hand side.
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Under “Alcohol Option” select “BYO” or “BYO with corkage fee” (don’t choose both options at the same time!)
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Choose your other desired filters based on your budget, site type and more and click SEARCH to update the results.
Weddingwire.com is another great option because there are many incredible spaces listed here. The only downside: you have to do a bit of extra research because they don’t offer the same “BYO alcohol” filter as the previous website.
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On the home page, type in the city nearest your location and click “FIND”
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Filter based on the style of venue + other details you are looking for on the left side.
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Then there’s a bit of reverse research. Under “Amenities”, choose the filter that says “Bar Services” and the page will refresh.
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This will narrow down the venues that are OFF LIMITS because they have a liquor license.
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Write down the OFF LIMITS venues, then uncheck the “Bar Services” filter.
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This will pull up the original list based on your preferred filters. Be sure to refer to your written list of OFF LIMITS venues to narrow down the list to only potential venues that do NOT have a liquor license.
Try other websites that aren’t just for “wedding venues” like these listed below. Unfortunately many of these sites will not offer the same filters to narrow your research based on alcohol preference, but you can find some amazing hidden gems in there!
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Eventective.com - shows you EVERY type of venue imaginable
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Peerspace.com - offers both artsy spaces and DIY blank slate style venues
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Splacer.co - lots of unique spaces, rooftops and non traditional locations
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TheVenueReport.com - a small directory, but a variety of venue types
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Venues & Estates - listings for gorgeous private mansions and estates
REMEMBER THAT SOME VENUES...
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List “Approved Bartenders/Alcohol Companies” on their preferred vendor list, which is a great indicator that they do not have a liquor license.
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Will have their own “in house” bar services which means they likely have their own liquor license making them OFF LIMITS. (Look closely under their FAQ section to see if they allow “outside alcohol”. This will let you know if the alcohol must come from the venue or not.
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Offer “in house” bartending through a partnered catering company which is a positive sign because it typically means that the third party catering or bartending company is the one that holds the liquor license, not the venue.
DON'T WORRY...
​If you find a venue that meets these requirements and they aren’t sure about allowing cannabis on their property, Irie team members are more than happy to give them a call. We can explain exactly how our services work, answer their questions and put them at ease!