We asked ChatGPT for “top wedding venues” in our client's metropolitan area
We asked ChatGPT for “top wedding venues” in our client’s metro area, and it returned a list of 12 venues - none of which included our client’s. It was a quick way to check whether their venue appeared as part of ChatGPT’s default answer set - and it didn’t.
This same process can be applied to any category or location - from restaurants to real estate - making it an efficient starting point for testing brand visibility within AI-generated results.
Why didn't ChatGPT recommend our client's wedding venue?
We wanted to understand why our client’s venue wasn’t appearing. ChatGPT provided the following reasons:
- Location. The venue is just five miles outside city limits, but the model restricted results to those within the city.
- Service options. The venue used only pre-approved caterers, which some past guests criticized in online reviews.
- Acoustics. A few reviews mentioned issues with sound quality during events.
These explanations highlighted how generative search engines interpret data sources and user intent. Prompting deeper follow-up questions can help uncover specific areas that may influence AI visibility - such as negative sentiment or incomplete location data.
How does ChatGPT determine its “top wedding venues”?
When asked how it curates such lists, ChatGPT cited three main data sources:
- Online “best of” lists
- Vendor directories and wedding websites
- Review platforms like The Knot, WeddingWire, Yelp, and Google
ChatGPT prioritizes venues that appear repeatedly across these trusted sources and have consistently positive reviews or strong professional endorsements.
We repeated the test using Gemini and Claude. Both produced similar rankings, heavily weighted toward venues featured in multiple “best of” lists and those with strong customer feedback. They also echoed the same location limitation - favoring city-based listings.
How can wedding venues improve their AI search visibility?
Wedding venues can boost visibility by focusing on content relevance, social proof, and local authority. In practice, that means updating on-page descriptions to include detailed location cues and highlighting proximity to major metro areas.
Securing inclusion on trusted “best of” lists and maintaining active profiles on wedding directories like The Knot or WeddingWire helps reinforce brand presence across data sources that AI tools rely on.
Finally, addressing recurring customer feedback - such as catering flexibility or acoustics - directly within FAQs or event pages signals credibility and transparency. These incremental updates can make a measurable difference in how AI systems rank and recommend your venue in future searches.