If it can fit into your budget, I would definitely recommend a site visit. It really helped me a lot when I went. I knew exactly where I wanted to be married once I was there. However, I don't think it is necessary. There are plenty of brides who did not go on site visits and everything turned out perfect. This forum is also such a great wealth of information that sometimes you feel like you have been to some of these places because of the great reviews and photos. Good luck to you.