12 questions to ask your venue before booking

Planning Tips

Aug 2

Congratulations, you are engaged! I am so excited for you and this season. I want to make planning fun and simple for you, whether you hire a planner or day of coordinator (wink wink) or not. I want to give you the confidence that you can find the perfect venue for your wedding day.

To begin your venue search I recommend choosing your top two to three venues to tour first, any more can be overwhelming. These first three will provide you a great starting point to move forward with booking or you may want to reconsider your priorities when booking additional tours. Venues in your area will offer different benefits, levels of service and pricing.

How many hours are included with my rental fee? Can I add additional hours?
Not all venues are created equal. Ask the venue what time you can have access to begin decorating, how many hours the event can be, if different from set up hours and when everyone needs to be out of the venue, including vendors. Depending on the times provided, this will be important to include in your timeline and allow for vendors to clean up. It may take the decorators 4 hours to set up and if you end your event at 11:00pm and you have to be out by midnight, this will not be enough time. Ask your venue if they do allow you to go overtime, and what the charge is. You may want to consider adjusting your end time in order avoid the additional hourly charge.
Ask for a sample contract to review policies and procedures.
When reviewing the contract, look for items that you have discussed to ensure that they match up on paper. Review their cancelation policy, amenities offered, noise restrictions, food and beverage minimums if applicable, and other items they do not allow.
What equipment and services are included with the rental fee?
When searching for the perfect venue for your day consider all amenities and services the venue offers. Take this in account when considering your overall budget. For example, the venue may provide tables and chairs, and an amazing bridal suite to get ready in, but the chairs are not quite what you were hoping for. What would the additional cost of chairs be? What are your top priorities? A venue may be everything you hoped for, but not include any items, only space. Take into account all additional items you will need, which can be added time to your wedding day and budget.
What electrical capacity do you offer? Where are your power sources located?
Depending on the amount of electrical power your DJ or additional decor, such as lighting needs this will be important. Is the access to power convenient and in a location that makes sense for your design and layout? Do they have enough power for the services you vision for your wedding day?
Do you have an on-site weather contingency plan available?
We cannot always predict what Mother Nature will bring us, we can try, but she has done some tricky things. If this is a concern to you, and I highly recommend having a contingency plan (read previous blog post here) ask the venue if they have options to move the wedding indoors. If they do, what is the capacity of the indoor space, and if there are additional costs to reserve the space in advance. In addition, ask the venue if they have tents, outdoor heaters, shade canopies, or umbrellas available and what the charges are.
Is additional lighting needed?
Lighting provides a beautiful ambiance to your wedding day, and you will want to see all of the beautiful decor and details through the evening as well. If you have the opportunity, visit the venue in the evening, take into consideration the sunset time for your wedding date. If your wedding is outdoors, will you need additional lighting if you are eating after sunset or for the safety of everyone? If your wedding is indoors, will you be turning down the main lights and would you like a soft glow of additional lighting such as market lights or chandeliers?
What are your alcohol policies?
Does the venue allow you to bring in your own alcohol and a licensed bartender is required to serve it? Are you getting married at a winery and they do not allow hard liquor or have restrictions on which type? The venue may also require that you deliver your beverages in advance by a certain time.
When does music need to stop?
Are there noise restrictions, such as, number of decibels and time your music needs to stop by? If so, will this impact your wedding day? Will you want to go later?
Do you have storage areas available for vendors?
Are the vendors able to deliver items prior to your wedding day and pick up after? Is there storage available for the items to be stored safety prior to your wedding day? If a venue has back-to-back events, they may not allow for early delivery and a vendor may not be able to deliver on certain days.
Do you have a bridal and or groom suite?
If so, ask the venue what time you can access the bridal and or groom suite. Depending on the time, will you and everyone getting their hair and makeup done have enough time to get ready on site prior to the ceremony? If not, is this a priority to you and where would you get ready if not onsite? This may be another expense if you need to find a hotel suite.
What is your capacity?
And almost last, these are in no particular order, what is the capacity? Is there enough room for your guests, dance floor and additional items you would like? Ask the venue if they have sample layouts taht they can share that are similar to your guest count from previous weddings. If you believe you have found the venue and the capacity is less than your guest list, will you want to reduce your list?
Lastly, but perhaps the most important, always consider your priorities and the overall guest experience.
Don’t forget and don’t lose sight of what is most important to you on your wedding day. When you are choosing between venues and considering your budget, what are your priorities, what sparks joy? I also know that one of your top priorities is your family and friends experience. Keep in mind convenience, access, parking, and additional amenities that are offered to provide the guests an amazing experience from the ceremony to send off.