Questions to ask your venue.

Booking a venue is a huge step in your wedding planning. It's also a huge part of the look and feel of your day...and often the most significant portion of your budget. When looking for venues, you want to make sure you cover all your bases, so it's good to ask a lot of questions. In tours and throughout the planning process, I field a lot of questions and I'm happy to do so, because each one clarifies a little piece of the whole venue rental package.

From our own experience, we've put together a pretty long list of questions for you to consider when looking for a venue. Although by no means exhaustive, this list is a starter guide when talking with a site contact or venue coordinator. Check it out and ask away!

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RENTAL FEES/AVAILABILITY

• Is my date available? What are the available dates?
• Is there a timeline for booking the date I'm interested in?
• What is the rental fee and what is included in that price? 
• Are any discounts available for off-season or Sunday-Friday dates? 
• What is required to book a date?
• How much is the deposit? Is it refundable?
• Is the deposit a booking fee separate from the rental fee or is it taken off the overall rental fee?
• ​What is the cancellation policy? 
• Are tables, chairs, linens, tables, silverware, and glassware provided or do I need to rent them myself?

SPACE/RULES

• How many people can this location accommodate? 
• Is there more seating available? What does it cost?
• Are there areas for bridal parties to get ready? 
• Is the site and venue handicap accessible?
• Is there a place for coats to be hung (for winter months)?
• ​Is the space heated? Does it have air conditioning? 
• Are there restrooms provided? Indoor or outdoor?
• Is there parking on-site?
• Is there a curfew on events? If so, what time?
• What happens if someone damages something?
• What are the guidelines for alcohol consumption?
• What expectations do you have of my bridal party and guests?
• When are all the remaining costs due?

CEREMONY

• Do you have ceremony spaces available?
• What is the package pricing for a ceremony? 
• Do you provide an officiant or do I need to? 
• Is the ceremony rental separate from the reception rental?
• How many hours do I get for my ceremony?
• What is your weather contingency plan for outdoor ceremonies?
• Is there an on-site coordinator available during my ceremony?
• When can I do my rehearsal?

DECORATING

• When can I decorate? When can my vendors set up? 
• What are your decorating guidelines/restrictions? 
• How much assistance can I get with the setup/décor?
• Do I need to take my decorations out the night of my wedding?
• Do you work with any decorators?
• Can I use a ladder to decorate?

CATERING/BEVERAGE

• Must I use in-house catering or can I hire my own cater?
• What facilities are available to off-site caterers?
• Is there a food and beverage tasting available? Is there an additional charge for this?
• Can I bring in my own dessert items?
• Is there a cake-cutting fee?
• Do you provide the utensils for dessert items or do I need to provide those?
• What are the food and beverage costs per person? What is the tax? Is there a service charge?
• Can I bring in my own beverages or does that need to be provided by the venue?
• Are you licensed to provide alcohol service? If so, is alcohol priced per person? By consumption? Are there additional charges for bar staff?
• Is there a bar minimum that must be met before the conclusion of the event?
• What is the average bar tab for the number of people attending my event?
• What type of dinner service is provided (buffet, family, plated)?
• ​Can you accommodate dietary restrictions? 
• Do you have children's meals available?
• Do you provide bartenders and servers or is there an additional cost for this?
• Can you accommodate a champagne toast and what is the charge for this? 
• Is there a basic beverage service provided with the meal?
• When do I need to have my menu decided and my final numbers to you? 
• Must I clean up after the meal or is staffing provided for that?

VENDORS 

• Do my baker and any other vendors need to be licensed?
• Can I hire my own vendors or must I select from a preferred vendors list?
• Do you have a preferred vendors list?
• Can you recommend vendors for me?

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

• Do you offer on-site coordination? If so, what services are included and is there an additional charge for them? Will the coordinator supervise do on the day of my wedding?
• Do you have signage that I can use to direct my guests or is this something I must provide?
• Can I bring my dog?
• Can you split my bill?
• Can we do my engagement pictures here or can my photographer visit prior to my wedding?
• Can I email you if I have questions, like for how many centerpieces I'll need?
• Will you send me a room design of the space?

INSURANCE/EXPERIENCE

• Does your venue have liability insurance? 
• Do I need to purchase my insurance?
• How many weddings do you do a year and how long have you been doing this?
• What things have gone wrong at past weddings and how have you handled them?
• What do you suggest I do for [insert special request or situation here]? 

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A couple of tips:

• Take notes - you'll be getting a lot of information (quite possibly from multiple venues) and it's hard to remember everything!
• Take photos so you can remember and look back on the look and feel of the venue.
• Bring your family, friends, kids, pastor! Sometimes more people in the pot is not a good idea, but if you have a trusted group of invested family and friends, bring them to the tour. It's a great opportunity for them to get a feel for the space and give you their first-hand opinion. Plus, they might ask questions that you wouldn't have even thought of!
• Always ask the question - site contacts and venue coordinators are here to help and want you to have all the information you need. Don't be afraid to ask for more information or to ask for clarification on anything!
• Take time to talk things over. Even if you call the venue ten minutes after you leave to book, it's always a good idea to take some time and talk out your options just between the two of you.

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If you have questions specific to our venue or if you're looking for more information, I'm always here to help! Visit our bridal site to fill out our information request or email me at [email protected]. Looking forward to talking with you!