10 Questions to Ask a Venue Before Booking

The perfect proposal was planned, he asked, and you said, "YESSSS!" You've shouted from all the social media mountain tops how excited you are to be marrying your best friend, and you have set a date ( or at least have a few dates in mind). So what's next? Booking your wedding venue should be topping that to-do list that with a blingy ring just grew exponentially. There's so many things to consider when deciding where you want to get married...style, location, budget, etc. So once you've done your research and narrowed down a few venues as your top contenders, you will want to schedule some tours to walk through the venue and grounds, to gain more information and ask questions to be able to help you make your final decision. But, what kind of questions should you be asking your venue? Here are 10 questions to ask a venue before booking:

1) What are your different packages and what additional costs can I expect? First things first, you have to know if your venue will fit into your budget or not. I advise my brides to try to keep their venue cost to 30% or less of their total wedding budget. So you need to have the venue break down their costs. Many venues offer discounted rates on Fridays or Sundays. Also, while on the tour the venue may show you different types of tables, furniture, chairs, and decor elements that they have available to use. Ask if those things are included with the package price or if they will incur an additional rental fee. Will there be valet parking available for your guests? If so, there may be fees for that, as well as security guard fees if you plan to serve alcohol at your wedding.

2) What is included with my rental? This question piggybacks off of the first question. You need to know what the venue will be providing as far as items, service, and access to their spaces. Will they provide tables, chairs, linens? If so how many, dimensions, and type of each? Are there decorative pieces for you to use? Will they provide set up and clean up services? What about valet parking, parking attendants, coat check, bar services, catering services, and cake cutting services? Will they provide you with a venue coordinator or a wedding director for your ceremony? Then you need to find out about access to the venue. How many hours on wedding day? When can you have your rehearsal? When can your vendors have access for setup?

3) How many guests does it accommodate? A super important question for sure! Hopefully before you look at venues you have a ballpark idea at how many guests you will be inviting to your wedding. (This number is a very crucial number that will dictate so much of your planning, so don't wait! Make that guest list early!) You need to make sure there is enough space for both the ceremony and reception spaces to seat comfortably all of your guests.

4) Will there be any other events scheduled on my date or wedding weekend? To some this may not matter, but if you want a more relaxed wedding weekend I would recommend booking with a venue that only allows one event per day. Additionally if you want the convenience of having your rehearsal and possibly rehearsal dinner on site then I would book a venue that only books one wedding per weekend. Sharing your event space with another wedding could mean super rushed timelines on wedding day and no one wants that.

5) Can we get ready on site or will I need to make other arrangements? While most venues these days have beautiful bridal suites and even cool groom's lounges, some do not. So make sure to ask about this and while on your tour request to see the spaces to make sure they will be large enough for you and however many attendants you plan on having in your wedding party. If the venue does not have a bridal suite or groom's lounge or the spaces aren't big enough to accommodate you and your best people, then booking that venue may mean having to book hotel accommodations or a separate getting ready location.

6) How many Ceremony options do I have? Find out if the venue has both indoor and outdoor ceremony options. Or if there are multiple places for you to choose from to hold the ceremony. Venues with both indoor and outdoor options are awesome because while outdoor ceremonies are very popular it is so important to have a back up plan in case it rains or the temperature isn't comfortable enough to have your guests outside. (Hello July or August in Alabama!) Also, if the venue only has one space for both ceremony and reception you should ask how the flipping process usually goes, if they assist with it, and what you should expect on wedding day. Note that if you must flip your ceremony space to your reception space then you will probably need to have a cocktail hour in between to keep guests entertained and happy.

7) Am I allowed to serve alcohol? If so, what are the regulations? Some venues allow it and some do not. If having an open bar is your jam or a classy cocktail hour before dinner, you will need to know if that is even possible at this venue or not. If the answer is yes, some venues provide bar service, while some do not. Those who do not typically would require you hire a licensed and insured bartender or catering company to provide that service.

8) Do you have a Preferred Vendors List or a Required Vendors List? A preferred vendors list would be a helpful tool to have for the rest of your booking process. These vendors would be businesses that the venue has worked with before and approves of and enjoys working with. So you would know that anyone you chose on that list would be a good choice. Some venues have a list of vendors that they require you to use. This is especially common with caterers. In which case, you will need to know that if you book that venue you will have to book a caterer from their list.

9) What is not allowed? While on your tour the venue coordinator will be showing you all of the best and most wonderful things about their space. But you need to know about any and all restrictions they may have. For example, you may be dreaming of a late night sparklers getaway to end your magical day, but some venues have a strict no sparklers policy. Or maybe having your fur baby present on wedding day to be in photos or even to process down the aisle as the cutest ring bearer ever is a must have for you? You need to know if having animals on site is allowed or not.

10) What about accessibility? You want to make sure all of your guests can easily access all parts of the venue that they would need to. So, especially if you already know of a guest who is in a wheelchair, the considerate thing to do would be to make sure there is a way for all guests to get to both the ceremony and reception spaces easily, as well as cocktail hour and even to the restrooms. And just because no one on your list is in a wheelchair right now, doesn't mean that accidents or incidents may happen between now and then that could result in someone needing crutches or a wheelchair.

If you have additional questions about venue selection or are interested in hiring a wedding planner to help you navigate your new full-time job of wedding planning then contact me here! I am here for you!