20 Questions To Ask Your Wedding Venue
These 20 questions to ask a Wedding Venue will help ensure that you are not leaving things to chance, guesswork or assumption. Doing that can often prove costly or embarrassing if you didn’t check, confirm or ask a key question whilst viewing, or before booking a wedding venue.
Make sure you know exactly what comes with your wedding venue booking to avoid any unexpected costs later.
Of course it’s important to remember – Wedding venues are on your side and will do all in their power to make your day as happy as can be.
They’re also more than willing to answer any and all of your questions to make sure that your big day goes as perfect as it possibly can. However remember, they are also a business and booking a wedding venue is a business transaction, so you need to make sure you know exactly what’s included and what isn’t as part of your booking.
Finding your dream venue is more than just how it looks and if it can accommodate your guest list, although these are always a bonus. There are a lot of important details you’ll need to go over and ensure you are happy with before you sign on the dotted line. The venue is one of the biggest expenses of any wedding, so you’ll want to make sure that not only are you getting as much for your money as possible, but that all bases are covered – this will not only save you money, but also a lot of hassle along the way.
To help we have compiled a list of the top 20 questions you should ask your potential wedding venue before you go ahead and book.
20 Important Questions To Ask Your Wedding Venue
1. Is my date available? If your requested date is not available, it is always worth finding out what dates they have available close to your ideal date.
2. How long can you provisionally hold my date for? This is important as you may choose to hold your date until you’re ready to make a final decision, this will save you disappointment in finding your date was booked whilst you were making a decision.
3. What are the prices for different days of the week and times of the year? Depending on your budget you may wish to choose a date that is more in keeping with this.
4. How long do we get use of the space? Make sure you determine what is the earliest you can arrive and the latest you can leave!
5. Are you licensed to hold civil ceremonies? This may not apply to you, however if you are choosing to have your civil ceremony at the same venue as your reception, this a key piece of information to know.
6. What is included in the total price? Ask about tables, chairs, linen, cutlery & crockery. As well as things like an MC and on-site co-ordinator for the day. It’s also important to ask about any additional fees such as gratuity, clean up etc.
7. How much is the deposit? Make sure you also find out if this fully-refundable, part-refundable or non-refundable and under what circumstances or time-frame.
8. Do you offer a payment plan/schedule? This is key as you’ll need to know what to pay and by which date, some venues will easily give your date away if payments are missed or made late, as they need to ensure they have a secured booking.
9. What is your cancellation policy? Important to know in the eventuality you do need to cancel or move a particular date.
10. What is the maximum capacity? Ask this for your civil ceremony, sit down meal and evening reception to ensure they can accommodate all your guests.
11. Do you allow outside catering? If they do, find out if you can choose your own caterers or if you have to use one of their preferred suppliers?
12. Is there on-site parking? And is there enough for all of my guests? If you have a lot of guests travelling in by car, you’ll want to find out the parking situation at the venue. If there is limited or no parking, ask about near by parking. It’s also worth asking about over night parking if you or guests are staying at the venue.
13. Are fireworks and confetti allowed? Don’t take it for granted that they are. Make sure to ask.
14. Are there any décor restrictions? This is important to know to ensure that the venue will allow what you envision from your décor, and if you’re not yet sure how you want your décor, it’s better to know from the start what you’re not allowed. Ask about things like naked flames, whether you can hang things such as lights or draping and flower installations.
15. Do you have a sound & light system? If they do, you need to determine if this is included in the price or will this be an additional charge? If one isn’t available, enquire if you are able to hire in your own?
16. Do we have to use vendors from your preferred supplier list You’ll soon discover that most venues have a preferred supplier list, who they work with regularly and trust. This can be useful if you’ve not yet started your search for your other vendors. However, some venues will only allow you to use their preferred suppliers, which not only limits your choices, but they may not fit within your budget. So, this is something you’ll want to find out straight off the bat.
17. What time can our vendors setup and dismantle? It is handy to find out if it is possible for this to be done the night before/day after? Also determine if any venue staff be on hand to help?
18. Is there disabled access? Needless to say, this is really important if you do have any guests that should require disabled access.
19. How many toilets are there? Determine how accessible these are from the rooms you will be using.
20. Do you have public liability insurance? All venues (and vendors for that matter) should have some form of public liability insurance and should be able to show you the certificate. This not only protects them, but also you. You don’t want to be held responsible should something go wrong on the day.
Your wedding venue will work with you to make your special day the very best it can be. Don’t be afraid to ask important questions before booking – It’s the right time to ask so that you can rest easy and book with confidence.
Often times the venues will make sure you have as much of this information without even having to ask for it. As mentioned earlier, they are there to make your wedding day as perfect as it can be. It’s good to make sure and double check everything, in case you or they have missed something important. Knowing the right questions to ask a wedding venue helps.
That way, and having asked the right questions – not only will know what to expect from the venue, but you’ll also be able to make an informed decision and go ahead and book your perfect wedding venue!
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