1st Venue Planning Meeting and I need HELP!!!

Where is your venue? What type of venue is it? The ceremony procession, the floor plan and the time line are things that can be left till the last couple months. Menus, linen, chairs and flowers are bigger priority. When is the wedding?

My venue is Moffitt Oaks in Houston (Tomball). It was originally a house that sat on land with a working stable. They transformed the house into a "manor" which includes the bridal and groom's suites. They created a lakeside venue which is wear the ceremony will be held. They transformed the stable into a rustic ballroom for rustic brides. My reception will be in the "elegant ballroom" that they just built.

These are some of the questions I asked venues prior to visiting:

Can I move things around and decorate to suit my purposes, or do I have to leave everything as is? Are there decoration guidelines/restrictions? Can I use real candles?

For my outside vendors, what time can they start setting up on the day of the wedding? Is it possible to start the setup the day before? How early can deliveries be made? How much time will I have for décor setup? Does the venue provide assistance getting gifts or décor back to a designated car, hotel room, etc. after the event has concluded?

Do you provide a coat check service (especially important for winter weddings)? If not, is there an area that can be used and staffed for that purpose?

Can we do a food tasting prior to finalizing our menu selection? If so, is there an additional charge?

How many restrooms are there? My friend who is a wedding planner said there should have at least 4 restrooms per 100 people.

What security services do you offer? Do I need to hire my own security guards, or does the site hire them or have them on staff?

Does the venue have liability insurance?

Are there any other weddings/events scheduled the same day? If so, do you have signage or staff to direct guests to my event? Is there enough on-site parking?

#1, that sounds like a nice place! Bunnylove, you are on the money with the questions! I didn't even think of most of those. I actually work as a banquet manager in a hotel. So, for my piece of mind and convenience I'm getting married at a hotel because, I know what to expect:-). Best of luck to both of you. I've got 50 days left to go!

So far these are the points I plan to cover at our first meeting:

1. Ask about Manor for children after ceremony (we're debating on no kids vs. kids so I would like to see if we can hire a sitter and leave them in there)

2. Suggestions for procession order

3. How long the aisle is for aisle runner

4. Cost to upgrade from bubbles to sparklers for exit

5. What decorations are permissible/restricted?

6. Wedding Day Timeline

7. Change of ceremony site in case of rain

8. What time vendors are allowed to begin set up

9. Cost of extra hour for reception

10. If we rent the Bridal Suite Package for the night before, would be able to have the rehearsal dinner there as well with no fee or discounted rate since we’ll already have the space

11. Can we see the cups included with our bar package (plastic cups)

12. Are these cups just for bar drinks, or will they placed on the tables with the place settings?

13. What is the cost to upgrade from plastic cups to glassware?

14. Do we have to hire security?

15. Does the 18% service charge include the gratuity/tip for the vendors covered under the contract, or is this separate?

16. If we rent the junior bridal suite package, will the groomsmen be able to come earlier than 2 hours prior since we’ll have the space already?