Checking out a venue on Sunday. What questions should I ask?

Ask if you can bring in your own vendors. This is a great way to save money. Ask if there are any decorating restrictions. For example I cannot use any tape, thumbs tacks. Ask if you can control the bar (if you want to have a bar)

Hi Sonya,

I also had no idea what to ask, so I bought The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide by WedSpace. This is what it says to ask a ceremony venue:

Do vows need to be approved?

What is the ceremony site fee?

What is the payment policy?

What is the cancellation policy?

Does the facility have liability insurance?

What are the min/max number of guests allowed?

What is the denomination, if any, of the facility?

What restrictions are there with regards to religion?

Is an officiant available? At what cost?

Are outside officiants allowed?

Are there any musical instruments available for our use? At what cost?

What music/photography/videography restrictions are there, if any?

Are there any restrictions for rise/petal tossing?

Are candlelight ceremonies allowed?

What floral decorations are available/allowed?

When is my rehearsal to be scheduled?

Is there handicap accessibility and parking?

How many parking spaces are available for my wedding party/guests? Where?

What rental items are necessary?

What is the fee?

I would recommend getting a wedding planning binder. It has really saved me.

I will post what to ask for a reception venue next.

Best of luck,

Lizy

Ask about payment arrangements. My venue allowed me to make payments whenever I wanted as long as I was paid in full three months prior to my wedding. Some venues require monthly payments

For a reception venue:

What is the min/max number of guests for a seated reception? For a cocktail reception?

What is the reception site fee?

What is the price range for a seated/buffet lunch/dinner?

What is the corkage fee?

What is the cake-cutting fee?

What is the ratio of servers to guests?

How much time will be allotted for my reception?

What music restrictions are there, if any?

What alcohol restrictions are there, if any?

Are there restrictions for rice or rose petal tossing?

What room and table decorations are available?

Is a changing room available?

Is there handicap accessibility?

Is a dance floor included in the site fee?

Are tables, chairs, and linens included in the site fee?

Are outside caterers allowed?

Are kitchen facilities available for outside caterers?

Does the facility have full liability insurance?

What perks or giveaways are offered?

How many parking spaces are available for my wedding party/guests? Where? At what cost?

What is the cost for sleeping rooms, if available?

What is the payment policy?

What is the cancellation policy?

Once again, courtesy of The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide by WedSpace. (paraphrased a bit)

-Lizy

Are they providing the tent or do you have to rent it separately? How early can it be set up that you'll have access to decorate? If it's not til day of you could be in a time crunch, a day early will allow you and BP to decorate if you're DIYing it, unless they provide and / or rent the decor then do they include set up and clean up?

Great ideas!! : p

I know there are payment and cancellation policy details on their website. They do not have their own catering so they do allow outside vendors and even self-catering which is good for me. I do have to find out about insurance. The Saturday rental is for 10 hours and I know the price too. I'm really just going to see it and get a feel for it. They also do not include set-up or break-down. Just a beautiful rose garden and manor house with dressing rooms. I will have to rent a tent and chairs and linens, etc. Their website is pretty good.

I know this sounds silly, but make sure you check out the bathroom at any venue you check out. I immediately passed on venues that had "normal" restroom stalls as I was trying to picture myself trying to go to the bathroom with at least 1 other person in there and it just wasn't happening!

Beware - Mass amount of questions below. This is a list compiled from every website I could find with suggestions on this topic. They might not all apply to your venue, as I took off the ones that didn't apply to my indoor party center, but most will for you. Remember to ask about backup plans for raining!

1. What dates are available in the month we are considering?

2. How many weddings will be booked on our day?

3. How many people can this location accommodate?

4. What is the rental fee and what is all included in that price?

5. What is the food and beverage cost on a per/person basis?

6. Is there a service charge on top of the bill? If so, how much?

7. What is the gratuity amount charged?

8. Is there a discount for booking an off-season date?

9. How much is the deposit, when is it due, and is it refundable?

10. What is the cancellation policy?

11. What’s the payment plan for the entire bill?

12. What are the various packages that include additional services?

13. Is there an additional charge to hold the ceremony here?

14. Is there an area indoors to take pictures after the ceremony if there is inclement weather?

15. Is there a bride and groom’s changing area?

16. How early can we get in to get dressed?

17. How much time is allocated for the rehearsal?

18. When can we get in for rehearsal?

19. Is the site handicap accessible?

20. Is there air conditioning?

21. How long will I have use of the event space(s) I reserve?

22. Is there an overtime fee if I stay longer?

23. Is there a minimum or maximum rental time?

24. 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?

25. What decorations are included in the package?

26. Will there be any changes in decoration selections before my date?

27. Can I see a picture of what the set up will look like for my event?

28. Will there be any building construction/updates before/during my date?

29. If I book and an update is later scheduled during my date, how will that be handled?

30. What time can my vendors and I start setting up on the day of the wedding? The day before?

31. How early can deliveries be made?

32. Who is responsible for setting up and tearing down the decor, and when will it be completed?

33. Do you provide a coat check service? If not, is there an area that can be used and staffed?

34. Are tables, linens, chairs, plates, silverware and glassware provided?

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

36. Can I hire my own vendors or must I select from a preferred vendor list?

37. Can I bring in a cake from an outside cake maker or must I use a cake made on the premises? Is there a cake-cutting fee? Do you provide special cake-cutting utensils?

38. Are there additional charges for bar staff?

39. Is there a corkage fee?

40. Are there any restricted drinks?

41. Are there restrictions on what kind of music I can play, or a time the music must end?

42. Is there enough room (and outlets) for a DJ setup?

43. Is there enough room for a dance floor?

44. Is there enough room (and outlets) for a photo booth setup?

45. What are the nearest hotels to the venue?

46. Is there a shuttle service to a nearby hotel? Is there an extra cost for the shuttle?

47. How many restrooms are there?

48. Do you offer on-site coordination? If so, what services are included and is there an additional charge for them? Will the coordinator supervise day-of?

49. What security services do you offer? Do I need to hire my own security guards?

50. Does the venue have liability insurance?

51. Do outside vendors need insurance?

52. Do you have signage or other aids to direct guests to my event?

53. Are there any additional costs-cleaning fees, insurance-fee waivers, etc.?

54. Does anything we’ve seen today cost extra?

55. Do you have a list of preferred vendors that will give discounts/extras if we use them and vice versa?

56. Are there places to take pictures inside if there is inclement weather?

57. Is there a minimum of guests for a Saturday booking?

58. Do we have help from the staff for tear-down?

59. Can we please take home a copy of the contract to review?

I haven't read really any of the other comments, but what is seriously invaluable for the day of...

A coordinator. See if the venue provides one (sometimes the rep you work with ends up being the DOC). I cannot recommend a DOC enough. It will make your day less stressful on you, and it will run a lot more smoothly.

Ask if there's a cake cutting fee.

Ask how early before the start time of the event you're able to have people arrive (ie: so the officiant and photographer can set-up before the start of the ceremony).

Ask if they're have staff available that would assist with ensuring everything goes according to schedule. (Our venue gives us a day of coordinator to help us with the timing of everything.)

Ask about refund policy of deposit. (With some venues you can transfer dates and not lose the deposit with others you lose the deposit even if you're just switching dates. With majority of venues refunds aren't refundable.)

Ask if gratuity would be included within the overall fee.

Ask if vendors need to have liability insurance (if they need to bring proof of the insurance the day of).

Ask if the 10hrs they're giving you for the wedding includes the time you're expected to use for set-up and cleaning the venue.

Ask if you're expected to clean the venue the night of the wedding or if you can come back the next morning.

Ask how early you can start dropping off decorations (our venue allows us to bring decorations, envelope box, etc up to 3 days before our wedding and they'll set it up for us).

Good luck!

Ask them if they give off-season or off-day discounts if your date isn't set in stone. Our venue gave us a discounted price because we are getting married in the off-season & on a Sunday.

Ask if they have any items available for decoration (centerpieces, archways, ceremony decor etc.). This will save you on $ if they have things available that fit with your theme/you like.

Edited to add: Cake Cutting- if they do provide cake cutting service do they also provide plates/forks? I just noticed in my contract that although they do the cake cutting they don't provide plates & forks.

That's a lot, thank you! Thankfully most of the questions are answered on the website like payment policy, etc. I will report back on Sunday!

So we saw the venue and asked the questions, and we booked it!! Although the flowers on the arch are not as full as the picture, it is right on the river and it was great!

Thank you all for your help!!