Venue tips

Ask about service charges, taxes, and gratuity. Also ask what the price includes and if they have in house catering or a preferred list. If it’s a preferred list ask if there’s a fee for using someone else and look into what those caterers charge. I see posts on here all the time of people saying they found the perfect venue but they can’t afford any of the caterers the venue requires. Also ask about bar prices and what that includes. Do they have a room for getting ready and what time can you access that. Will you have access to the venue for a rehearsal without paying extra.

Since you've mentioned the lanterns, ask if they have restrictions on décor and send off items. Many places in outdoor settings prohibit confetti, rice, sparklers, etc.

If you want to use candles ask if they are allowed. My vine only allows them if they are prevented from dripping wax onto the tablecloths. I’ve heard some venues don’t allow any open flame. Be sure to check out the restrooms, are they clean? Are there enough facilities for your guests? I wouldn’t say the restrooms broke or made our choice, but until we found a venue we LOVED they were a factor I considered. Most of the venues we looked at were all inclusive, if you aren’t a fan of one of the options ask if it can be changed and the cost to do so (my fiancé didn’t like the beer choices at a few of the venues so we would have had to pay to swap out for what he liked).

Hi there Meghan!

I have a couple of WeddingWire article linked below I think you are going to find super helpful in your venue search

How to Choose a Wedding Venue

The 12 Questions to Ask a Wedding Venue BEFORE Booking

9 Signs a Wedding Venue is “The One”

My biggest advice is really try to read into the venue manager's manner of treating you. We wanted several things that were not part of many venues traditional wedding package and didn't want several things that were included. We don't want an open bar or a big cake but wanted tea and coffee available during dessert and the end of the party. Several venues were unwilling to alter there pre-fab packages and did not seem to want to listen to our input on anything. I would suggest mentioning something out of the ordinary, like your lanterns, during the conversation with them to gauge their flexibility with what you want. My FH works in the banquet industry and says that venues that are unwilling to altar packages and don't give a concrete reason outside of cost are trying to give a lot of people the same experience at an up-charge just to make money, and they make bank doing it. I have also seen lots of brides here on wedding wire be unhappy after they have booked these packages because the venue forbids them from really being hands on and creative with their big days. A lot of these venues were also very bossy in my opinion, telling us how many guests to have, when to have rehearsal and exact ceremony and photography times. We wanted to do a lantern release too but we ended up with a venue that does not allow them due to the venue being on the grounds of a historical landmark and they are concerned about the flame risk to the buildings. That being said we were willing to budge on that as the venue managers were more than happy to help us plan the day we want, we got to pick a caterer we love and use the day of time as we wish. We're not on their schedule, and as long as we don't break anything and are out by midnight we can do as we see fit.

Décor!

Our venue has an extensive décor catalog, full of beautiful ways they can set up the space, cute displays and signs they can put out, florals and drapes for the ceremony space, centerpieces, table runners, etc.

We VASTLY underestimated how much renting the décor would cost/the venue fees for setting up all the pretty décor we picked. A lack of research and brain fart moment for us that definitely threw off our budget, but the costs will definitely be worth it.