Venue Tour

I made myself a cheat sheet with all of the questions I wanted to ask and notes I wanted to take. Things like distance to ceremony site from parking (mobility impaired), is there enough parking? can guests leave their cars if they had too much to drink? What decor is included? Is there a coat check? What hidden charges? How much are vendor meals? Are there any restrictions (noise, decor, timing, etc). It DEFINITELY helped because I would get to a site and my mind would go blank.

Definitely ask about how much parking they have available and if people can leave their cars parked overnight so they are not driving after drinking. If the venue is in an events center or hotel ask them if they will have any other events going on at the same time as the wedding. Also ask if they will provide a day off coordinator, if they require a service charge on food and beverages, is the tables/chairs/and linens included in the rental fee, how early can you come in to decorate and if you can decorate the day before, if they have a bridal suite. Hopefully most of it they will cover but these are some important ones. Hope this helps!

I did this last weekend! One thing I learned is that the places that are more experienced will have a list of suggested vendors for you. This was important to me because we live a little over 2 hours away from our venue. She has people in every area that know our venue and have done weddings there before- caterers, flowers, bands/dj, transportation for out of town guests... etc. Sometimes venues will offer more than one kind of wedding package so ask them to thoroughly go over your options with you.

Here’s a list of questions one of my venues I’m touring next week gave me!

View Quoted Comment So helpful! thank you!

View Quoted Comment Awesome, thanks! I would definitely forget everything once I got there too lol

The one thing I didn’t expect was the huge difference in service charges! Ask the percentage because depending on your budget, it can make or break you!

A friend learned this lesson the hard way, but ask about their inclement weather policies. Granted my friend got married in the summer, and it looks like you're in the fall, but you never know.

She got married in a state park using one of their event halls. The ceremony was outside and the reception inside. Well in true Portland, OR fashion it rained an hour before the ceremony! The guys had to stop getting ready, rush to the venue, and rearrange the hall. The state park only provided set up and tear down... nothing else in between.

Bring a notebook and have enough battery on your phone to take pictures. Take a look at the available bathrooms too and ask if they have a backup plan in case of weather if your looking at outdoor venues. Ask for a printout with what their fees include. Be clear about what YOUR budget is out of the gate. They often will be able to trim or adjust to fit what you need if it’s close in numbers! And don’t forget to drink water and eat!

Take notes!!!! Ask a lot of questions!!!

I found a list of questions to ask on google.

I asked how many tables and chairs they have.
How many of each type of table they had.
How long you get the venue for.
When can you set up.
When can you tear down.
What time you need to be done for the evening.
Dimensions of the room.
Candle policies.
I also had some very specific plans and wanted to make sure they allowed them.

Ask about liability insurance and if gratuity will be included in the overall costs. Those were my two biggest concerns.

View Quoted Comment

How did the venue tour go Mackenzie? DId you book it? Or are you going to view a couple more?

Well, the fact you are looking for questions is a great start. We went to our venue tour completely open minded and unprepared hahah we asked like 5 questions that popped up during the tour and our venue owner kept prying us to ask questions and we just didn't have any. We were just in awe of the fact we found exactly what we were looking for so at least you are planning ahead. I'd personally ask about lighting, whats included and whats not, arrival times, set up time, rehearsals, preferred vendors or all inclusive or completely all on your own. Those would be the ones I would ask if I ever had to do this again.