Venue view alone

Questions that you might forget to ask:
Vendors - are there preferred vendors? Including hotels - some hotels have perks for brides who post.

Vendor insurance - does the venue require certain insurance, if so what? (good to know for future vendors).

How many events are typically booked on the same day - and what is the time that they will be out?

Photos - this one might or might not apply - if you are doing photos on the ground. If you are doing photos on the ground, ask if you can do a walk through w/ your FH & photographer prior to the event. This way you can decide on which locations you will be having photos taking.

If any aspect of the venue is outside, be sure to ask what their plan in for inclement weather - this was always my go-to question. One thing I wasn't great about remembering to ask about was a space to get ready and/or wait, and how I'd get from that space to the aisle. In general, I felt like the venues gave us most of the information we needed, but we ended pretty much every vendor meeting by asking if there was anything they thought we were missing - anything that most people ask that we didn't, anything else we should consider, things like that. They're the expert, so I tended to trust them.

We have a certain beer we'd like to serve so we had questions about if we could provide any of our own alcohol or make special requests.

My parents asked about parking options.

If there is a bridal suite- what time will you have access? (this can wait til you've booked, but it's a good question)

If it's indoors in the colder months- is there a coat check available? Is there an additional fee?

Ask about any other additional fees you should be aware of (room flip charges, chair rentals, gratuity or service charges, etc)

I agree with what was said above--trust that they will give you the info you need, and definitely ask if there is anything you've missed or if there are questions other people tend to ask. I've been asking my venue a lot lately "about how many couples do you have that do xyz?" (have hair and makeup come on site, get an additional day of coordinator, etc)

Typically they are really not out to screw you. They are in the wedding business--if you don't book with them, someone else will. They don't gain much by not giving you all the information.

Thank you guys for your response. The visit went really well. I felt so nervous I had butterflies like a first date, lol. Your question suggestions really helped. It was smaller than I thought but I'm geared up to tackle the next venue. First time jitters are gone.

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So glad to hear your first meeting went well! Now that it's over do you have any advice you could share from what you learned? Have you asked the same questions at your other venue visits or did you come up with more?

Have you chosen a venue?