Venue/banquet center but no contract

That’s definitely a red flag. No contract means you can’t hold them to any standards or obligations and it would be harder to obtain redress if anything were to happen. They could even cancel on you and keep your money. All vendors and venues you hire for your wedding should have contracts.

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Definitely. Thank you!

The reviews could be fake. Trust your gut. You need a contract.

Interesting. Maybe it’s not a typical venue and they don’t usually hold events there? Maybe you can tell them you’re interested but would feel more comfortable knowing there was a contract in place and draw one up yourself? I don’t know. I would definitely feel anxious every day leading up to the wedding not knowing if they were going to cancel on you and then gave the venue to another event the same day or something. Good luck!

I absolutely would not plan my wedding at a venue (or with any other venue) that did not provide a contract.

I had a similar situation with my makeup artist. Great reviews and her work looked beautiful, but she didn't have a contract. Since my previous makeup artist ghosted me, and I was only able to get my deposit back because I had a contract with her and could prove that she broke the contract, I did not feel comfortable booking someone without a contract. I asked her if I could write up a contract and have both her and I sign it, and she agreed. Everything ended up working out well!

For a venue, no contract is a red flag to me. Do they typically host events? How do they guarantee that they'll hold your date for you? Or what will be included with the venue and venue policies? If they seem like a legit venue and you want to proceed, I would request that they draw up a contract (or ask if you can write a contract) that includes details on deposit, total cost, payment schedule, cancellation/postponement policies, what is included with the venue, event date, the time range that you will have access to the venue, etc. Otherwise, if they're not willing to sign a contract, I would find another venue.

For a wedding date of June 2024, you absolutely need a contract. It's best for all parties to refer to said agreements on paper and later correspondence confirmed by email. What if they close down before then? How do you remember what is promised? No need to reinvent the wheel, there are samples on the internet and just include all the details Lisa added.

I hate to say it, but if they don't provide a contract is not good. Then they can pull out whether they want to with no consequences and you're not able to hold them liable. If you really love the space try to see if any other brides booked with them. Maybe they had no issues or maybe they did, but at least you'll have some more information to go by. I'd look at other options just in case, and hey if you find something else that works, the no contract thing works both ways you won't be held accountable to them either.

Oh GIRL ! No no no no no. If you have no contract, do NOT book. I HAD a contract - but the catering manager took our deposit and never recorded our date in their calendar. Basically, she ran off with our money - and a LOT of other couples as well. I had the contract and got my money back - after a bit of a stand off, BUT ... I was so legally covered and they knew it. PLEASE don't risk your special day!!!!

With no contract, you don’t have a venue and they don’t have any record that you exist. Move on a different venue asap.

I would definitely request a contract to protect yourself!

Yeah, my venue contract is by far the longest contract I’ve signed so far just because there’s so much involved. Like if there’s a natural disaster or pandemic that cancels the wedding, what’s the recourse? Do they have time limits that you’re required to be out of there? What do they provide in terms of tables and chairs, decor, catering and alcohol, etc, and are you required to use theirs or do they allow third party vendors? What type of deposit do they require and is it refundable? How much notice do you have to give to postpone/cancel? Even if you’ve talked through all of this with them and remember it all now, you do not want to be struggling to remember these details in 2024, and it becomes a giant he said/she said if they don’t agree. Get a written contract or go elsewhere.

The only time you could trust this without a contract is if there were many people vouching for the venue honoring their word. But this still could leave contingencies undefined.