What to Ask When Looking for a Wedding Venue…

Most couples are new to this whole “hiring” business when it comes to their wedding.

There are many questions to ask, not to mention frequently forgotten to ask while interviewing vendors or venues.

Someday

The first thing to ask is if your date is available. That will be the first step in narrowing down who to pick during the selection process.

Are looking at a specific date or just a general timeframe? Are you looking for Saturday nights (which are most popular) or are you open to a Friday or Sunday night (which might have cost savings)?

If you are having a destination wedding or available for a weekday you may see substantial savings.

What’s Your Name?

The next thing you will need to remember to ask is for all of their contact information. That way if you decided to pick one over the other, you would have easy access to them on multiple different platforms and for future references.

You may look at quite a few vendors with similar business names, and they all start to blend together when flipping from one tab to another on your browser.

How Big Is Big?

Ask them about the venue capacity and see if your guest list will fit into their venue. You won’t want it to be too big or too small of a space. If it’s a venue big enough for other events such as multiple ballrooms, ask if there are any other events are going on that day such as parties or other weddings that might not be appealing to you.

Multiple events on the same premises can cause confusion to your guests, disrupt your ceremony, or not bother you at all.

How Much?

Check for deposit amounts and due dates to ensure your day is reserved.

Ask for any additional costs as well such as clean up fees, overtime charges, and cancellation policies.

And A Thousand Other Things

Something often missed is whether or not the venue is wheelchair accessible for any guests that might need this feature.

Another thing to remember to ask if they provide in-house catering or liquor. This can make the wedding planning process more manageable, or it could tack on a lot of extra costs and make you change your mind.

Keeping the caterers in mind, know if there are any kitchen facilities available and whether or not the venue provides any tables, chairs, and linens.

If you are outdoors, what is the weather contingency if it rains?

Some brides really like the bridal suite feature to have all their bridesmaids together to get ready the morning of, so ask if there is one or a space to be used as one.

It is essential to keep in mind all of the small details that are quickly forgotten to avoid disaster. There is nothing worse than last minute wondering who is going to help clean up the reception party or how to get your guest with wheelchair access into the venue.

This day is meant to be as stress-free as possible, and to be ready for anything!

… maybe hiring a wedding planner or a coordinator for your wedding day might do the trick!