Over the last 12 years in the wedding industry I have heard a few horrible stories about vendors and venues. Being the devils advocate I ask well did you ask about that beforehand or was it in a contract? Communication and getting all the information you need is so crucial when you are investing in your venue and any wedding vendor because you want a stress free process and heck you deserve that!
Here are some key questions I would ask either when you visit the site with the planner or ahead of time via email. If it is in person be sure to take notes in a notebook, get a pamphlet or put it in your phone. Have it so when you narrow down your choices you can easily reference it. A lot of well known venues will answer a lot of these questions before you ask but it is better to be over prepared and not get stuck with unexpected costs.
- What dates do you have open?
- Do you offer discounts on weekday weddings?
- What are the capacity limits for ceremony and reception?
- Is outside catering allowed?
- Are there any other events here or nearby on my wedding date? This is an important one if parking will be limited *
- How big is the dance floor space?
- What payment schedules do you have?
- How much is a retainer?
- When is the final balance due?
- What forms of payment are accepted?
- What is the cancellation policy?
- Do you charge overtime fees if our guests stay later than planned?
- What are your reception hours? How late can we stay?
- Do I need to purchase any insurance or permits?
- What is the liquor policy and licensing arrangements?
- Do you charge a cake cutting fee? If so how much?
- Are there any parking rules for where guests need to park?
- Is there a getting ready space? If so is there an additional fee?
- How long do we have possession? Can we set up the day before?
- Are there any additional cleaning fees? What cleaning is required of us?
- Is it child or pet friendly?
- Do you provide any decorations, linens, chairs, tables, dinnerware? What is the additional cost?
- What are the table and chair options?
- What are the layout options for ceremony and reception?
- Can we have candles or sparkler exit?
- Any decorating restrictions?
- Do we need to bring a signing table for our ceremony?
- Do you have a microphone and speaker system? Additional costs?
- Is there a screen for our slideshow? What is required for us to bring to make that work? Additional costs?
- What are the food options? Is there a minimum? Do we get to have left overs packaged up?
- Can you accommodate specific dietary restrictions?
- What are the alcohol choices? Do we supply it? Costs for bartenders?
- Are there any accommodation discounts?
- If the venue doesn’t have rooms ask if they have partnered with anyone that may offer a discount for you and your guests.
- Do they have a preferred vendor list or restrictions on specific vendors?
