Questions to ask Wedding Venues

Venue hunting can be the most fun and the most frustrating experiences of wedding planning. It’s important to start a list of questions you need to ask the venue manager to avoid costly pitfalls.

Planning:

-Do you allow more than one wedding to take place at the venue each day?

-Who will be coordinating on the day? How long will they be here for and what will they do/not do?

-Are there any building works or renovations plans before the wedding date?

-What is you wet weather contingency?

-Do you have a preferred list of suppliers we have to work with?

Ceremony:

-Which rooms are licensed for the ceremony?

-Are the ceremony and reception in the same room? If so, what is the plan for changeover and how long does it take?

-Do you have two rooms for the two of us to get ready? Bride & Bride, Bride & Groom etc.

Food & Drink:

-Do we have to pay for a food and wine tasting?How many people can come?

-Do we have to use your in-house wines? If not, do you charge corkage?

-How much wine, champagne and soft drinks are you allowing per head in your packages?

-Are linen, cutlery and glassware included in the packages?

Decoration:

-What options do we have in terms of layout, table sizes & chairs?

-What other décor is provided in the package?Can we bring our own?

-How much freedom do we have to decorate the space & move things around?

-Can we decorate the day before? If so, what time can we get access?

-Will you hold any remaining décor overnight for pick up the next day?

The Reception:

-Where can we set up the band/DJ?

-Do they need to use your sounds system or should they bring their own?

-Do you have a microphone for use for the speeches?

-Can we play ipod through your speaker system?

-What time is sound curfew?

-What time does the bar close?

-How many toilets do you have on site?

Accommodation:

-Does the package come with a room or suite?

-Do you have a block booking discount for guests?

-Do you have a separate room for children if we set up a space fore them?

-Do you have disabled access?

-What parking do you have available on site? Offsite parking close?

-Do you have a smoking area?

Costs:

-Do you offer any discounts for off-season or mid-week weddings?

-What is the deposit, and when are the other payments due?

-What is your cancellation policy?

-How does it affect the price or the package if we have fewer guests RSVP than we expected when booking?