22 Questions to ask a Wedding Venue

When it comes to the venue there are a lot of things to be considered.  It is important that all queries are addressed along with any other questions you may have.

Rember, this is one of the most important decisions, you don’t want guests to arrive and find out the venue doesn’t have enough seating for the amount of guests, or there is no parking etc.

Take your time and ensure you do choose the right venue for your occasion.

Some of the questions to ask include:

Is the venue available on your wedding date?  This would be our first question. Why ask more questions, if it is not available on the day you require.

What is the capacity of the venue?  It is no good hiring a venue that will hold 100 people if you have 200 guests. This is one of the most important questions and others will flow depending on the answer to this one.

How may people can be seated and standing?  This is a good question to ensure that people can mingle, some can sit but there is still room for people to be standing, not a complete sit down venue, unless that is what you are looking for.

What is the cost to hire the venue?  Once you are aware of the price you can then determine the compare costs with other venues and services involved to see which gives better value for money.

Will we have exclusive use of the venue space? Exclusivity ensures there is no noise or distraction from any other activities that may be happening at the same time.

What exactly is included in the hire fee? This is important as you need to ensure there are no hidden fees in the costs.  When looking at the venue it may look stunning, tables may even be shown set for an event, however, the table decorations, chairs, linen etc may be extra.

Are there any additional fees or charges that are not included in the hire fee? If there are additional charges, keep these in mind when comparing venue costs as a venue may work out more expensive than first thought.

What is the minimum and maximum time for rental of the venue? You need to know exactly how long you are hiring the venue for.  This can be important if you are setting up and cleaning up after the event.

Is there a preferred or exclusive vendor list and do you have to use them?  It is great if the venue have suggestions of vendors, as they may be businesses you have not considered and as preferred vendors would be accustomed to the layout, and setup of the venue, however, if you want to use your own vendors then it is imperative you know you can.

Catering – do they have inhouse caterers or can you bring in your own catering service or even supply food yourself? You may have a caterer in mind or maybe your family and friends and doing the cooking and setting up a grazing, food station.  You do need to know if this is allowed because you may want to use their kitchen.

Is there a liquor license for the venue and what time can you serve alcohol up to? If you are not having alcohol at the event then obviously not an issues, but important if you are.

Does the venue supply bar staff to handle the serving of alcohol?  If staff are not included then this will be an additional expense to consider.

Are there any noise restrictions or curfews that you need to be aware of? If there are then these would need to be passed on to any entertainment you have, or noise in general.

Are children and animals allowed? If you are planning on having children at the wedding ensure it is a child friendly venue.  Service animals should be allowed but always a good idea to check if animals can come to.

What is the cancellation policy?   Ensure you are clear on everything within in the cancellation policy, if there is one, saves on tears and stress later on should things need to be changed.

Can the venue provide additional services and equipment, such ass tables, chairs, linen and lighting?  If the venue can provide them, then compare pricing with hire services or if you were supplying your own.

What is the policy regarding decorating the venue, are there any restrictions? This is important if you were planning on hanging lights, or anything attached to walls etc. It is always a good idea to take picys before and after if putting items on a wall.

Can the venue provide recommendations for local accommodation for guests who may need a place to stay overnight?  Keeping accommodation local is always a good idea when people are relaxed and had a great time, the closer the accommodation the better, unless they want to explore the region.

What are parking facilities like?  Some things to consider when it comes to parking is older guests, is there adequate parking for them to park near the venue so they are not having to walk a long way.  Consider any disables guests and ensure there is adequate parking for them.

What are entrances to the venue like? If you have disabled people coming, ensure there are ramps or steps are not to high or to many, in case they cannot manage them.

Disabled facilities? Are there disabled facilities, such as bathrooms, lifts, ramps etc.

Are you allowed use of any gardens?  If there are gardens, ensure you are allowed use of them, for photographs or even if you want to put up a marquee or mobile catering van etc.  You do need to know what you can and cannot do in the garden or outdoor areas.