25 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Venue
My number one rule in wedding planning is NO ASSUMPTIONS, and every time I meet with clients I end up asking very similar questions that lead to more questions about their vendors, so it seemed appropriate to create a series of cheat sheets of questions to ask your vendors. Let's start with the vendor you will likely book first, your wedding venue!
What is included in the rental package?
Do they provide tables, chairs, tablecloths, china, silverware, drink-ware, ice, etc.?
How many of each?
What do they not provide that you need to rent out?
Do they have restrictions on the vendors you can use?
Do they have a specific list of vendors you need to stick to or can you hire your preferred vendor?
If an outside vendor provides certain products/services, like the wedding cake, do you need to pay any fees?
Can you bring the beer, wine or alcoholic beverages?
Is there a fee associated with bringing them?
How early can you begin setup?
Do they assist with any setup?
At what time does breakdown and clean-up need to be complete?
Is cleaning included in the rental fee?
Do they assist with any breakdown or setup?
Do they have a cleaning list or any cleaning requirements?
At what time is the ceremony rehearsal?
How long do you have to rehearse?
Do they provide a floor plan?
If not, can they provide you with the dimensions of the venue?
If it rains, what is the recommended rain plan?
Anything else you should be aware of?
If it is important to you, are there any other weddings that day?
Do they have restrictions on what you can use for the send-off?
Do you need to stop serving alcohol at a specific time?
Do you need to turn off the music at a certain time?
Finally, please make sure everything the venue promises is clearly stated in the contract. Verbal promises are not enough, since you never know if your contact at the venue will still be there on your wedding day and you want everything to be "written on paper", to avoid any misunderstandings. Take it from me, a former bride-to-be that had a Venue Event Manager that quit the week of my wedding.
Stay tuned for more vendor questions cheat sheets!
