WHAT TO ASK YOUR WEDDING VENUE BEFORE BOOKING

If you are here you you must be starting the very exciting process of planning your visits to your favourite venues! Don’t worry we are here to make sure you have the questions ready so you know what to ask and what it all means.

Your wedding venue is the perfect place to start your wedding planning journey, It’s what helps set your theme and style of your wedding, whether you are planning a rustic, more traditional or maybe you are after an unusual wedding venue. It’s a big first decision so it’s worth making sure you have all the right information before putting down your deposit, so we have put together all the questions that are worth asking when visiting your shortlist of venues and that will help you make your final decision!

How Many Guests Can They Accommodate in the Day & Evening?

It’s best to go to your venues with at least a rough idea of the amount of guests that’ll be attending the wedding during the day and evening. Make sure the venues you’re looking at are big enough for your guest list!

How Long Can They Hold your Date For?

It’s important to hold your wedding date to avoid the disappointment of someone else booking it, specially when you are first looking and comparing venues. Some venues let you hold a date for free until they get other couples interested in the same date, while others will ask you to pay a refundable or non-refundable deposit to secure that date. Find out whether you’ll need to pay and how long they’ll hold it for while you weigh up your venue options.

Does The Wedding Venue Offer Exclusive Hire?

Some venues are less exclusive, this can result in multiple weddings in on day/location or can effect who else is permitted on the grounds of the venue, some of which may still be open to the public during certain times of the day. This may also effect the times your suppliers are allowed in and out. It’s worth asking as there may also be extra costs to have exclusive hire. If you’re looking for a private wedding venue where you will be the only couple getting married and the house, grounds and staff belong to you, ensure that your venue is an ‘exclusive use’ one – especially if it’s a hotel or historical landmark.

It’s really important to find out the details of who will be allowed to go where and when.

Do We Have to Use Your Recommended Suppliers?

Most venues will be able to supply you with a list of “recommended suppliers” who they regularly work with and trust, the list can be helpful if you’re not sure where to start with your planning.

Some venues will request that you stick only to their recommended suppliers list. This is worth looking over before committing, as it can limit your choices and potentially not work with your budget. Find out if the catering is in-house or from a recommended supplier, or whether it might be possible to bring in an external caterer. What’s the procedure for that and how much does it cost?

Is There Enough Parking?

This may depend on your venue location but if lots of guests will be travelling by car to your venue, check the parking situation to see if they can accommodate your guests. If they don’t have allocated parking, are there nearby car parks or roads for guests to leave their cars, do they charge etc?

Similarly, it’s worth knowing f your guests can leave their cars overnight as it will allow them more choice on how late they stay, whether they decide to have a drink, or whether they’ll need to think about taxis ahead of time.

Do You Have Accommodation On-Site?

If you’re getting married in a location that isn’t local to your family and friends this is essential, or worth asking about local places to stay as an alternative. Some venues offer a discounted rate or include bedrooms in the wedding package, so be sure to ask what they can do for you in terms of rooms and prices.

You’ll be swamped by guests asking this, so its work asking them about check in and out times! You could send out an email or put an accommodation FAQ on your wedding website with prices, dates to pay by, who to pay, and the check in/out times.

From What Time Can We Access the Venue?

Whether you're planning on doing some wedding DIY’s or bringing in the professionals, you'll need to know when you can access the venue as this can range from several days before to just a few hours before, will there be a wedding the day before as this may change nearer the time to allow you to access early. It's also worth asking when they expect you to have cleared your decorations by on the following day and if they offer any services to help.

Are There Areas For Both of you to Get Ready in the Morning?

If you’re dreaming of getting your hair and makeup done in the bridal suite of your venue or looking for an area to prep ahead of the day, it’s important to make sure that space is actually available for you and your potential wedding party. Not all wedding venues will have the facilities for you and your partner to get ready there on the morning of your wedding. It’s also worth checking if it’s included in the price!

Are There any Décor Restrictions?

This may include no naked flames, then you definitely won’t be walking down a candle-lit aisle so it’s worth checking if thats your dream. Ask whether you’re able to hang things like lights or drapery, and check restrictions on things like candles or large flower arches. No doubt you wont know at this point how you want to decorate but it’s best to know what you can’t do from the start.

Are Fireworks/Sparklers or Confetti Allowed?

Not all venues allow fireworks, sparklers or confetti so it’s worth checking if you are planning on having an epic confetti line. Some will be happy with biodegradable or petal confetti, others will allow confetti indoor not outside so it’s worth asking if there are any restrictions.

Do They Provide You With Tables, Crockery And Linens?

You’d be surprised how many people forget about these details! It’s also worth checking if they are square, long or are they round? How many people can fit on each table? What does the head table look like? They may even need to be hired or provided by the catering company but it is really important that you know in advance. It’s also worth asking what the crockery and linens look like as they may not go with your theme and you might want to provide your own.

What are Your Bar Prices and is it Cash Only?

If you’re not planning on having an open bar, it might be worth checking what prices the bar at your venue will charge. If the venue’s alcohol is really expensive, you might be able to negotiate a special price for one or two kinds of drink to try and ease the cost of the night for your guests.

It’s well worth checking if the bar takes cards and cash. Guests will need to know in advance if it’s cash only.

What Time Will The Evening Reception Need to Finish?

This is something you need to know before you send out wedding invitations and start booking suppliers for the big day like your evening band or DJ. It’s also worth asking if the bar stops serving at the same time, or if that’s half an hour or an hour before.

Do You Have Disabled Access?

This is worth asking if you are planning on inviting any elderly guests or guests that need disabled access, toilet facilities for them to be more comfortable. It’s also worth considering if using a lift or an entrance that doesn’t involve steps is available.

Is There Somewhere We Can Securely Store Our Wedding Gifts?

Couples tend to get lots of very valuable wedding gifts so make sure the venue has a safe place you can store them all.

How Much Will the Initial Deposit Be and When is the Final Payment Due?

You might think the venue you want is out of your league financially, but with just a deposit to pay first, and final payments later on, it may just be doable. Alternatively it’s worth asking if they do payment plans to help break it up

Securing a final date for the venue payment allows you to map out a timeline of financial pay-outs and can give you time to save up to pay for the wedding.

Is VAT Included in the Prices?

VAT can sometimes creep up on you, so be sure to check if that’s included in the price or if it’s added later on.

Are There Any Extra Charges For Staff/Cleaning/Room Hire that Aren’t Included in the Prices Given to Us?

Unfortunately this can catch a lot of people out, having hidden costs no one tells you about when it comes to the wedding, so be sure to ask this question. Ask if you’ll incur a charge if the number on the day doesn’t match the numbers you’ve given them too (people do bring unexpected +1s!)

Wedding clear-ups are a very important subject to cover at the start. While a large majority of venues will have staff that can take care of the post-wedding clean-up, there’s still cases where you’ll be responsible for either doing it yourself – if you’ve hired land for a marquee, for example – or you’ll be in charge of hiring a team to do it for you.

What’s the Cancellation Policy?

If you cancel far enough in advance, most venues can return your full deposit. However, you may not get it back after a certain date so check what their policy is.

What is the Changeover Plan From Ceremony to Reception Room?

If your reception is taking place in the same room as your ceremony, ask what will happen in the changeover and how long it will take. Will staff set up the tables or will you need to plan for your wedding party to do this? What will your guests do in the in-between time? Is there a separate area for them to have drinks and take photos?

Do They Provide an On The Day Coordinator?

Some venues have an in house coordinator that help on the day to organise staff, people and general flow of the day to keep your day running smooth and if there are any problems they can sort it without you having to worry. This is worth knowing as it may help with the details and planning of your day.

Thank you for spending the time reading our blog post!

If you are looking for more wedding tips, check out our previous blog posts , alternatively if you want to see what venues are on our bucket list check them out HERE!

Always remember that it’s YOUR wedding, it’s about the two of you, and that’s all that matters. Make it fun, through out your planning journey all the way through to your big day.

We are a husband and wife team, who capture both photography and film based in the beautiful Dorset countryside. Our wedding & elopement photography and film style is authentic, romantic, and a little adventurous. We would love to hear from you! Alternatively we are always happy to help you out through out your wedding journey to find the right inspiration! To see more examples of our work head on over to wedding photography Portfolio.

If you’d like to chat with us about capturing your special day – Contact us here!