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Wedding venue touring can be a fun, exciting, and slightly overwhelming task to take on while wedding planning. Typically the first task, since nailing down a date is usually high on the priority list. But if you’re wondering what questions to ask the wedding venue while touring, keep on reading!
There’s a lot to consider when picking a venue, and a lot of questions to ask the wedding venue while on your tour so that you can make an informed decision and ensure your day will go as smoothly as possible.
There are of course a lot of basics, which you likely will know ahead of time, will be looking into before you tour, or already have in mind to ask.
- Is the date you want available/what are the available dates?
- What is the cost?
- What does the cost include?
- When is payment due/how much is due when?
- Does the cost change based on days of the week or guest count?
- What is the max capacity?
- What does the wedding package include?
- Where is the cocktail reception held versus dinner/dancing reception?
As we went on 7 different wedding venue tours, we ended up learning the important questions to ask the wedding venue to ensure it’s a good fit for both the vision you have for your wedding, and just the general needs of your wedding and guests.
These questions below were items we discussed with venues we were considering, and ultimately helped us with narrowing down are decision and figuring out which venue was for us!
Questions To Ask The Wedding Venue
What is your weather contingency plan?
Might not be relevant if you are doing a strictly indoor ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, but if not, this is a MUST ask. Do they have backup plans? Are they prepared? How far in advance do you need to make a decision whether things will take place inside or out. Is their max capacity both inside and outside?
Most important – do you like the set up of the indoor option? You might have fallen in love with the outdoor version and setup, but make sure you’d still be happy if things needed to be moved indoors.
Do you have a backup generator?
Along the same lines, but should there be a situation where the venue loses power, you don’t want your wedding to have to be put on hold till they can get things back going again. No power = no light, no music, no food. Hard to carry on in that type of situation!
Is there a preferred vendor list? Are you allowed to go off of that list?
This varies from venue to venue. Plenty have lists of all different types of vendors, but it can range from just being a suggestion to being a strict requirement to use only that list.
Definitely important if you have any type of vendor you have your heart set on! Make sure your venue allows for them to use them.
Our venue has a list of preferred vendors, but we’re allowed to go off list for any of them. However, I plan to try and stick to within the list as much as possible since I like the idea of going with vendors that are already familiar with the property and any quirks the venue might have.
Can the bride, groom, and wedding party get ready on site?
Is there a bridal suite and a grooms lounge for getting ready? Are they a big enough space for all of your bridal party + any hair and makeup people who might be there as well?
Other options if there isn’t one or it’s not a good fit – nearby hotel. Double check where the closest hotel would be and if they would suit your needs.
What is the cut off time for the evening? Can you add time on?
Depending on location, there can be a sound ordinance so there is a strict cut off time. This means your wedding will have to end at X time, no after party or anything afterwards at the venue. If you have a cute send off planned, this will have to be coordinated to happen BEFORE that time.
There might not be a sound ordinance, but they just have a cutoff time they implement. Always important to know those times!
If they don’t have a curfew, then you should ask what block of time your contract includes, and if you are allowed to add extra time. And at what cost!
When can vendors begin set up + bridal party arrive to get ready? Can this be changed?
If you plan to get ready on site, it’s important to figure out when you’re allowed to arrive and if there is any room to change that.
For example, our venue has a start time of noon, and we have the option to add time on in the morning which we will likely do to allow ample time to get fully ready. That’s for a ceremony start time of 4/5ish.
Same question for vendors, when can they start their set up process and if that isn’t enough time, can time be added on? What cost?
How much decorations are allowed? Any restrictions?
Definitely be sure to find out if any decor comes with the venue already, and if you’re allowed to move that around, or even put it away if it’s not your style.
If you have a specific vision in mind for your decoration, it’s a good idea to ask if they have any specific limitations or restrictions when it comes to your decor.
Are there any specific rules with children?
I’m not sure how common this is, but some venues do have specific rules when it comes to children.
We had narrowed it down to two venues, but one of them required us to hire childcare because of the amount of children under 10 that would be attending.
If you are not having any children at your wedding, obviously this doesn’t apply. But I am a now retired nanny and have a lot of littles that I adore and want to be at my wedding (many of which will be IN my wedding!) I really didn’t want their experience to be restricted in anyway, and wanted them to be able to have as much fun as possible! I don’t know if the childcare requirement would have impeded their fun, but something about it just didn’t sit right with me. My personal preference 🙂
What is needed to secure the date?
Contract to be signed? Payment in full? First installment? Either way, once you’ve decided on a venue, you want to be sure you know how to lock it DOWN! Dates can go quick.
What requirements do they have?
It seemed to be a common theme that most venues we toured required us to have a day of coordinator. Some required us to go with someone off their preferred vendors list, others didn’t have requirements on who to go with, and some had a person on site who took on this role.
In case you don’t know (I didn’t) – a day of coordinator basically handles all the day of logistics and makes sure vendors are where they need to be at what time and all the little details are taken care of. They help to make sure things go as smoothly as possible!
I personally am glad this was introduced to me since it sounds like a great way to get a lot of your stress off of your back, especially the DAY of your wedding. But it is a cost to be considered when picking your venue, one that you might not have been aware of.
Other requirements can include some type of insurance policy as well. And there might be others I’m not aware of! So it’s definitely a good question to ask to make sure you know all that you need to do in order to secure and stay in line with the rules of your venue.
Can you bring your own alcohol in?
IMPORTANT question because bringing in your own alcohol is an easy way to save money on wedding costs.
Not sure how much to purchase – this article and this party calculator should help! I have heard though that calculator over estimates, but it gives you a good idea. Wherever you purchase from, ask about returns!
Apparently at Costco if you end up not using any alcohol you are able to return it. Another easy way to save!
Also important – ask what is REQUIRED for your caterer to serve the alcohol. Certain licenses are typically required, so this may be a question for your caterer.
Is there a cake cutting or corkage fee?
These also could end up being a question to ask your vendor, depending on how your venue is set up.
I don’t know all that much about either of these fees, but I’ve heard the terms being used plenty. Another sneaky cost that can add up!
Cake cutting fees are typically charged if you end up going with an outside baker for your cake, and can add up quickly for larger guest counts.
Corkage fees are similar, except obviously applied to alcohol. Very important to ask this (to venue or caterer) if there will be a corkage fee if you supply your own alcohol.
Are there any sound restrictions if inside/outside?
Our venue is an indoor reception with an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour. We only found out once we read the contract that for the cocktail hour we are only allowed to play acoustic music. Not something that was brought up during the tour (or a big deal to me) so it wasn’t an issue. But something to keep in mind!
Where is the nearest hotel?
This is important to ask whether you have out of town guests or not, but obviously super important if you do have out of town guests.
Where is it? How far away from your venue? How many options do you have – important in case one gets booked up! What’s the drive like from the hotel to the venue?
What is the parking situation like?
Do they have valet? Is there enough space for everyone? Do they require and/or encourage a shuttle service. Do they have on site or require a parking attendant? What would it be like in inclement weather? Is it accessible for all of your guests? Can intoxicated guests leave their car and come back for it later?
Is there an easy pickup spot for Uber/Lyft/Taxi
An important consideration if you’re having an open bar!!
Is there sound equipment on site, or will that need to be provided by the band or DJ?
Good to be aware of when you are picking your band or DJ down the line so that they can be in the know and you can be informed of what you’ll need from your band or DJ!
Other Important Things To Consider
How was the drive into the venue?
Was it a complicated route? Did your GPS have trouble locating it? How would the drive be at night or in inclement weather?
If you’re getting a shuttle – how does that route go? We have a friend who planned to have shuttles for their guests to go to and from the hotel and venue, but found out later on that the shuttles couldn’t go over a bridge that was along the route. This ended up meaning they had to switch to cars instead of shuttles, which came at a much higher price tag.
For any older guest or guests with physical limitations, would they be easily able to get around?
What is the walk like from ceremony to reception? How accessible is the bathroom? Is there a place they can get dropped off closer to where they need to be? Make sure grandma and grandpa can easily get around! 🙂
Does the venue come with any cute animals?
jk, but honestly this ended up being a selling point for me. Our cocktail hour will have a horse named Gus and I’m OBSESSED with the whole concept.
I hope this helps you to figure out some questions to ask the wedding venue while you’re touring so that you have ALL the necessary information to make an informed decision for your big day!
Did I forget any important questions to ask a wedding venue? If so, please leave them below so this can be a helpful resource for all brides early on in their wedding planning process!
