10 Questions to Ask Your Venue Before Booking

*This is Part Two of our wedding venue series. Check out Part One here: How to Choose Your Perfect Wedding Venue.

How do you choose a wedding venue? Choosing your venue might be the most important wedding planning decision you will make (other than deciding who to marry)!

You can’t make most of your other plans without choosing your venue first. You can’t choose or send out invitations or schedule any professionals like photography, catering, or music until you are certain about your date which you will need to be sure is available at the venue first and foremost! So, here are some questions to ask your venue before booking!

1. Is my date available and are there cheaper/more expensive dates?

If you’ve already chosen a date and have your heart set on it, your first question should definitely be whether or not your date is available. If it’s not, you can move on and not waste anyone’s time. You could possibly get on a waitlist to see if it opens up, though.

If you haven’t settled on a date, ask the venue manager if they have dates that are cheaper around the time you’d like to get married. Lots of venues offer discounts during their slower seasons or even certain weekends because of other events going on in the area!

2. How long have you been open/ how many weddings have you done?

This will give you some insight into how experienced they are. Being one of the first brides to use a venue may have some perks, but it’s possible they have some kinks to be worked out. Alternatively, your perennial venues can be stuck in their ways and “move brides through” if you aren’t careful. This question provides helpful information, but there is not a best answer here.

3. Is there a rain check/ rescheduling/ refund policy?

You never know when a pandemic might happen…

4. Does my photographer need insurance?

Some venues are really strict about who they will allow to operate within their business so they require photographers and other vendors to have special insurance for the day of the event.

If you hire someone for your wedding without insurance, the venue could deny them access and your money will have been wasted.

You can read about the insurance I hold in my About Me + FAQ page.

5. Will parking be an issue?

In bigger cities, parking can be a nightmare for your guests so it’s worth it to ask about parking. There are also venues that are so small or in more suburban areas that can make parking a hassle as well.

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6. Will you provide things like tables, chairs, or serving ware?

Some venues have tables and chairs you can use that are rolled into their price or at an extra cost. If not, you will need to consider the costs associated with renting such things in your budget.

7. Will you allow me to choose my own catering company or do I have to use yours?

Many venues have their own catering or they have contracts with certain caterers which clients are required to utilize. Other venues only allow licensed caterers while some don’t care if your great uncle bakes your cake for you!

It’s worth asking because a venue might seem like it’s in your budget until you factor in how much their catering will cost. Again, some venues require caterers to be licensed or that you have the food served rather than buffet style so be absolutely sure not to skip this question.

8. Will your staff help set up or tear down?

Trust me. You do not want to have to think about logistics on your wedding day! So many fabulous venues will provide staff to help with those things but there are lots of places that don’t have staff to help. It’s good to know if you’ll be needing a clean up crew!

9. Where can I get ready/be staged?

There are lots of beautiful wedding venues that seem to have forgotten about a small but important thing: the wedding party needs a place to hang out before the ceremony begins! See if they have a staging area and if it’s well kept.

If you’re getting ready at the venue, you’ll want a nice place to capture memories of things like putting on your dress or suiting up.

10. What makes this place the best?

If the person running your venue is passionate about what they do, they could probably go on for hours with why they believe their venue is wonderful and that is worth hearing!

There are lots of things to consider when evaluating wedding venues. With these 10 questions, you’ll be sure to win your wedding venue hunt and be on your way to the perfect wedding you deserve!