FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!

Now that we've celebrated and done a little happy dance together...


It's time to start searching for and touring wedding venues!


If you talk to any professional in the wedding industry about where to start your planning process, they'll likely tell you that checking off your big ticket items first is the smartest way to go. Right after doing your own little happy dance, of course.

One of those big ticket items, and in my humble opinion the most important one, is booking your wedding venue.


Booking a wedding venue before anything else allows you to:

  • Set date, which is crucial for obvious reasons
  • Search for vendors servicing the area around your venue
  • Easily pin-point the decor style and how much of it you need


But choosing a wedding venue isn't always a walk in the park for everyone, and when you're touring multiple venues you like how do you choose THE one over the rest?

It's important to have as much knowledge about each venue, and the way you do that is by asking key questions! So assuming each venue you tour is within your budget, here is a list of 10 additional questions to ask on your tour:


10 KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE TOURING WEDDING VENUES


  1. CATERING - Do they provide in-house catering? Do they have a list of preferred caterers, or can you bring your own? Can you bring your own alcohol?
  2. POLICIES - What are the refund, cancellation and reschedule policies?
  3. RENTALS - Do they have furniture (i.e. chairs & tables) you can use or will you have to find a rental company?
  4. SPACE - Are there on-site bridal suites you can use to get ready?
  5. REGULATIONS - How many guests can comfortably fit in the space according to their fire codes?
  6. HARSH WEATHER - If their ceremony/reception spaces are outdoors, what are your options in case of bad weather?
  7. SET-UP - How early can your other vendors set-up, how any hours can you have the space and who cleans up afterwards?
  8. PARKING - Is guest parking easily accessible, is there shuttle service in case it is not?
  9. INSURANCE - What are the insurance requirements for you and your vendors?
  10. CAKE - Is there a cake-cutting fee?


These are just a few questions you can ask during your tour, but each has potential to be a deal maker or breaker.

Remember to always be realistic with your budget and expectations!

Sidebar:


Other big ticket items are your wedding photographer, videographer, florist & planner/coordinator!


HAPPY TOURING!