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What To Ask When Booking A Wedding Venue

How Much Power You Can Provide

Wedding Planning: Questions to ask a Wedding Venue

This is one of the most overlooked questions to ask your wedding venue at the final meeting

Wedding vendors may need to pull a significant amount of power from the venue.

With that said, its extremely important to know whether the banquet hall you are considering has the adequate power and outlets needed.

Are Catering Services Included/required Or Are There Vendor Restrictions

Youll find some venues require that you use their catering services for your wedding, while others dont offer catering at all and allow you to hire your own caterer. Other times, venues have restrictions on what vendors you are allowed to hire.

At Windridge Estate, we do not offer catering. Although, when you book your event with us, we provide you with an extensive and detailed list of vendor recommendations, with a focus on all local, quality specialists, caterers, florists, wedding planners, photographers and party rental companies. We also allow vendors who are not on our preferred list, so long as they are licensed and insured.

Food And Beverages Questions

You are here because you are most unlikely to organize your wedding at a family farmhouse or of small stature. Therefore, if you are looking for a , hotels, or banquets, they will probably have their own food services. If you choose to book the in-house caterers of the venue, you have to ask:

  • Can we hire outside caterers, or do we have to book the in-house caterers only?
  • What will be the complete package of the venue along with catering services? Can you share the cost of guest accommodation ?
  • Tell us about the minimum and maximum limits for ordering food and beverages. What will happen if we either dont meet the number or exceed it?
  • Does your venue allow serving alcohol? If yes, can the venue team be able to purchase liquor for all, or should we have to source it from outside?
  • If your venue allows alcohol consumption, is it possible to arrange an open bar? How will the prices differ with the addition of an alcohol bar?

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Do You Have Any Special Facilities For Children

If there is an extra room available for the kids, we definitely advise you to use it! Nothing entertains children more than having a few games or even a Disney movie on in the background, leaving the adults to enjoy the speeches and the dancing. Some venues will offer a special area for this, but in case yours doesnt, you will have to make arrangements for a tent and children entertainment! Better be prepared!

Why Wait To Book

Questions to ask when booking a wedding venue

While you shouldnt wait too long to book your wedding venue if youre looking for a large or popular event space, you dont have to rush if your wedding is a long way away. Many couples choose to enjoy their engagement for a bit before diving into wedding planning.

While the average engagement is about 15 months, you can wait as long as you want for the wedding. Some couples get engaged but choose a longer engagement so that they can save more money to put towards their dream wedding.

We dont advise waiting longer than 9 months before your wedding day, but dont feel the need to rush into booking a venue if you have time! Take your time considering your ideal date, researching venues, and making visits before you book. Dont forget to ask important questions for your wedding venue before putting down your deposit!

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Can I Hold My Ceremony There

Absolutely most of our couples do. Weve created multiple ceremony locations, so you have your choice of backdrops and styles. We dont force everyone into the only spot no, were about custom your wedding, your way. We have:

  • The Barn featuring weathered barn wood thats over 100 years old from the historic barns on the property
  • The Pond a water feature with a lighted floating fountain
  • Redwood Trees a green oasis
  • Vineyard Wine grapevines planted on a hillside to create a lush green backdrop.
  • Oak Tree Terrace majestic oak trees with stadium seating
  • The Ballroom an indoor space with barn wood accents
  • And more its your wedding, we let you decide what youd like to use.

Key Questions To Ask Before Confirming Your Booking For The Big Day

There is more to a perfect wedding venue than just the aesthetics, which undoubtedly are a huge bonus! Nevertheless, there are all sorts of necessary details you ought to cover before signing on the dotted line.

The following are some key questions to ask before confirming your booking:

Availability and Price

Always try to visit venues before you have chosen an exact date for your big day. If you have some options or a range of dates that might work, you will be more likely to secure the venue of your dreams. Additionally, make sure to ask the following questions once you visit a venue:

  • Is the venue available on my chosen date?

If not, ask:

  • Who will be our point person during the wedding planning process?
  • Who will be our point person on the day of the wedding?

It is always ideal if these two people are the same, but unfortunately, that is not always the case. Therefore, find out who will be your go-to person during the wedding planning process and get the information about whoever will be in charge of the wedding day.

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Are There Any Noise Restrictions Or Other Rules

One of the most important questions to ask wedding venue, particularly if it’s a historic space, is about noise restrictions. Some venues may require music to be turned off at a certain time. And there may be other rules and regulations that you’ll want to know about, such as a no-candle policy, or restrictions about using confetti.

Decide On How Many Guests You Want

Questions to ask Wedding Venues Before Making the Booking

The average number of wedding guests in the United States is around 120 people. Youll need to decide if you want a small intimate wedding, an average wedding, or a large wedding. Here are some helpful steps to take in creating your guest list:

  • Start with a list of everyone you can think of to invite to the wedding. You and your fiance can work on this separately and then combine the lists into one when youre done. Dont worry about budget or space at this time, just write down the names.
  • Think about your budget and a realistic number of guests that you want to entertain. Start eliminating less important guests from your list to trim things down a bit. Here are some things to think about as you start cutting people from your list.
  • Have you spoken with or met them before? Or are they friends of a family member that youve never even heard of before?
  • Do you want children at your wedding or reception? If not, plan on an adult only wedding/reception. If possible, you could invite children to the ceremony but indicate an adult-only reception.
  • Have you spoken to them at any time in the last three years and they are not related to you?
  • Dont completely delete the guests you removed from your list. Put them on a second list that you can refer back to in case you have some extra room and decide to send out a few late invitations.
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    Do You Have A List Of Preferred Caterers Can We See Sample Menus

    Sometimes a venue will have caterers it recommends, other times a venue will have caterers you must use. Either way, ask to see a list of their favourites, it might be helpful for hiring someone who has worked at the venue before! If you are looking for caterers in the same area as your venue, you can use Bridebook wedding caterers search!

    The Initial Questions To Ask A Wedding Venue

    To get you started we’ve compiled a general list of wedding venue questions that cover all the various aspects. There are two primary questions you need to find out before talking to any venue youre interested in:

  • Does the venue have enough seated capacity to accommodate your guest list?
  • Is your desired date free?
  • Beyond those basic questions, there are a lot of big and small issues that need to be ironed out with your potential venue. This list is designed to give you a broad overview of the kinds of things you should ask in order to minimise any surprises later down the line. Some will apply to you, others may not, so you can simply skip over them when you’re chatting with the venue.

    Remember, when visiting multiple venues, keep a note of the answers at each, for easy comparison later on.

    Voewood | Darina Stoda Photography via One Fab Day

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    What Is The Guest Capacity

    As we mentioned before, you want to ensure that the venue can accommodate your guest count. At Windridge Estate we can accommodate up to 200 seated guests using our 8 rectangular tables and Chiavari cross back wooden chairs. We can host larger groups with format variations. We do not charge an extra fee for larger groups.

    Can This Venue Accommodate A Band Or Dj Including All Of Their Equipment Are There Enough Electrical Outputs For The Music And The Lighting

    Questions to ask when booking your wedding venue

    An important enquiry to make if you are planning on having dancing after the wedding breakfast. You certainly dont want to have booked and paid for a DJ and find out the venue will not accommodate him! Knowing the answer to this will also help your DJ or Live Band prepare for the day, in case they need to bring equipment or set-up outdoors, for instance.

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    Do You Have Any Dcor Restrictions

    Many buildings dont permit the use of confetti and other similar objects that can be thrown during the grand entrance.

    You will also find some with candle and open flame restrictions or sparkler restrictions.

    Its also important to ask your wedding venue coordinator if they have a wedding decor checklist of guidelines to follow.

    Can We Bring Our Own Decorations

    Why you want to ask: Some vendors may have restrictions on the kinds of outside decor they permit. Along with understanding what you can and cannot bring from outside regarding decorations, be sure to ask what kind of decor they provide. This will keep you from doubling up or bringing anything that may clash with what is already at the venue.

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    Do You Host More Than One Event On A Given Day

    If you have picked a large wedding site with multiple spaces, you should be aware of the activities that would be taking place in other parts of the venue.

    In addition, if the venue is hosting more than one event on the same day, find out how your guests would know where exactly they should go.

    Furthermore, it is so important to ask when will you and your vendors have access to your banquet room to set up.

    When Can Vendors Arrive For Setup

    ASKING MY BRIDESMAIDS & BOOKING OUR WEDDING VENUE! *EMOTIONAL*

    If you have come to an agreement for outsourcing vendors like caterers and decorators, ask the wedding venue management when they can arrive and set up their things.

    This will help vendors to schedule their timings and arrange things accordingly before moving into the halls and lawns for their setup.

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    Do You Work With Certain Vendors

    Many wedding venues forge relationships with local vendors, from photographers to caterers. For some couples, this is a wonderful thing , but for others this can be limiting and frustrating.

    Do you want your best friend to take your photos? Hoping your cousin will bake your cake? Make sure your venue allows other vendors. If they dont, go ahead and look for a venue that does.

    What’s Your Postponement And/or Cancellation Policy

    Checking on a venue’s cancellation policy may not have been one of the top questions to ask a wedding venue in pre-COVID times, but now it’s top of mind for many couples. You’ll likely have a non-refundable deposit, but how much you’ll pay in cancellation fees will probably depend on how far in advance of your wedding is canceled, and if the space is able to be rebooked. You’ll also want to ask about postponementwill you have to pay a penalty if you have to postpone? How far in advance will you have to make the call to postpone or cancel?

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    Are There Any Volume Restrictions

    This is one of the most important wedding venue questions to ask if you are having a wedding DJ or band.

    Certain venues, particularly the outdoor ones, would require you to follow some rules when playing music.

    In addition, there might be restrictions on what you can or cannot play in some areas and after a certain time of the day.

    Client And Vendor Contracts

    Questions to Be Asked Before Booking a Wedding Venue

    A very important question to ask your wedding venue at the final meeting is when is the final payment due?

    Furthermore, you will want to know what their refund policy is in case of a change of the wedding date or cancelation.

    In addition, some wedding venue coordinators require that all vendors serving your wedding sign their vendors contract.

    It is important to let the vendors you are considering know about any venue contracts they must sign prior to hiring them.

    You will also want to ask the venue if there is a time in which all vendors and guests must exit the building at the end of the reception.

    Also Check: Which Ring Goes On First Engagement Or Wedding

    Do You Have To Hire A Security Guard

    Some venues require that you hire a security guard to be at your reception, especially if you plan on serving alcohol. It could also be that they require it if you reach a specific number of people (ie

    However, check with your venue as they may provide security included in the cost.

    If you do have to hire a security guard, they typically cost between $100-150 per hour.

    Even if your venue doesnt require a security guard, you may want to hire one just for peace of mind. Wedding security can help keep the peace in case of rowdy or intoxicated guests, wedding crashers, or out-of-hand disputes. They can also help with safety issues, such as walking guests to their cars if the parking lot is far away and unlit. Additionally, security guards are trained in medical emergency response such as CPR.

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