Going to look at wedding venues tomorrow!

palmettogirl924

I am SO excited. We are going to look at 2 tomorrow and 1 on Tuesday and hopefully have a decision. Unfortuneatly, most places in Charleston have a spot for an outdoor ceremony, but in February it will be chilly! So we're looking to a couple of different things. Anything for me to keep in mind or questions to ask when I go look?

jemmini6

If you do have an outdoor ceremony, be sure to ask what their 'rain' plan is.  Ask to see the rooms you will get ready in and what time you are allowed to come.  Try to envision yourself there, I saw a few venues that were absolutely gorgeous, but just not what I had pictured for my FI and myself.  Don't limit yourself to just the 3 choices.  My FI and I looked at 8 before we were able to make a decision.  Make sure you know what vendors you can bring in on your own.

Edit: you don't have to limit yourself to the 3, but you don't have to look at 8 either.  If you find one you absoutely love in those three, then I agree that there is no reason to keep looking.  But if you are kind of on the fence about the 3, then keep looking.  I know that sounds like of obvious, but I had a friend that was planning from OOT, so she picked 4 places online, and said she would pick one of them no matter what, even if none of them were perfect, she'd pick whatever was best of them because she couldn't come back to look at more.

leia1979

Also ask about decorating restrictions (e.g. are candles allowed?)

Also, some places are sneaky about food and beverage minimums. Make sure to ask about that and find out exactly what's included for the price. For example, the photos of my venue show chivari chairs, but they aren't included.

berkleighsmom

We are getting married outdoors in February. I live in Texas but I can't imagine that South Carolina is much colder. Our reception is indoors though. You probably want to look for that option. Even if it's cold, the ceremony only lasts 15 to 30 minutes. Your guests will be fine. I definitely agree about the back up plan for rain. Some places charge a fee to set up indoors for a ceremony and then back to a reception setting, so ask about that too. Good luck!

Edit: I just looked it up and the average temp is 60 for the high and 45 for the low. Not too bad! As long as you set the ceremony for a time with plenty of sunshine. The rainfall average isn't bad either. It looks like you guys get the most rain from June to September. Yes, I really am that big of a nerd

[Deleted User]

Make sure to ask them what is included in their price.  We only ended up going to 2 venues and the 2nd offered everything we wanted and more for an amazing price and we saw no reason to continue looking. 

The 1st place we looked provided the meal, the tablecloths and napkins (only in certain colors and didn't have one of my colors) and the cake, if we wanted it at their cost (if we brought our own, they charged a $2 per person cake cutting fee).  They would provide the chair covers and sashes, but they were an extra $2 per chair.  They did not provide centerpieces, DJ, photographer, etc.

The 2nd place (and place we chose) is providing all the linens, including chair covers/sashes; the centerpieces; the meal and drinks (we're having a dry reception, so they're going to provide a punch fountain, sodas, coffee and tea); a cider toast for all guests (some places will only provide it to the bride & groom or just the bridal party); the DJ and the photographer (who will also come to our church for the ceremony) and since they do not have a baker on site, they do not charge a cake cutting fee.  They're providing all of this for only $1000 more than the 1st place and we actually like the looks of the venue better.

Oh, another question to ask is about food tasting if the venue is providing the food.  The 1st venue did not provide a food tasting at all, even if we paid for it.  The 2nd one is providing us with multiple tastings for free (we don't want to take advantage, so we're only doing 2 - the 2nd one only because the lady insisted she wanted to feed us again).

Check out the parking at each venue - is there enough?  Do they have to walk a long ways?  Is the parking lot simply a dirt lot (we have one of those here, but the hall is beautiful so some people think it's worth it)?

Make a list of things you want to know before you go and make some kind of chart (or whatever works for you) so that you can make comparisons when you're making your final decision.  Good luck and have fun!

rxjen

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_going-look-wedding-venues-tomorrow?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:e6c130e3-3fa6-4bc5-abfe-48a5fe05c893Post:dd79d419-301d-495f-aad0-5e16662218a5">Re: Going to look at wedding venues tomorrow!</a>:
[QUOTE]Also ask about decorating restrictions (e.g.<strong> are candles allowed</strong>?) Also, some places are sneaky about food and beverage minimums. Make sure to ask about that and find out exactly what's included for the price. For example, the photos of my venue show chivari chairs, but they aren't included.
Posted by leia1979[/QUOTE]

What Leia said! These are very important questions. Giid Luck :))

Narwhal

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_going-look-wedding-venues-tomorrow?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:e6c130e3-3fa6-4bc5-abfe-48a5fe05c893Post:40eff460-71fd-4bcd-8e39-2b874b4463d7">Re: Going to look at wedding venues tomorrow!</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>We are getting married outdoors in February. I live in Texas but I can't imagine that South Carolina is much colder. Our reception is indoors though. You probably want to look for that option. Even if it's cold, the ceremony only lasts 15 to 30 minutes. Your guests will be fine. </strong>I definitely agree about the back up plan for rain. Some places charge a fee to set up indoors for a ceremony and then back to a reception setting, so ask about that too. Good luck! Edit: I just looked it up and the average temp is 60 for the high and 45 for the low. Not too bad! As long as you set the ceremony for a time with plenty of sunshine. The rainfall average isn't bad either. It looks like you guys get the most rain from June to September. Yes, I really am that big of a nerd ;)
Posted by berkleighsmom[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>No freaking way. February in Charleston is FREEZING. I couldn't imagine sitting out there for a wedding during that month. 

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