Venues - need to make an appointment?

pikachiu132

Or can I simply visit it, and contact someone later?

amme5832

I had to arrange an appointment.  I looked online for information, and only contacted venues that we could afford / contacted venues to get pricing before setting foot in the venue.

I didn't want to decide I wanted a venue if we couldn't afford the price!

Meaghann17

If you want to just get a feel for it I would say no you don't need an appointment.

I researched online first, called if I needed more info and then made an appointment if we were interested. I agreed with pp- I didn't want to look if I couldn't afford it. Like trying on a dress out of budget!

When my brother and his now wife we planning they didn't make any appointments. But what they found is when they got places they didn't have anyone working that was able to provide any information. They were able to look around and see things which they were disappointed because they were from out of town. People in the service industry work different hours sometimes- so for example they went on a monday or something and the woman in charge was not at work because mondays were her day off (probably because she works all weekend)

Littlin

If you want to hear about their services I would make an appointment.  They often have great ideas about setting up and dressing a room that you may not be able to see when it is done up another way.  

Sometimes they'll let you come in while they are setting up for a wedding so you can see it as well.  If its a banquet hall, it could be in use and you won't be able to see it anyway, so best make an appointment.

naomikb

Most of the places we visited we made an appointment so we could discuss packages, prices, get details, find out available dates, etc.

But a couple of times we just dropped in on a Saturday around noon (when things were mostly set up but before guests arrived) and walked around to take a look at how the setup looked, how many guests they had, etc.

Typically my very first step was to email them to get them to send a price list with menu options, bar packages, etc. to see if it was within our price range - if not, we didn't bother visiting.

unplainjane

i made an appointment for all of them except one. it's definitely best to make an appointment so you know someone is available to take you through as well you'll get an idea of the type of customer service they have.

ring_pop

It never occurred to me not to make an appointment. I think it's a waste of time to visit without an appointment; if you like it, you'll have to make an appointment and go back anyway.

femmepink

I had to make an appointment to all 15 places that I visited. It's better to make an appt anyway because then you'll get all of the details.

StephieBow

All of the places I contacted required an appointment.  They are usually pretty flexible, just make a quick call before hand and set up a time.

melanniejane

I looked each venue up online first, emailed or called them for their wedding packages, they emailed them to me and we went over them one by one for a couple of days.We got a rough idea of what packages we were looking for and once we decided which ones were within our budget  and had menus that worked for us we called and made appointments. We took one week and visited one or two a day then decided after that. I found this way the venue and the coordinator's personality were still fresh in our minds so we could make a good decision. Ask right then and there for a preliminary budget proposal, this way you have something in writing to make your decision and negotiate with! Good Luck!

mattycam

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_canada-toronto_venues-need-appointment?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:613Discussion:07c9e065-a385-406f-a684-205ae5a2cfb9Post:3ea3be43-8819-4097-b78d-5d935c0567c5">Re: Venues - need to make an appointment?</a>:
[QUOTE]I looked each venue up online first, emailed or called them for their wedding packages, they emailed them to me and we went over them one by one for a couple of days.We got a rough idea of what packages we were looking for and once we decided which ones were within our budget  and had menus that worked for us we called and made appointments. We took one week and visited one or two a day then decided after that. I found this way the venue and the coordinator's personality were still fresh in our minds so we could make a good decision. Ask right then and there for a preliminary budget proposal, this way you have something in writing to make your decision and negotiate with! Good Luck!
Posted by melanniejane[/QUOTE]

We did the same thing!