Reception Venues!! - what questions should I ask??

emmyroo

We are finally getting somewhere with planning!  Today, I have the afternoon off, so I'm calling around to a few reception venues to set up meetings and such.  So far, we have two next Saturday!!  I'm waiting for another to call me back because she was in the middle of something when I called.  I'm excited but also kind of nervou!  I feel like I need to do some homework for these so I know what to expect.  So, what sorts of questions did you ask when you met with reception venues?  These places all have in-house catering.  Two are on golf courses and one is on a campground by the river.  They all look very pretty

 I'm also (possibly... haven't heard back from her officially yet) meeting with a photographer tomorrow night!  It's someone my fiance went to school with, and she's pretty new to the wedding photography biz, so she's less expensive too!  Everything I've seen of hers is good, though!

sparkles776

I had 3 pages of questions for my venues I went to. I'm at work though so I will post some when I get home! Good luck this is so exciting, but scary too I was nervous at the first venue I went to, but I got the hang of it quick!

sparkles776

Here are some of the questions I asked. I asked a ton of questions. FI and I only looked at 3 venues. 2 out of the 3 were happy to answer our questions, the 3rd one rolled her eyes at me! That immediately took that venue out of the running, even though it was beautiful.

Will there be other events/weddings at the same time?
What is your cancellation/refund policy?
How much is the deposit to reserve the date?
Does the deposit go towards the total bill or is it held for damages?
How does your payment plan work?
What does the per person cost include?
Do you have a must spend minimum dollar amount of a minimum number of guests?
Are taxes, service fees, gratuity included in the price? If not how much are they?
Any reduced pricing for children or guests under 21?
How many hours is the typical reception? How much is it per hour if the reception runs over?
Is there a room rental fee?
Do you have a preferred vendors list or can we bring in our own?
Can the wedding cake be brough in from the outside?
How many servers per number of guests?
How many people will be at each table?
How many hours is the bar open?
How many bartenders will there be?
Is a champagne toast included? If not how much per person?
Do you do a food tasting? How far ahead of the wedding is the food tasting?
How far ahead do you need the final count?
What is your decorations policy? Are real candles allowed?
What do you do as far as clean up? What are we required to do?
Do you offer chair colors? How much are they? Can we use an outside vendor?
Do you have deals with any local hotels for out of town guests?

hope that gets you started!

emmyroo

Excellent!! Thank you so much! Some of those questions I didn't think about, like candles and number of chairs per table. Those are kind of important for decor planning!

sparkles776

I know! I googled all sorts of questions when I was about to go venue hunting. I learned a lot from asking those questions. For example, my venue has both 8 person and 10 person tables. My venue coordinator suggested putting 8 people at a 10 person table for a little more elbow room, which I thought was a great idea.

lodonnell616

FWIW--I didn't worry about the decor questions when I picked (and booked) my venue.  Since I really wanted the place and I figured since I had no idea what I would choose for centerpieces/table decorations yet (it is still pretty far off) why worry about candles?  If I can't use them, so what...I haven't bought anything yet anyhow.

Also, its a good idea to note that 8 people at 10 person tables (or 8 person tables in general) means you will need more tables for your quests and then more centerpieces/decor which will drive your cost up.

In booking my venue, I noticed that things that seemed minor to me ended up costing alot in the long run since you don't really realize at first that a small change across 90+ people adds up.

Also, don't underestimate the 'feeling' you get off the people you meet with.  If they're not cooperative or helpful in the first place...what do you think they'll be like on your wedding day?

Good Luck!

Jaridds68

That's an awesome list! I have just a few to add:

-Parking situation - (you mentioned two have golf courses) will there be reserved parking for our guests? Is valet parking an option? (note: valet parking will be an added expense)

-Entertainment/Sound questions: Do you have speakers/mics in house? if not, how have ppl mic'd the ceremony in the past? (dj's and bands should have their own equipment if the venue has nothing but there can be a small fee for them to bring it). 

-How soon can vendors come to set up? (we went to one place where the vendors had less than an hour to set up...yikes)

-Is there a suite/room for the wedding party to get ready/store things (is there a place, like a safe, where we can put valuables)?

-Sounds weird, but find out where the closest bathrooms are and check them out. If the only set of br's is down/up a flight of steps and you have elderly/wheelchair bound folks, that's not going to fly. 

Good luck!

sparkles776

Well, it was important to me to figure out what kind of decorations are allowed, and if candles were allowed. Some places wont even let you use tape, which is fine, if you love the venue you will make it work. Although, I do not have my centerpieces picked out yet obviously, I know I at least want a few votive candles on each table. I also have this beautiful candle holder that I plan on putting on my escort card table. So it was absolutely an important question, as most people have candles at weddings.

Clearly I know that putting 8 people at a 10 person table will mean more tables and more centerpieces. Obviously if I am considering that option, I am willing to pay a little more for my guests to not be so cramped.

emmyroo

Yup, I want votive candles too, so it's important to me too. I'd rather not have to have those fake candles to get the same effect It's also why I'm glad you reminded me to ask about table capacities. So I can figure out how to budget for centerpieces, but it is important to think about if I want 8 or 10 people at a table. Sure it may not be something I need to know right now but it's good to know so don't have to remember to ask later! Thanks, Jarrids68!! Some of those are very important too! FI and I each have a chair-ridden grandmother so accessibility will definitely be something to consider!!

edited for a mistype... darn auto-correct!