Wedding Venue - Questions to Ask

Mzarob16

We're getting ready to go visit some potential venues and I want to be sure we ask all the right questions. What questions should we ask? Other than the basic questions, what information did you wish you had asked early on or forgot to ask all together?

misshart00

You might post this to ceremony or reception ideas. More people frequent those boards.

[Deleted User]

Agreed! Members can share their insight on those boards. Knottie help is meant for any community/tech questions.

BostonGIrl4732

@KnotPorscha - is there anyway that you could move these posts to appropriate boards?  Or delete them from here?  I think it's a bit confusing and it would be nice if people came to this board and could read through questions that they might have as well without posts like this confusing them.

[Deleted User]

@BostonGlrl4732 Great idea!

@mzarob16 I am moving this to Reception ideas for you.

allispain

It really depends on the couple and the venue type. We are getting married at a venue that has an out-door ceremony space and an in-door reception area. Some things we asked:

- Are there any restrictions on petal tosses?

- Do you have any specific way of handling mosquitos and other bugs or is that something we should take care of?

- You do have a list of required vendors that we have to use? If not, are there ones you would recommend to us?

- How early can the bride and BMs show up to the venue to get ready? (Some venues don't let you get there until 30 minutes beforehand, which isn't ideal if you're planning on getting ready in the on-site bridal suite).

- Is it possible to add on an extra hour if the reception is still going full swing? If so, how much would this cost?

manateehugger

Allispain gave you a good list. 

-Make sure you ask about set up and clean up - who does it? Do you get extra time for it or is it included in the packaged time price (e.g. 5 hours for $1000)?

-Any restrictions on candles or hanging things?

-Make sure you know exactly what space(s) you have access to and which spaces are off-limits. 

-Check out  the bathroom situation! We had one venue high on our list of favorites until we realized the women's bathroom only had one stall. One stall for a 150 person wedding wasn't going to cut it. 

 

calliopeia2013

Agree with PPs- I'd also add

- What kind of resources are available for caterers (which may affect which caterers you can use- some need an onsite kitchen; others don't).

- Do they book more than one event in a day (like, a morning event and an evening event), and if so, how is that handled.

- Electronics and other sound-related stuff- what kind of amps/speakers/whatever do they have, or does your band/DJ need to bring all their own stuff?  (Also a good idea to check and make sure there aren't any noise restrictions.)

My venue had a lot of weird restrictions because of its layout and where it was located.  They were pretty upfront about most of them, but they forgot about some and we didn't find out until later.  If there's a venue you're really drawn to, I recommend checking out their weddingwire reviews, and also their Yelp reviews, to see if people are all mentioning one specific complaint or issue.  Then, obviously, you can ask the venue about that issue specifically.