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Visting our first venue option!

ali79gerali79ger
500 Comments
in Connecticut

Hi all -

FI and I are heading to our first venue visit next week - the Gershon Fox Room in Hartford.  Do you have any recommended questions/advice?  I have a book of wedding planning and obviously this site is a great help - just wondering what the best "unusual" questions may be...  I'd rather not get home last night and say "I forgot to ask about..."...

Thoughts???  

Thanks!
Alison :)

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Re: Visting our first venue option!

  • aylaq5319aylaq5319
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Hey!

    So exciting to start the process! I have recently started also and have looked at like 10 venue sites already! Some important questions to ask that I have learned from going to see places recently is definitly ask if they offer a tasting. It might sound like an obvious answer but you'd be surprised at how many places do not want to do this when My FI and I find it be a very important part of the menu and deciding on a place. I do not know if you are planning on doing your ceremony at the reception menu or not but if you are ask about seating and if it is an additional cost. Another important question I have found to ask is if they offer a rehersal and the meal prices for children and your professionals, (photographer, dj, etc.). I hope these help and good luck with looking at places!! ITs so fun.
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  • starrbuk13starrbuk13 member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congrats on your engagement!

    I would quiz them about their coordinators.  A remember a few girls on this board having problems with the coordinators at the G. Fox Room a little while back.  I don't know if everything got resolved or not, but just make sure you know who you'll be working with on their end...

    good luck!
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  • wrdgirlwrdgirl member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congrats on visiting  your first venue!  Great question to ask!  Here are a few that I have in mind and hope they'll help you:

    - The MOST important question IMO: Ask to see a sample of their contract and ask if you can add or remove certain things.  I've had some issues with one vendor who thought I was asking for too much when I wanted to add more to their "standard" contract and asked me to find another vendor lol.
    - If you plan on doing ceremony on-site whether there is a place for you to get ready.
    - Ask how many events per day are held at the location.
    - Since it's in Hartford, ask about parking (when I researched for locations in Hartford some places offer discounts to nearby parking garages but for the wedding party I think it was free).
    - Whether the charges will include gratuities (some places asks for some percentage SERVICE fee but not necessarily include gratuity).
    - Ask for the staff to guest ratio.

    Good luck!
    --------
    My planning site
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  • ali79gerali79ger
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you for all the feedback so far!  Here are some items I know based on what is said above...

    - we won't be having our ceremony there, so I can "x" that one off
    - good call on the tasting!
    - sample contract - good call
    - they only host one event per day; and they recommended we visitwhile they have a wedding set-up...so we're going a 1/2 hour before a cocktail reception starts so we can see the full set-up
    - I will certainly clarify teh parking situation - the site says "complimentary parking"...but who's that for?

    So far the person I've been talking with seems very attentive - I was SO glad to receive an email within an hour from her after my initial inquiry!  Another beautiful spot in Hartford (I'll refrain from stating the location right now) took MANY days to reply and almost seemed liek were were doing THEM a favor beign interesting in their location.  Not cool.

    Thanks again!
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  • irishxmystirishxmyst
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I'd also ask about their policies on decor (and on everything else!).  Some places have certain rules (ie no open flame candles, no fog machine, etc). Sometimes you can glean this from reading the contract, but sometimes they have additional polcies that aren't in the contract and you find out by asking (or in the worst case trial and error).  There may be certain aspects (ie real candles, bubble machines, fire jugglers -hah) that you consider "must-haves" and if the venue doesn't allow it, it kills the deal.  It's best to find out what those things are now rather than after you sign a contract (or worse after you pay for something and then the venue doesn't let you set it up the day of the wedding).

    I'm a month away from my wedding and there are still things and policies I'm finding out about my venue.  Fortunately, I'm in the habit of asking our venue coordinator first before giving our florist/DJ/etc the go-ahead, so any changes I've had to make have been minor and not a huge deal for me.

    If you haven't already I would pick up the book "The Bride's Survival Guide: 150 Mistakes You Should Avoid to Have the Perfect Wedding" by Sharon Naylor.  It's full of good tips and "I never would have thought to ask that" questions for every aspect of wedding planning.
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  • mckenzie31mckenzie31
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    ask if they have a back up generator (i know it sounds strange0 but i was at a wedding where the power went out right at the beginning of the reception...it was awful...the DJ saved their wedding..and also another thing to consider is will they work around people with food allergies.most places i'm sure will but you never know
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