Venue

LouD042109 · July 2012

I would like to have my ceremony and reception in the same venue. I have a couple of local venues in mind. What kind of information should I ask for when I call the facilities? I am so worried about missing something I should really know.

bar10521 · July 2012

We're having our ceremony and reception at one venue as well. Some things to aks are if there is a ceremony set up/breakdown fee, is there a separate fee for the ceremony space, are all of the ceremony things like chairs or possibly decorations included and if it's outdoors what is the backup spot for the ceremony. We got a few different answers to these questions but where we chose doesn't charge for the set up/break down but it's an extra $500 to have the ceremony there. They also charge us something like $2/chair and there aren't any decorations included. We're doing outdoors and this venue's indoor back up is what made us choose them. Good luck!

wright944 · July 2012

Make sure that you will have enough time to do both the ceremony and the reception. Some venues only give you 4 or 5 hours of event time and that may not be enough. Make sure that you ask about outside catering, my venue had a list of nine caterers to choose from and there is a 15% venue charge that I will have to pay the caterer. Also, ask about alcohol and if they provide it or if you do. We are having our ceremony in a location that so when the ceremony is done the staff will move the chairs at no extra cost during the cocktail hour so that we don't have to pay for two sets of chairs. Also, if it is a public park or public property ask if there is security to keep away wedding crashers and what time you must be out of the park. Good luck!

Oh...and ask about decorations! I am only allowed to have a certain height of decor on my table because the venue is on a hill and the breeze comes through and will knock tall displays over.

JennLax · July 2012

Ask if there are any added (hidden) costs they can think of. For example, some places charge a "cake cutting fee" to divide up your cake for the guests and it can get quite pricey. Some other "hidden" charges I found in my venue search were:
- Taxes and gratuities.. some places included tax and tips into their amount and others had set amounts that you would have to add on at the end. That changed the prices by sometimes up to 28% higher.
- Set-up and tear down fees (like PPs mentioned)
- Rentals (do the chairs, linens, plates, cutlery, etc. all come included?)
- Cleanup at the end of the night. Are you responsible or do they have someone to help you?

Another thing to ask is if they have a day-of-coordinator who sets up your decorations for you. Our venue does not, so we either have to go in the morning of to put on all our chair covers, or hire an outside person to come in to do it for us, which is another added cost.

A few more things I can think of:
- Decoration limitations (some places do not allow candles for example)
- Exclusivity (will there be other weddings on the same day)
- Rental times (will you have the space for the whole day, giving you lots of time to set up? Or do they have a wedding earlier in the day and therefore will only release the space to you an hour or two in advance? We found a few venues like that and quickly turned them down.. there would be no time to set up!)
- Bridal suite: Is there somewhere that you can go before the ceremony to get ready? Is there a safe room where you can keep your/your bridal party's personal belongings locked up?

And I ditto what PPs said about catering. Some places come with an exclusive caterer you have to use, some have a list to choose from, and some are open to anyone.

ETA: I would just call to book a tour to come see the venue. Then ask these questions during the venue visit. It would be too hard to get through everything on the phone.

Oh and on your visits, remember to check the washrooms! Sometimes even the nicest places have dirty, gross bathrooms LoL

LouD042109 · July 2012

Thanks ladies! All of this was very helpful!

cnf2013 · July 2012

I'd also ask if they offer somewhere on premise for you and the bridal party to get ready in. Otherwise the other girls really covered everything. I'm also doing both in one spot and we chose our venue out of the three that fit our criteria based on best bang for the buck (included decor, bridal suite, linens, two sets of chairs for each event, hiding room, no silly fees like cale cutting, etc.)

iloveu4ever · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2013-weddings_venue-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:f30b0bfc-508d-415c-bf59-ab83e327da37Discussion:992343c1-8300-4d82-9603-4de420da146bPost:9fee69be-c23c-436e-a7d0-ac4214f608f3">Re: Venue</a>:
[QUOTE]Ask if there are any added (hidden) costs they can think of. For example, some places charge a "cake cutting fee" to divide up your cake for the guests and it can get quite pricey. Some other "hidden" charges I found in my venue search were: - Taxes and gratuities.. some places included tax and tips into their amount and others had set amounts that you would have to add on at the end. That changed the prices by sometimes up to 28% higher. - Set-up and tear down fees (like PPs mentioned) - Rentals (do the chairs, linens, plates, cutlery, etc. all come included?) - Cleanup at the end of the night. Are you responsible or do they have someone to help you? Another thing to ask is if they have a day-of-coordinator who sets up your decorations for you. Our venue does not, so we either have to go in the morning of to put on all our chair covers, or hire an outside person to come in to do it for us, which is another added cost. A few more things I can think of: - Decoration limitations (some places do not allow candles for example) - Exclusivity (will there be other weddings on the same day) - Rental times (will you have the space for the whole day, giving you lots of time to set up? Or do they have a wedding earlier in the day and therefore will only release the space to you an hour or two in advance? We found a few venues like that and quickly turned them down.. there would be no time to set up!) - Bridal suite: Is there somewhere that you can go before the ceremony to get ready? Is there a safe room where you can keep your/your bridal party's personal belongings locked up? And I ditto what PPs said about catering. Some places come with an exclusive caterer you have to use, some have a list to choose from, and some are open to anyone. ETA: I would just call to book a tour to come see the venue. Then ask these questions during the venue visit. It would be too hard to get through everything on the phone. Oh and on your visits, remember to check the washrooms! Sometimes even the nicest places have dirty, gross bathrooms LoL
Posted by JennLax[/QUOTE]

Yeah that is why we chose to go with the park. We are paying only $25 for the park shelters but gonna get a tent for extra space. We can use our own food, and bring in booze but might just use beer. I think we got to stop though at 10 pm for noise. No big deal. But some places are very strict with stuff.

anastassiiat · July 2012

I think the PPs covered pretty much all the things that I've asked when looking for a venue. When I was looking I've printed out this list http://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-party-ideas/detail/questions-to-ask-your-location/ that I found on-line, and added some of the questions that the other girls have mentioned on here.

Lissa1213 · July 2012

Ask about seating first
-where can the guests go between ceremony & reception? Is it going to be in the same room, if so how much time do they think you will need inbetween?

-catering? what caterers they except

-chairs & tables, how many, if you need more can they get them & how much

-dressing rooms

-sound system

-who is going to do the setup? what can you or can't you decorate?

-who is going to cleanup? Do they offer any type of dinnerware? Glassware?

I'm sure I'm leaving something out but hope that helps

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