I talked about choosing the right venue for you a couple of weeks ago & in that blog I mentioned that it was a good idea to go to the venues with a checklist of all of the questions to ask.
This is that checklist!
Whilst, of course, you don't have to prepare & you can expect the venue to lead you into the right direction of everything you might need to know, I think it's a good to have an idea of what you want to know. It is likely that you haven't planned a wedding before (or at least not that many) & so you might not know what you need or what to ask.
Before you go to your shortlisted venues, you should already have an idea of what you want for your wedding; add these things to the checklist before you go & check that they are allowed. For example, I wanted fire at my wedding - that is a huge one to ask rural properties before I fall in love with a venue, especially if it is a deal breaker for me!
You can see all of the things I recommend asking below. It is, by no means, an extensive list; it is a great starting point to find out the main things about the venue before choosing it for your wedding.
The big ones definitely are:
- Maximum capacities & minimum spends - no-one likes surprises later!
- Packages & inclusions - again, no surprises! Make sure the inclusions give you what you want, whilst also don't break the bank
- Catering - where is it coming from & what are the house rules surrounding this. If you have to source your own caterer, make sure that the venue doesn't have a list of preferred suppliers first & also consider that this might bump the cost of your wedding up!
- Alcohol - also where is it coming from & what are the rules. Licensing laws in NSW/Australia can be quite strict so be sure to ask if BYO is allowed, or what the license for that venue is. If spirits are on your list of must-haves, ask about those now too - not all venues provide spirits.
- Terms & conditions - know what you are getting yourself into upfront & know what the payment & cancellation policies are.
Also think about logistics - try & get a picture in your head of how your day will run & where everything will happen. Ask about wet weather plans (if outdoors) & rules surrounding signage, noise & decor. You don't want to plan an elaborate day only to find your can't do these things later.
Asking the venue about what they have onsite first is also a great idea; you can try & plan your room setup & decor around what is already onsite to save on costs there. Just make sure to ask if anything costs extra (I have heard horror stories about these types of hidden costs!).
And that's it!
I hope you find this useful & it helps find the best venue for you! You can pin the below image, or contact me for the PDF version.
See you next week.
Hx
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