Picking a venue is a very important decision and there are many factors to consider. Not only is the venue the setting for your entire wedding, but it creates unique design opportunities to make the day your own. While some venues are more of a blank space, others speak for themselves with the character they exude. Keep in mind that not all venues offer the same thing, so you can't necessarily compare them apples to apples. When reaching out to venues, I would ask for their availability, especially if you had a date in mind. Below are 10 questions to ask each venue that you tour that might help!

1. What is your capacity?

Going into the tours have your guest count in mind to make sure they have the capacity to host your guests comfortably.

2. Do you have outdoor and indoor ceremony + reception options? If not, can you flip the space?

If you are set on an outdoor wedding for either your ceremony and/or reception, make sure there is a plan b that you would love just as much. Flipping the space means that you can have the ceremony and reception in the same room. During cocktail hour your vendors will turn the space into the reception. 

3. What is your venue rental? Do you have a food and beverage minimum?

Ask about the price of reserving the space. While this seems obvious, it could be the deciding factor in the end when you look at your overall budget and priorities. If catering is an inclusive service through the venue, ask what the food and beverage minimum would be.

4. What is included in the venue rental?

This is such an important question to ask and understand in order to compare venues well. A venue rental price could include specific rooms, hours, decor or rental options, linens, etc. But each venue is unique and has their own inclusions. I would also recommend asking if they offer any upgrades or if there are any additional fees.

5. What hours are included in the venue rental?

Venues have different rental hours included in their rental fee. There could be an opportunity to arrive earlier or stay later, but may be at an additional cost. I recommend asking how far in advance you would need to add on hours, if necessary, before signing a contract.

6. Do you have an inclusive caterer? Do you have a preferred vendor list?

Preferred vendor lists are very standard. Sometimes this means the venues only allow you to work with vendors from that list, while for others it is a recommendation of vendors who they have previously worked with and loved. Unless you have vendors in mind, these lists are a great place to start because they know your venue and would work with their staff well.

An inclusive caterer is a catering company that the venue works with solely. Again, each venue is different and has different requirements.

7. Are you able to provide me with an estimate?

If the venue has an inclusive caterer and bar that you must work with for your wedding, it might be helpful to ask them for an estimate for your planned guest count. This can help you budget overall! Keep in mind, in your overall budget, the venue and catering/bar should be a separate line item. So when comparing venues to each other, I would take out this section to see how the venue itself fits in your budget.

8. How does your bar work? Do you offer different packages?

This is another great question if the bar is inclusive to the venue, however, typically these are questions you would ask further in the planning process.

9. How does your planning process work? Do you provide a Venue Coordinator? Am I required to use a Day of Coordinator?

These are questions I recommend asking that I would love to breakdown further. How their planning process works is a helpful question so that you know what to expect from the venue. Typically a venue has a venue coordinator on staff that would be your liaison for all things venue. Their responsibilities and how you work will differ depending on the venue as well. It is also very important to ask if they require a Day of Coordinator and if they have a list, so you can better prepare and budget for this vendor.

10. What is the booking process and deposit?

I would recommend asking about the booking process and what the deposit looks like before leaving your tour, so that when you are ready to book you are prepared! It is standard that a signed contract and deposit is necessary to secure your date at the venue.

Next Steps?

After scheduling and attending tours, talk through pros and cons of each venue. Hopefully these questions will help guide you in the right direction.

We were SO conflicted about which venue to book and believe it or not, the venue that felt completely right on paper and checked all of our boxes was not the venue we chose to book in the end. We had to ask ourselves, “What is most important to us?”

Ultimately we went with the venue that felt most like us. We felt so excited to work with the staff and were confident in the way they would be able to accommodate us, and our vision. It makes a difference to tour each venue you are considering, feel it out, and gauge how well you will be taken care of during the process.