The Best Questions to Ask Your Wedding Venue

It's no secret that wedding planning is full of surprises and hidden costs. If you haven't hired a wedding planner, it can be hard to know how to avoid snags along the way, especially when choosing your wedding venue. Be sure to read this before you sign a contract and hand over your first check. Once most venues have a non-refundable deposit, you lose a lot of negotiating power. After a year of planning my own wedding and a few years working at wedding venues, I've learned some crucialquestions to ask potential wedding venues to avoid hidden costs and surprises on your final bill.

Venue and Contract Details

Space Issues: Although your venue will most likely give you the facts on how many people your space will hold, it is important to ask them if they are taking into consideration the deejay or band size, cake table, gift table, etc. It is easy for them to say that they can fit 10 tables of 10 people into a room, but the real question is whether or not there will be room for anything else.

Administrative Fees & Taxes: Make sure to ask if there are any administrative fees. Administrative fees are usually established to cover staffing costs for the night and are usually a percentage of your total food & beverage costs. Be sure to ask exactly what they cover. Also, make sure you know what will be taxed and how much tax is associated with certain items. For example, if you request a special glass for your champagne toast, it may be subject to a tax.

Time Limits: Ask how long you have the venue. If a venue requires that you and your guests be out of the space by 11:00 p.m. but you want your reception to last until midnight, most venues charge you a fee for that extra hour. Also, ask what time your vendors will be allowed to bring in their goods. This is important when considering vendors' time restraints.

Parking: Do not assume that parking is included in your cost. Most venues charge a fee for their valet service as well as their parking garages.

Food & Beverage

Minimums: Your venue will probably give you some information on the food and beverage details up-front, but hidden costs are very likely when dealing with food and alcohol. If your venue does not give you the food and beverage minimum up-front, you need to ask for it. It is important to know if the required minimum is not in your budget. Also keep in mind that the food and beverage minimum is not the minimum for anything else (i.e. linens, table rentals, etc). It is strictly the minimum for food and drink only.

Set-up Fees: Be sure to ask about set-up fees because you will most likely not hear about them until you get your contract. Some venues charge flat set-up fees for the room set-up, the bar set-up, etc. and they can be costly.

Waiter, Bartender, and Attendant Fees: Most venues charge another separate flat fee for waiters, bartenders, and attendants for various things such as manning the coat check or stationary hors d'ouerve tables.

Bar Fees: If you are having an open bar, check into potential hidden fees such as, bartender fees and check into what is stocked at your bars. Some venues only stock beer, soft drinks, and wine or particular brands of beer, soft drinks, and wine. If you want hard liquors such as vodka or gin, or brands that they do not stock, you may wind up paying extra. Also if you are interested in having your bar based on consumption, which means a tally of drinks is kept by the bartender throughout the night and you pay afterwards based on the total count of drinks, make sure your venue allows it. Lastly, don't assume a champagne toast is complimentary.

Outside Vendors

Restrictions: First and foremost, make sure that outside vendors are even allowed. Some venues require that you use their "approved" vendors because they have strict contracts with them. Approved vendors can include cake companies, flower companies, entertainment companies, and photographer & videographer companies. So if you were hoping that your cousin could be your photographer, you better check to see if that is allowed.

Vendor Meals: Most photographers and band or deejay members require that you provide them a meal at your wedding. Most venues have something written into their contracts to ensure your vendors get a meal, often at discount prices. Make sure to ask about the price of these meals. If you are required to pay the full cost of the meal, you may want to factor that price into your budget.

Décor

Restrictions: If you have visions of 300 votive candles twinkling at your reception, be sure to ask if that's allowed. Some venues will not allow certain candles or flowers.

"House" Supplies: Some venues have "house" supplies which are basically supplies that they keep stocked at their venue that are included in your cost. Unfortunately, sometimes these house supplies are the lowest quality goods. For example, most venues' house linens are white or ivory cotton linens. If you want silk or decorative linens, you may have to pay for your venue to rent them. Also, venues often have the lowest quality house chairs and china. The beautiful chairs that they have set up when you view the venue might not be the chairs that they stock.

Permanent Fixtures: Some venues will not remove anything from their space for your reception. So although the nautical sign on the wall sets the mood for their everyday atmosphere, if you don't want it there the night you celebrate your marriage, you better ask if they are able to remove it beforehand.

Night of Reception Details

Other events: Be sure to ask if there are any other events going on at the venue on the night of your reception. Although they can't really guarantee that you'll be the only event there that night, if there is another event going on, it's important to ask how that will affect your guests. For example, ask whether or not your guest will have their own bathrooms or whether they have to share them with guests at another event. Also, if you are not at a hotel, you may want to ask whether a bridal suite or area will be provided to you so that you can change if needed or fix your dress throughout the night.

Venue Staff

Coordinator: If you are working with a coordinator or sales person that the venue has provided, you may want to ask if they will be there for the duration of your reception. If you have a problem during the reception, you want to make sure you have someone there who knows the details of your reception plans to help.

References: Asking for references can be helpful. It allows you to ask specific questions and get an unbiased answer.

Correspondence: When you are in the middle of choosing a venue, venues are after your business so there is a quick turn-around time on emails and phone calls. However, once you sign the contract and hand over your first check that may change. Ask the venue what their average turn-around time is for corresponding with you throughout the planning process.

My best overall advice is to ask a venue for a sample contract before you sign your own contract. You can then view what the average wedding reception costs are for that venue. It may seem that there are a lot of questions to ask, but by asking, not only are you avoiding surprises, you are showing the venue that you are a serious customer and that they should treat you accordingly.