Top Five Questions to Ask Your Venue

So you think you’ve found your venue…

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Being newly engaged brings so much excitement to your life, but it can also be a bit overwhelming.  From telling your family and friends, to picking a dress- there are tons of things to do and decisions to make.  However, one of the most important decisions is picking a venue.  The venue you choose sets the tone for your wedding; whether it is formal or casual, it has to fit your wedding vision as well as the timeline.  So when you finally decide on a venue it’s easy to commit without asking too many questions.  Luckily, one of our favorite blogs Premier Bride Boston has compiled a list of “30 Questions to Ask A Prospective Wedding Venue”.  We’ve answered the top five questions we feel are most important for our busy engaged couples!

“Do you have vendor restrictions or a list of preferred vendors I must work with?”

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This is very important if you have a particular florist, caterer, etc. that you’ve been dying to work with as some venues will only work with certain vendors. It can be devastating to find out you can’t have your dream band or DJ to set the mood for your reception after you’ve already put down a deposit.  Make sure to double check with your potential venue about any specific limitations they might have.

“What are your parking options for guests?”

This might seem like an obvious question but if your venue is in the city or another unique location parking can be a major issue.   Many venues in cities do not provide guest parking, particularly if your venue is not a hotel.  If your venue does not provide guest parking, we often suggest for a couple to provide transportation, for example a trolley or party bus, from the designated guest hotel to the venue and back for easy and on-time guest arrival.

“Where can we set up a cocktail hour?”

Cocktail hour may not seem like the most important thing for you as the bride, but it’s a very important part of the day for your guests.  Some venues will allow for your cocktail hour to be in the same place as your reception, assuming that your ceremony is elsewhere so there is no setting up to be done.  If not, it is important to determine a location for your guests to mix and mingle while the wedding party takes photos.

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“At what time can vendors arrive to set up (this is very important for a band, DJ, florist, designer, etc. to set up) and when do they need to make sure the room is cleared?”

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In the excitement of finding your venue it’s very easy to forget about the logistics.  If you have elaborate table settings or flower arrangement it’s important that you know how much time the venue will offer for set up.  Without A Hitch, and many other day-of coordinators, works with our couples a week before the wedding, and also the day-of to confirm on-time vendor arrival, set up, and departure so you don’t have one more thing to worry about.

“When do you need the final head count?”

This is integral to your wedding timeline, as this is the date all of your RSVP’s will need to be in by.  If you have any guests that you know will not be able to commit to attending until the last minute, be sure to discuss this with your venue in advance.  This will make the process much smoother in the event that you need to make any changes to your guest list.

For the full list of questions to ask your potential venue visit Premier Bride Boston’s blog or just click the link below!

"30 Questions to Ask A Potential Wedding Venue"

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