The Right Questions to Ask at Venue Tours
Touring wedding venues is a tiring process, especially when you don’t know the questions to ask. My best recommendation for you when it comes to the touring process? Is to hire a wedding planner. Now hear me out, it’s because we listen to your vision and understand your aesthetic to find the venue that best matches your needs. Each wedding venue you tour is going to try and sell themselves to you, saying they can fit any vision. While this is sometimes true, there are venues that fit a more specific theme, such as rustic or modern. Afterall, you don’t want to book a rustin barn venue if your wedding theme is black tie old money, right?
Photo By: Jason Crocker
Even if you don’t hire a planner before your venue tours, you’re getting our exclusive venue questions worksheet in this blog! These questions are what the planners at Elizabeth Bliss Events ask venue managers when WE tour venues. There are questions that will cover a wide variety of topics, that ultimately make sure every aspect of the day is covered for the venue you book. While some of these questions may not apply to your wedding specificly, it’s not a bad idea to ask them anyways just to make sure you cover all your bases.
Venue Tour Questions:
General Questions:
Will this be the only event at the venue that day?
What is the venue's capacity?
Is there a venue manager that will be available onsite the day of?
How much time is allocated for the rehearsal?
Will we have access to AC and heating?
When is the earliest we can access the venue?
Can I have access to the venue the day before the wedding?
How many wait staff do you have during the event?
Do you provide bussers?
Do you have booster seats and high chairs available?
Is there a sound system in place for speeches?
Venue Specific:
Do you have outside and inside ceremony options available?
Is the ceremony and reception held in the same room?
Is there a separate spot for the cocktail hour?
What are the dance floor options?
Is there parking on site? How many spots?
Are cabs/rideshares easily accessible to the venue?
Is there a bridal suite onsite?
Do you allow us to bring in things for mimosas or can you provide them?
When does the venue close?
Is there an extension fee if the couple would like to stay longer?
Is your lighting dimmable for the dancing hour?
Layout and Decor:
Do you provide your own chairs?
Do you provide ceremony seating?
Do you provide your own tables?
Round tables or long tables?
When will the tables and chairs be set up?
How many guests fit at each table?
How many tables do you have?
Do you/your staff set up the tables and chairs?
Do you provide your own linens? Colors?
Are candles permitted?
Is there any decor provided by the venue?
Are we able to bring in our own decor?
Are there any decor restrictions?
Can we drop off the wedding decor the day before?
Are we able to decorate the venue the day before?
What time does all the decor need to be picked up?
Can the decor be left overnight?
Do you have your own signage to guide guests throughout the venue?
Do you provide easels for signage?
Do you have a floor plan layout to send me?
Vendor Related:
Do you have a required vendor list?
Are there requirements for working with outside vendors?
Can the venue accommodate a DJ or a live band?
Does the DJ need to use an in house sound system?
Food and Bar Services:
Do you have a required caterer or do we provide our own?
Does this include a wedding cake?
Do you have a full kitchen?
Do you provide flatware, glassware, utensils, etc?
Is your team responsible for setting up each place setting with utensils, flatware, glassware?
Do you have cooking utensils in your kitchen?
Do you have a place to store food leftovers?
Where can the cake and desserts be safely stored?
Do you have cutting utensils for the cake?
Do you provide coffee and tea?
Do you have a liquor license to serve alcohol?
Do you have your own bartenders you staff, or will we need to provide our own?
How many bartenders do you provide/ do we need?
Do you include a champagne toast with the bar packages or is it extra?
Do we purchase liquor through you, or do we source it elsewhere?
Do you provide specialty cocktails?
What do your bar packages look like?
What drinks are included in the packages?
Do you have a bar minimum? Can you do cash, open bar, both?
If we provide our own liquor, is there a corking/service fee?
Clean Up:
Who is responsible for setting up and tearing down?
How long will my vendors have to set up and tear down?
Do you have any staff to clean the venue?
Who is responsible for cleaning the venue?
Now I know that was A LOT of questions, but trust me when I say it’s better to have these answers up front before booking. I’ve attended many venue tours in my time as a wedding planner, and with each tour my couples say “Wow, I never thought to ask that question!” about one or multiple of the questions listed above. So, print out this list, and take it to your upcoming venue tours. I promise these questions will help cover every aspect of your wedding day to ensure you book the best venue for you. Good luck!