The Venue Search. It is so exciting but can also be terribly overwhelming.

Aside from the obvious items you need to consider - budget, location, capacity - there is a whole list of questions that are often overlooked until much later in the planning process. Which at that point, can be too late or end up adding unexpected costs to your spending plan in the last stretches of planning. These items are especially crucial when considering those always amazing, but totally complicated, Build-Your-Own venues.

But don’t stress! We’ve got you covered. First, we always suggest hiring a Wedding Planner to help you find the perfect venue and ensure these details are not missed.

If you decide to start your venue tours before hiring your Wedding Planner, you should be prepared with all the things you didn’t know you need to know. Here are some detailed questions to ask (and why you need to ask them) when touring your dream locations for your once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Use this as a quick reference guide while touring, or if you’re Type A like us, copy and paste these into a spreadsheet and make your own checklist! (I mean… who doesn’t love a good checklist??)

Logistics

Location

Is the property easy to find? How complicated are the roads leading up to the venue? Will you need to provide transportation for guests, especially those staying in a hotel? If so, what size buses will fit on their property and/or driveway? How far is the venue from your home? Will you need to book a nearby hotel room for getting ready or staying the weekend? We suggest booking a hotel room or Airbnb for any location more than 20-30 minutes from your home. Travel time (and traffic!) can impact your timeline by requiring an earlier start and creating a potentially rushed day. Travel time is also downtime for your photo and video team that you are paying for, but not getting the best use of. (See our blog post on Photographers Contract times)

Celebration sites

Does the property have space to host your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in three different locations? If not, you will have to plan to flip the ceremony space to reception. A “flip” could add costs to your catering bill for additional staffing, as well as extending your cocktail hour - which means additional food and drink for your guests during that extended period of time.

Photo Ops

Are there multiple locations on the property for taking photos? Throughout the day, you will likely have several different photo groupings - first look, wedding party, family, newlywed portraits - are there different areas for this that are not your ceremony or reception spaces? If not, will you need to find a location for some of these photos off-site? Taking photos off-site could require additional time for your photo and video teams and additional transportation for you and your crew.

Parking

Is there ample parking on site? Are Valet Attendants needed? How far is parking from the venue? This is important to consider for your guests’ comfort. Think of how it feels walking from the car in heels to the ceremony site and, conversely, after the festivities back to the car!

Rentals

Are rentals included with the venue fee? If so, do the chairs and linens fit your standards and design plans? What quantities of each item are available? Do they offer upgrades, and do they have an exclusive rental company, or are you permitted to rent from our preferred vendors? You will need at least: tables for guest dining, welcome, gift and DJ, chairs for both ceremony and reception (or possibly incur an additional fee to move them), linens and napkins, tableware (china, flatware, glassware), additional bar glassware, and one to three bars, depending on locations of cocktail hour and reception and your guest count. If the above is not included in the venue rental your catering company may be able to provide these rentals. Regardless of the source, if they are not included in your contracted rental fee, these items will definitely be an additional cost. (See our blog post on DIY Venue vs. All-Inclusive Venue)

Catering

Is catering provided by the venue, an exclusive caterer, or are outside caterers permitted? Is there a kitchen on-site? Depending on the level of appliances included, a kitchen may need to be built to support your catering service team. Catering companies will often bring their own ovens and/or hot boxes, tables, and enclosure, or hedge walls to create prep and scullery (space to clear/clean dishes) areas and include these expenses in their package with you. It is best to have this information upfront, so your catering company can provide an accurate proposal.

Bar service

Are bars and all the supplies included with venue catering, or provided by an outside vendor? Are there built-in bars on-site or are outside rentals needed? What is their alcohol policy? Do they require a Security Guard if alcohol is being served? Some venues require additional security, and of course, the expense is added on to the couple.

Power and Lighting

Is lighting included on the property or do we need to bring in our own? Think, market/bistro lights, uplighting, lighting on walkways and restrooms. Some outdoor venues can get super dark at night. Lighting is a must-have and if not covered by the venue, will need to be rented and installed at your expense.

Is there ample power and power drops (plug-ins) for a DJ or band and lighting? Keep in mind that bands will need their own 20 amp circuit, totally separate from plugs being used by lighting or any other vendors, eg. photo booth, coffee cart, etc. This is because band equipment and speakers pull a TON of power. Plugging too much into one circuit will cause it to blow, shutting down your entire event! If a separate circuit is not available, renting a generator or few (if outdoors) for lighting and/or other vendors is a great backup option.

Restrooms and Trash

A gritty topic, yet absolutely necessary to discuss, are restrooms and trash. Are there ample restrooms? Our guideline here is there should be at least two women’s and 1 men’s stall per 100-120 guests. If there are in-house restrooms, are they easily accessible and in good working condition? If a BYO venue, does the venue provide maintenance to keep toiletries stocked, trash cleared and countertops and sinks cleaned? If not, you may have to request this service from your caterer which could require additional staffing. We say this is a requirement since we don’t want your family or wedding party taking care of this! Not to worry… If there are not ample or well-functioning restrooms on-site, portable restrooms can be rented and they are actually very nice! While they are surprisingly elegant, this would still be an added cost to you.

Are there dumpsters on-site and available for your catering company to use at the end of the night? Are there additional smaller trash cans located on the property, for guest use? If not, receptacles can be rented from your rental company or through catering. Most catering companies will also provide trash removal services, for an additional fee.

Side note: If the venue allows couples to use their own vendors for rentals, catering, and bar, you should always plan to hire only licensed and insured professionals. Actually, this goes for ANY vendor hired to execute your beautiful day regardless of venue rules!

Accommodations and Timing:

Wedding Party Suites

Is there a Suite on-site for one or both wedding parties? What is the size? Are the suites large enough to get ready with a beauty team plus your wedding party and parents, or will you need to plan to get ready at a different location? Along these lines, what time do you have access to the suite? Some venues will only allow access 2 hours prior, which would require your beauty services to occur off-site. Or, if the room feels like a tight fit, a different getting ready location might be the better option. Nobody wants to be squished or claustrophobic on their wedding day. For either of these options, we refer back to the location of the venue. Is it close enough to your home, or will you need a local hotel or Airbnb?

Setup and Strike

Speaking of access times, how much time is included in the contract rental fee for vendor access to set up and strike/load-out? Is there an additional fee for additional hours, if needed? Is it possible to access the property the day before and the day after, for installations and removal? This is especially important to consider if you are interested in a large production event.

Curfews

For outdoor venues, what is the music end time? Many counties have code enforcement rules to comply with which require all music to stop at 10 pm. If you and your crew are late-night partiers, you may consider a venue that has an additional indoor option for an “after-hours” party. The venue may charge an additional fee for the additional location or hours, plus your entertainment contracts will need to include these additional hours.

The new normal:

What are the venue’s cancellation and postponement policy in regards to pandemics and State and County mandates? What guidelines are they following for safety and how does it apply to you, your wedding party, and your guests when on the property? If testing is required, the expense to provide testing could potentially be passed on to you.

and, Most Importantly - YOU:

How do you feel when you look at the ceremony site? In the reception space? When you are walking around? Did you both get chills and have to catch your breath?? If so, then you know it’s the one. All of the previous details are “figureoutable”, and your Planner will make it work.

Still not confident? Hire your Wedding Planner first! We are already familiar with many of the local venues and usually know this information before visiting the venues with you. If we don’t have this information, we will do all of this research beforehand so we know all that is involved going into each venue visit. This means we can filter through to those that we think will fit your needs, keeping the overwhelm at bay and making venue shopping actually fun!

Happy Planning!

xo, K