How to Book Your Wedding Venue

There are countless options when it comes time to choose your wedding venue. And while this can be seen as a positive, because it gives you a greater chance of finding your dream location, it can also make choosing your venue a little daunting. Here is our cheat sheet for finding and booking the wedding venue that is perfect for you, your partner, your aesthetic, and your guests!

Before you Tour

First things first, find the venues that you want to tour. Whether you were a guest at a wedding and loved the venue or you do your research exclusively online, you should create a list of venues that capture your attention. Before scheduling a tour, you should talk with your partner and discuss two things:

• Which season do you want to be married in? Choose a few dates that you are interested in to more easily check availability.

• What is your venue budget? Don’t go on a tour and fall in love with something that is outside of your price range!

During your tour

Be sure to bring a notebook with you on your venue tours so that you can ask these questions and also remember the things that stand out to you as you tour. Sometimes you see a few different venues back to back and they start to run together- so TAKE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS TOO!

Here are questions to consider and ask as you tour:

• Space

• How many people can this location accommodate?

• What is the rental fee?

• What items does that include? (ie. tables, chairs, linens, plates, cutlery, decorations, etc.)

• What are your weather-contingency options? (if it’s too hot or cold, pouring rain, etc.)

• Where are the best places to take photos onsite?

• What does a typical layout for a wedding look like?

• Do you have any decor restrictions?
  

• Timeline / Logistics

• How many hours are included in our rental?

• Where is parking at this location?

• How many events do you take on in a day?

• Who is in charge of the setup, breakdown, and cleaning of the wedding?

• What time do we need to be out of the building?

• Can we come the day before the wedding to decorate or store items?

• Can we have our rehearsal dinner at the venue the night before?
  

• Contract / Invoice

• How much is the deposit?

• How much for additional hours (i.e., early arrival or an after party)?

• What is the payment schedule?

• Will there be a staff member onsite during our event?

• Who will be our main contact at the venue on the day of the event?

• Are there any additional fees we need to pay on top of the venue rental? (ie. service charge, cleaning fee, etc.)

• Are we required to have event insurance for this venue?

• What is the cancellation policy?
  

• Preferred Vendors vs. Required Vendors

• Be sure to pay attention to the lists of vendors provided to you by the venue. Preferred vendors are those whom the venue recommends. They are tried and true and have enjoyed working together in the past. You are not required to book with these vendors, but they are a great starting point to know what options there are for you.

• Required vendors, however, are vendors you MUST use if you book with that venue. Pay attention to these as you tour different venues. Often, venues will require certain caterers, bar services, DJs, etc. You'll also find that some venues require a planner or coordinator, although most will leave the decision of who to hire up to you.

♥ The Everson Events Team