Questions to ask when touring a venue

Here are some good things to ask about:

-What is their postponement/cancellation policy?

-What is the required deposit amount?

-What is the schedule for paying off the remaining balance, and when is the final payment due by?

-What forms of payment are accepted?

-Are there any prohibited items (fog machines, candles, etc)?

-What time can we access the venue on the day of the wedding, and what time do we need to be out of the venue by?

-Is there a bridal suite for getting ready on site? If so, are we allowed to bring our own food/alcohol for getting ready?

-What specifically is all included with the venue (chair types, tables, decor, etc.)?

-What is the max capacity including vendors?

-When is the final guest count due by?

-Will our wedding be the only one hosted at your venue that day, or will there be other weddings too?

-What is the parking situation?

-Can we use the venue the night before for our rehearsal? If so, is there a cost associated with this?

Okay, I probably should get a planner soon because half of the stuff on the list I haven't even thought about (I really suck at executive functioning! lol).

Just assume they are hiding fees everywhere and ask questions based on that. How much is the venue? Is there a separate event fee? How much is the service fee? (Can be high) Can I use any caterer? How much for your food? How much for alcohol? Do you include tables or chairs? Do you include plates and glasses? Do you include an officient? A coordinator? Do you include anything? How many hours will i have access to tge space? Also just assume when you book the place that there are at least 15 costs for the wedding you have not thought of..... But you'll feel great after you find the venue for you and lock in a date.

Especially because you are doing a lot of decorating I would ask about how early you can start to set up decor. My venue ended up being a really tight window only an hour and a half. I didn't think to ask about this until we got close to the wedding itself. On that same note, see if they have on sight staff that can help with set up and take down. You might also want to find out when the space needs to be cleaned up by.

Oh I thought of another one, do they provide microphones for the ceremony

There's tons of lists online that you can find that go over lots of things to be on the lookout for. I'd also suggest that while you ask questions to have your fiancé take pictures/ videos of the space so you can go back over it afterwards to compare venues.

I'd ask what all is included in the rental (tables, chairs, silverware, catering, bar service, etc.), do they have a list of preferred vendors and are you required to use them (or is there a fee to use someone not on the list), when you'd be able to drop off items (or if you'd need to have a coordinator or someone bring in items day-of), how early you'd be able to access the space day-of, do they handle setup/ tear down, is there on-site refrigerators/ stoves/ cooking space for caterers or if they'd need to bring in their own things, do they have their own sound system (microphones, speakers, power sources for a DJ), what is the parking situation like for guests, is there a separate vendor entrance, what hotels are nearby and do they know whether any of them offer shuttle service, if you're going to have the ceremony and reception in the same place is there a separate area for guests to go to for cocktail hour or will they be in the same space while the room gets flipped from ceremony to reception, how late are you able to stay, do they have liability insurance.