Venue Contract- What Should i Look Out For?

Definitely ask them to list their cancellation and postponement policies in the contract! No one intends to cancel or postpone when they sign a contract, but things do sometimes come up (2020 pandemic for example). Also ask them about the deposit amount, forms of payment accepted, and the payment schedule for when the rest of the balance is due. Make sure the contract lists everything that's included, and as specific as possible (for example, "200 banquet chairs and 20 round 72" tables" instead of "tables and chairs"). Also ask for dates and times to be clearly outlined - what time you can access the venue on the day of, and what time you need to be out of the venue by at the end of the night, and any extra fees for adding extra hours. If catering is included in your venue, ask for the specific pricing to be listed in the contract, along with any potentially hidden fees (such as, tax percent, gratuity, service charges, etc). Congratulations on finding your venue!!

I agree with everything previously stated!


When I sat down with my venue manager going over the contract, she would say stuff that they would include but it wasn’t in the contract. So I wrote it in and had her initial. Just to be safe!

Check for hidden fees... our first-choice venue quoted us a rental price, but the contract stipulated a bunch of other costs. Also, figure out what kind of refund you'd receive if you had to cancel/change the date. In the same contract, we would've lost all money we'd paid, in addition to our deposit, even if it wasn't our fault-- like, if the venue literally burnt to the ground. In that kind of circumstance, we also wouldn't have had the right to choose our rescheduled date.

Needless to say, we didn't go with that venue. ):

Is it an all inclusive venue or blank slate where you bring in your own vendors? Each of those will have different questions. Most have already covered the all inclusive venue questions, there are two that past posts highlight being frequently skipped over: do they allow food tastings before you book the venue? It is vital that they do and red flag if they don’t. Second: what all is included in cost? Many quotes will be for a small amount which is the rental fee only so people think they are getting a good deal and are shocked when they are given a 5 figure catering/bar bill in addition.



If you are having a blank slate venue, important questions to ask:
1) what is the length of time you are allowed to use and how much is for setup/tear down? 2) what is the earliest time you can arrive and the latest when you must leave and are there any noise restrictions? 3) what all is included? Many venues may have tables and chairs on site and you rent everything else. 4) if the venue has their coordinator, are you allowed to hire your own who has your best interests in mind? 5) what is dinner capacity with social distancing and does that number include vendors?

View Quoted Comment These are all wonderful tips! Unfortunately when I asked the venue to add in information on the contract like a cancellation policy and what the venue will provide (tables, chairs, aisle runners, etc.) they told me they cannot change the contract at all. But they did emailed me more or less what would happen if an act of God/emergency occurred and what the venue would provide. However, the contract also has a clause where it basically says what is stated on the contract is all that was agreed upon between us and the venue (which I fear invalidates anything that is being told to us through email or phone). We really like this venue but are a little turned off by all this.