What Steps Do You Take When Searching for a Wedding Venue

Now that we have ushered in the new year, the search for the perfect wedding venue begins! In the interest of time, you may decide to call or e-mail the salespeople at your preferred wedding venues to determine if the venue is available and if it is a good fit. This is a great first step as long as you know what to ask when you call. If you don’t know what to ask, check out these six (6) quick questions to ask when checking the availability of each weddig venue.

What to Say When You Reach Out to Venues for Your Wedding

If you decide to call or e-mail first, you can start with the six questions below.

1. “Are you available on <insert date here>?”

Remember to mention the correct day of the week, the correct wedding date, and the correct year.  Some venues plan more than one wedding a day, so remember to mention your preferred time of day.

2. “How many people can you comfortably fit for dinner and dancing?”

You want to ensure the venue is large enough to accommodate all of your wedding guests for the meal service, dancing, entertainment, and a head table or sweetheart table.

3. “Do you have a space available for a wedding ceremony?”

The answer to this question is important to couples who want to have their ceremony and reception at the same location. Also remember to ask if there is a ceremony fee.

4. “Do you charge a rental fee?”

You want to ensure that the venue’s rental fee (plus services charges and taxes) fits within your overall wedding budget.

5. “Will we have exclusive use of your venue, or are there other weddings taking place on the same day?”

Depending upon your priorities, the answer to this question can be a deal breaker. If another wedding takes place earlier in the day prior to yours, you may have the capability to share some of the wedding day expenses such as flowers or chair rentals. However, some couples don’t want their wedding to compete with another wedding on their wedding day.  Know what’s important to you beforehand.

6. “Do we have to use your in-house caterer or your approved caterer?  Or, can we bring in our own professional caterer” 

This will be a key question to ask if you require a specific cuisine for your wedding day meal.

When you perform your wedding venue site visit(s), you can delve deeper by downloading our Wedding Ceremony Planning Guidebook.

Or you can begin rating your venue options by downloading our bundle of checklists for rating your wedding ceremony and your wedding reception.

If you are ready to plan your worry-free wedding experience, please contact your wedding planning team at Howerton+Wooten Events.

Love and Soul Always, Kawania

Photography: Shutterstock

P.S. If you’re interested in booking me as a speaker or wedding industry expert, click here to learn more.